Stella McCartney has issued a warning to the fashion sector not to get comfortable about the progress made in sustainable fashion, as there’s a lot more work to be done, with legislation also needed. 

On Friday, ethical fashion pioneer McCartney spoke whilst representing the fashion industry along with a group of business execs brought together by Prince Charles at the G7 summit, currently being held in the UK.

The main topic discussed included Stella McCartney asking the world’s most powerful politicians to adopt new practices to help make fashion more sustainable and eco friendly.

She highlighted how “our industry [remains] one of the most harmful to the environment”. That’s despite the strides some companies are making towards a more ethical and sustainable future. 

“The reality is that we are using the planet’s resources and not really replacing them in a positive way. We’re doing the opposite,” she said.

She said that “challenging” an industry that’s still making heavy use of chemicals, “destroying land and resources, killing animals” and trying to come up with solutions “is what I do every day and have done since I started”.

“What I’m trying to do at Stella is not to have you notice that you’re wearing a vegan bag or vegan shoe, or that your sequins don’t have PVC,” she said.

“We’re not incentivised,” she added. “We need policy change, we need to have incentives. I want the young designers of tomorrow to not be penalised and punished financially, which we are at the moment. I want them to have great tax breaks, to have really exciting business reasons to work in this way.”

“You can’t launch a brand [today] without having some level of ‘responsibility’ at the core of your business model,” she explained, adding that “My team are so entrenched in this way of working. If you’re thinking of going into fashion this is an incredible job opportunity. If you can train or have this insight or foot in the door, your value is much, much higher.”