Skip to main content
BoF Logo

The Business of Fashion

Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.

Moody’s Warns Sustainability Now a Credit Risk for Fashion

Extinction Rebellion activists at London Fashion Week | Source: Getty Images

The ratings agency pointed to mounting scrutiny of the industry’s environmental footprint from consumers, regulators and investors that is likely to force costly changes to fashion’s business model and risks eroding brands’ credit quality. Longer term, the industry is likely to face more financial pressure related to environmental risks, Moody’s Investors Service said in a report published Wednesday.

“The credit impact of environmental risks on the apparel companies we rate has been limited to date,” the report found. “However, in the longer term, the industry’s profitability is at risk because input costs will increase as production practices put increasing strain on material resources.”

The analysis underscores the financial implications of the industry’s sustainability challenges at a time when brands are facing financial pressure in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic as well.

© 2024 The Business of Fashion. All rights reserved. For more information read our Terms & Conditions

More from Sustainability
Hold the industry accountable and catalyse solutions on environment, labour and ethics.

Fashion’s Virgin Plastic Problem

The industry needs to ditch its reliance on fossil-fuel-based materials like polyester in order to meet climate targets, according to a new report from Textile Exchange.


Are H&M and Zara Harming Forests in Brazil?

Cotton linked to environmental and human rights abuses in Brazil is leaking into the supply chains of major fashion brands, a new investigation has found, prompting Zara-owner Inditex to send a scathing rebuke to the industry’s biggest sustainable cotton certifier.


view more

Subscribe to the BoF Daily Digest

The essential daily round-up of fashion news, analysis, and breaking news alerts.

The Business of Fashion

Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
CONNECT WITH US ON
The Business of Beauty Global Awards - Deadline 30 April 2024
© 2024 The Business of Fashion. All rights reserved. For more information read our Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy and Accessibility Statement.
The Business of Beauty Global Awards - Deadline 30 April 2024