The Latest Sustainable Fashion News - November 2025
- arthursbeth
- Nov 30
- 4 min read
This month of sustainable fashion news gave us indicators of where the entire fashion system is moving. From resale dominance to factory-level transformation, November’s stories point to a post-linear industry where value isn’t just about what's new, but what lasts, what's traceable, and what fundamentally changes systems.
Resale will grow 2-3 times faster than first-hand fashion through 2027
The latest State of Fashion Report (McKinsey x BoF) announced that resale will grow 2–3× faster than first-hand fashion in 2027, signalling a fundamental shift in consumer value. Beyond sustainability, this is about intelligence-led consumption: people want affordability, individuality and longevity. Major resale platforms like Vinted, Depop and Vestiaire are moving into mainstream shopping culture across demographics.
This also has implications for luxury, with historical archive and limited-release items outperforming some new seasonal collections in both price and desirability. The resale market is forecast to reach $367B by 2029, and currently accounts for 9–10% of total fashion sales.
What this means for brands:
Design must prioritise durability & resale potential, not just seasonal turnover.
In-house resale or take-back programs will become expected, not innovative.
Data from recommerce should be used to inform product design, revealing what holds long-term value.
Patagonia’s impact report sparks DEBATE
Patagonia’s new sustainability report - over 150+ pages and refusing carbon offsets—split the industry. Some praised its honesty (you've probably seen the pull quote that 'we’ll never be sustainable enough because we started too late'), others criticised its accessibility issues, self-indulgence and the optics of a narrative positioned through senior, white male leadership while climate impact disproportionately affects marginalised communities.
This coincides with the rollout of the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), meaning detailed sustainability reports will soon be mandatory for major brands- with standardisation and enforcement attached.
Key response insights for fashion brands:
Reports must translate complex data into digestible insight, not overwhelm.
Narrative needs context (e.g., “175k repairs” must be connected to total sales).
Representation matters in sustainability storytelling.
But, a sidenote on this story:
There’s something we need to confront as both an industry and a sustainability community: in our urgency to hold brands accountable, we’ve become alarmingly efficient at dismantling the ones trying hardest. Patagonia’s report sparked valid analysis and frustration, but there is a danger that when we tear down leaders for not being perfectly sustainable, we risk discouraging progress entirely.
This behaviour feeds into greenhushing, where brands withhold sustainability communication for fear of backlash or public scrutiny. It’s becoming safer for businesses to stay silent than to be transparent about an imperfect journey - which is dangerous. Transparency is already a scarce commodity in fashion, we cannot afford to punish it when it shows up bruised and evolving.
Sustainability won’t be moved forward by brands waiting until they have the perfect report or narrative - it will be moved by those willing to show up authentically with an imperfect truth. It feels like authenticity is the value we're questioning, not sustainability, which is interesting.
Fashion for Good launches blueprint for near-net-zero manufacturing
Fashion for Good released the world’s first open-source blueprint for decarbonising textile manufacturing, targeting Tier-2 processing mills (where dyeing and finishing happen). The model outlines five pathways to cut emissions by up to 93%, while optimising energy and water use. This is a turning point because it targets high-volume manufacturing, not boutique innovation.
Because the blueprint is open-source, barriers to adoption are lower: even small or mid-size players can look into implementing these pathways. This democratises sustainable manufacturing, potentially creating supply-chain resilience while aligning with climate goals. This makes sustainable operation adoption so much more accessible, where the mainstream global supply chain can implement real, effective changes.
Why it matters:
It moves sustainability from design modules to factory systems.
Opens access beyond luxury, helping mid-size producers stay competitive.
Aligns with future EU decarbonisation regulation, preparing brands ahead of enforcement.
For brands:
Start partnering with suppliers on transition funding.
Build sourcing strategies on future-compatible manufacturing, not past legacy systems.
Leverage this shift in perception: sustainability as operational innovation.
Mango adopts TextileGenesis - full fibre traceability goes mainstream
Global retailer Mango has joined TextileGenesis, a digital fibre-tracing platform tracking materials from origin to garment (including synthetics, cellulosics, animal fibres and leather). This move shifts traceability from an ethical asset to a commercial and compliance necessity (and asset), as EU supply chain legislation tightens.
The platform provides secure certification trails and is likely to support upcoming Digital Product Passport requirements under EU regulation.
Strategic impact:
Brands must evidence their supply chains.
Traceability will soon underpin marketing, auditing and product labelling.
Early adopters will reduce regulatory risk and increase consumer trust.
160 brands, 55 CEOs, 20 countries - The Fashion Pact signals collective sustainability action at industry scale
More than 55 global fashion-industry CEOs, representing around 160 brands across 20 countries, have reaffirmed their commitment to The Fashion Pact - a multinational coalition pushing for climate action, biodiversity protection, and ocean conservation across the fashion sector. Unlike previous pledges, this one aims to mobilise collective transformation through alignment, shared targets and access to scalable sustainability solutions.
Participants span luxury, high street, activewear, and retail sectors - signalling that brands across levels are viewing sustainability as more than a competitive USP, but an operational necessity linked to survival, regulation and global relevance. Having said that, we've all seen what happened to the Paris Agreement.
Why this is important:
Collaboration is a competitive strategy: Collective decarbonisation and supply chain transition reduce risk and cost for all members.
It sets precedent for future regulatory standards: If top brands can reach science-based alignment, regulators are more likely to enforce similar targets across the sector, and other brands have the pathways mapped to take action.
Peer accountability replaces public shaming: When your competitors share your targets, there’s nowhere to hide - and no excuse not to progress.
In the context of fast fashion upheaval, digital passports (DPPs) and extended producer responsibility (EPR), this coalition may become the model through which industry-wide action actually materialises.
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