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This is the read only version on the first draft of the Manifesto, launched in January 2026.

Click PARTICIPATE! to comment, vote and amend the manifesto parts before 31 January.

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0. Intro: Fashioning a Just Transition!

The fashion industry is broken by design. Billionaire brands get richer at the expense of people and the planet. Millions of garment workers are underpaid, overworked and unprotected. Fair working conditions come second to corporate greed. And billions of clothes are pumped out every year through exploitation and extraction.

Fashion is a trillion dollar industry. Yet this wealth lines the pockets of CEOs and shareholders - not the people who make our clothes. From poverty wages and union busting to unsafe working conditions and gender-based violence, garment workers fight daily for their dignity and livelihoods. 

The same workers struggling to get by pay/are paying the highest price of the climate crisis. Floods, fires, earthquakes, storms and droughts close factories and threaten jobs. Poverty wages leave workers without a safety net when tragedy strikes. Restricted water breaks in unventilated workplaces make heatwaves unbearable. Meanwhile, rich fashion bosses make climate decisions that ignore workers in faraway air-conditioned boardrooms.

Fashion is one of the world’s most polluting industries. It depletes soils, poisons water, pollutes the air, fuels deforestation and biodiversity loss and pumps out planet-warming emissions. This avalanche of clothes soon makes its way to landfill, burdening communities on the frontlines of the textile waste crisis with a mess they didn’t make. Overproduction thrives on low wages and high waste.

But another way is possible. Garment workers around the globe are fighting for a future that centres their needs. They’re organising in trade unions to stand up to powerful brands. They’re reclaiming their rights to a decent living and a livable future. And they’re calling on us to amplify their demands for a just transition to a fair, green world.

This Manifesto maps out our collective vision for a different type of fashion system, one that centres the dignity of workers and the conservation of our planet. When the exploitation of workers and the earth for profit is inextricably linked, so too is the struggle for social and climate justice. Future-proofing fashion means moving away from old systems of harm and embracing new, just ways of producing and consuming clothes. True change won’t come from above; the just transition must be led by workers and deliver decent jobs on a healthy planet.

1. Fashion is based on the values of equity, justice, solidarity and care for people and the planet.

The new fashion system rejects the capitalist take-make-waste model and all that it stands for: worker exploitation, endless growth, wealth inequality and environmental damage. Collective care is shown to workers, our shared home and wardrobes. Solidarity is the thread that binds the people who make and wear clothes.

Fashion operates on the basis of fairness, equity and justice. The financial and human costs of climate disruption no longer fall on those already bearing the heaviest load. The just transition not only shapes the future, it addresses historic harm. Global inequalities and power imbalance are redressed. Reparations are made. The biggest polluters shoulder the cost of adaptation.

2. The fashion industry is led by workers and trade unions, not billionaires.

The pathway to a fair, green future is paved by workers’ needs and expertise. Those most vulnerable to climate breakdown have the biggest seat at the table. Workers freely participate in trade unions to improve their working conditions and advocate for local climate protections. Diverse shared governance models give them greater ownership of their workplace. The balance of power is finally tipped in favour of workers. 

All workers have equal rights, regardless of their race, gender, class, age, sexuality, legal status, employment status and location. An inclusive systems shift involves/centres the people who make, retail, collect, sort, distribute, repair and dispose of clothes. Nobody is left behind.

3. Workers’ livelihoods come before billionaire profits.

Wealth is transferred from the hands of a few fashion billionaires to the hands of millions of workers. Profits are divided fairly and everyone is paid a living wage. The vast gap between workers’ wages and CEO wages is closing. Companies pay their fair share of taxes. Investors’ money flows away from companies that profit from harm, and funds the manufacturers embracing new models of care. Brands pick up the climate bill and provide suppliers with the resources they need to adapt. Fashion enriches the lives of workers, their families and their local communities.

4. Safe and decent working conditions are guaranteed, no matter the location.

All workers enjoy fair working conditions and hours, whether in a factory or in their home. Workplaces are free from injury, health risks, harassment, abuse and gender-based violence. International binding mechanisms like the Accord uphold workplace health and safety and shield workers from extreme climate impacts.

5. Fashion meets everyone’s needs while respecting planetary boundaries

The fashion industry swaps mass-produced temporary trends for high-quality valued clothing.

Gradually reducing production restores nature and minimises fashion’s footprint. Nobody is pressured to overconsume by manipulative marketing tactics. We only take from the earth what we strictly need.

6. Job security increases as production volumes fall

Garment production reflects the true cost of labour, triggering a fall in overproduction. Great care is taken to ensure livelihoods aren’t lost in the process. New business models create new opportunities to thrive. Workers are reskilled and upskilled into new and different jobs. Brands and governments support re-training efforts. Adaptation is shaped by workers’ needs.

7. All workers have a safety net in a warming world

Social protections safeguard workers in times of crisis and climate disruption. Workers have sick leave, maternity pay, severance and unemployment benefits to fall back on. Governments provide social protection schemes that prevent climate harms to people at work and at home. Public spending moves away from current rearmament operations and rather focuses on the guarantee of living wages, upskilling training and social protection schemes for all workers. equipping workers to live dignified and climate-resilient lives.

8. Companies are responsible for the damage they cause

Companies are financially and legally accountable for their business practices. Enforceable global legislation regulates the fashion industry to uphold worker rights, prevent social and environmental harm and remedy rights violations. Every worker is compensated when they are wronged. Beyond the law, enforceable Brand Agreements and social protection programs keep brands in check. Mandatory transparency makes it easy to scrutinise brands’ claims and demand justice.

9. Clothing is valued.

In a new culture of keeping, clothes are cherished in homage to the people who made them. They’re reworn, repaired, resold, swapped, upcycled, recycled and recirculated. Workers who collect, sort, dispose of and recycle clothes aren’t left to deal with fashion’s waste alone. Brands are held responsible for the entire lifecycle of their products, from design to disposal. Clothes are rarely discarded.

This is the read only version - click PARTICIPATE! to comment, vote and amend the manifesto parts
Make sure your voice counts and give your feedback on time!