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More and more sports and fashion brands are setting themselves the goal of becoming climate neutral within the next few years, on a corporate as well as product level. The CO₂ balance serves as the gateway to sustainable apparel and for more transparency for the consumer.

This process begins with the materials supplied by textile producers, requiring knowledge of the amount of CO₂ emitted during production. By evaluating and quantifying CO₂ emissions, the industry gains in transparency and can turn to more sustainable options.

In close collaboration with sustainability insights platform Higg and partners such as Climate Partner, PERFORMANCE DAYS Munich and Functional Fabric Fair by PERFORMANCE DAYS Portland seek targeted answers to the question, “How can we cut down on CO₂ emissions?” as part of its roadmap over the next three fairs. The Focus Topic “The Journey to Carbon Neutrality” will therefore highlight materials and fibers that provide solutions on how to produce and reprocess materials in the future in a climate-friendly manner, kicking off at the spring trade fair, to be held at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland on April 4-5, 2022, at the Munich’s Exhibition Center on April 27-28, 2022, continuing through the winter fair in October/November and culminating at the Spring 2023 fair.

When the conversation turns to environmental protection and climate change these days, the term CO₂ neutrality is also often mentioned in connection with CO₂ emissions and CO₂ reduction. Yet what exactly does CO₂ neutrality mean? Climate neutrality implies achieving a balance between carbon emissions themselves and the absorption of carbon in the atmosphere into carbon sinks. To achieve net zero emissions, all greenhouse gas emissions worldwide must be offset by carbon sequestration. The fashion and sportswear industries are among the world’s highest emitters of CO₂.

If one wishes to examine their emissions across all stages of the value chain, it is worth looking beyond raw materials, production, logistics and trade. Consumer behavior can also influence emissions: According to the “Fashion on Climate” report published by the Global Fashion Agenda and McKinsey at the end of August 2020, even greater leverage lies in the products themselves: 61 percent of reductions in emissions could be achieved through CO₂ reductions in material production and processing, by minimizing production and manufacturing waste, and in the manufacturing of garments. By 2030, that would account for around 1 billion tons annually. And last but not least, consumer behavior is also a factor that impacts the fashion industry’s climate footprint. If even more attention is paid to sustainable clothing, and if it is reused and worn longer, this can lead to a reduction in emissions of up to 347 million tons, according to the report.

A pioneering example on the road to sustainability was PERFORMANCE DAYS’ decision to only present sustainable materials at the PERFORMANCE FORUM from the trade fair event in November 2019 onwards. And from the upcoming Spring Fair onwards, the sustainable approach will be heightened further. Within the framework of this roadmap, the new Focus Topic is intended to accompany exhibitors on their way to climate neutrality over the course of three fairs. In doing so, PERFORMANCE DAYS and Functional Fabric Fair are pursuing a 3-step plan.  

• Step 1, April 2022: The focus of the upcoming fair will be on CO₂-reducing technologies and the measuring of a product’s carbon footprint.
• Step 2, November 2022: Within the entire Focus Topic product category, only products that indicate CO₂ emissions caused during production will be shown. This contributes to more transparency and comparability in the industry.
• Step 3, April 2023: The PERFORMANCE FORUM will present the amount of CO₂ emitted by each individual product. Furthermore, approaches to solutions will be shown as to how CO₂ released during the manufacturing of materials can be offset and further reduced.

For the best possible implementation and presentation of the new Focus Topic, PERFORMANCE DAYS and Functional Fabric Fair trust in collaborators: Higg and Climate Partner – amongst others – will accompany the next three fairs. The Higg Materials Sustainability Index (Higg MSI) is considered the leading tool for assessing the environmental impact of materials in the apparel, footwear and textile industries. The Higg MSI is able to calculate the environmental impact of millions of possible material manufacturing variants. A packaging library has also been added to assist in making sustainable decisions for packaging. The Higg Index is neither a certificate nor a label, but rather an important self-assessment tool that textile companies can utilize internally to be able to identify and improve environmental and social issues throughout their value chain.

Climate Partner, on the other hand, seeks solutions for climate protection: This involves the balancing of CO₂ emissions – which in turn are to offset the emissions of companies with recognized climate protection projects in order to make products, services and companies climate neutral. Climate Partner also sees itself as an advisor to companies on their climate protection strategies. Together, the aim is to work on reducing CO₂ emissions and to support climate protection projects that benefit the everyday lives of people in developing countries. 

• Off-price becomes a growth machine for the fashion industry
• Off-price segment grows five times faster than regular offer
• Growth of online sales in the off-price segment tripled - market share 40%
• Future growth almost exclusively online

Fashion consumers in Germany appreciate bargain hunting. The off-price segment, in which high-end fashion brands are offered at lower prices in online and offline outlets, was already growing faster than the entire fashion industry before 2020 and has shrunk less during the pandemic. Between 2025 and 2030, the segment is expected to grow five times faster than the entire fashion industry. One reason for this is the strong online presence of this product offering, which benefited from the boom in online shopping during the pandemic.

"Online accounts for 40% of the market in the off-price segment and is growing rapidly at an average of 13% per year. Almost all of the growth in off-price will take place online in the next three years," says Katharina Schumacher, digital expert and author of the study entitled "Mastering off-price fashion in an omnichannel world". "This opens up opportunities for fashion companies to reach new consumers with their brand who would not normally consider a full-price purchase."
          
For the study, global data on the off-price market was analysed and 11,000 consumers in ten countries were surveyed. German shoppers are particularly interested in bargains. In the past year, many consumers in Germany have increasingly shopped online. In the off-price segment, the growth of the online market has tripled: from 9% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in 2020 to 27% in 2021.

By 2025, growth in Germany as well as in Austria could amount to 16% per year. The average in the EU lies at 13%. In addition, offprice offers fashion brands the opportunity to sell their surplus goods in a sustainable way.

Typical online off-price consumers, so-called enthusiasts, are particularly interested in luxury, affordable luxury and premium products and buy on specialised platforms such as dress-for-less, BestSecret, brands4friends or Scarce. They value style and usually start without a specific brand in mind. They enjoy comparing prices and spend 2.3 times more than other fashion consumers. In Germany, 30% of off-price shoppers who spend more than 1,000 euros per year account for 70% of total fashion spending. "However, these shoppers are generally willing to pay full price for premium and luxury brands," says Achim Berg, fashion industry expert at McKinsey. "Fashion suppliers should therefore carefully consider which goods they offer off-price."

Offline purchases with increasing expectations
Off-price shoppers who shop in stores are often younger and have a higher purchasing power than other fashion consumers. They like to shop in outlet centres, while they often shy away from going to a regular luxury shop on a shopping mall.
"Outlets therefore offer luxury fashion companies the opportunity not only to increase their profitability but also to reach new groups of shoppers without cannibalising their full-price assortment and damaging their brand," says Felix Rölkens, McKinsey expert for the fashion industry and co-author of the study. "However, shoppers expect more and more from outlets: comparable shop layouts as in regular brick-and-mortar retail, multilingual shoppers, restaurants and a good shopping experience."