Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, maybe my colleagues have heard of New York Fashion Week, which was at the beginning of this month, but this week is New York Climate Week, giving us an opportunity to spur climate action. The fashion industry is a massive, $2.5 trillion global industry and an economic driver with a presence in every State. We cannot ignore the wide-ranging impacts of the fashion industry. Clothing production is surging, textile waste is rising, and workers' wages and conditions are worsening. Fashion, and particularly fast fashion, is a climate issue. The apparel industry is responsible for about 4 percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions and 4 percent of the solid waste in the United States alone. In 2021, the World Economic Forum identified the fashion industry and its supply chain as the world's third largest polluter. In June, my colleagues and I took an important step by launching the first-ever Congressional Slow Fashion Caucus. We are working to educate Members and the public about the negative impacts of the fashion industry and to develop policies to support a more sustainable industry. There are important actions we can all take as individuals. We can buy less clothing and get more use out of our clothing by patching holes or buying secondhand, but there is a critical need for new policies to encourage brands to design better clothing and take responsibility for the end of life of their products. Other countries and States are already starting this work.…”