H&M’s B+ grade tops fashion giants
The fashion industry is a massive climate problem across a range of metrics—from emissions to waste. With the release of the 2025 Fossil Free Fashion Scorecard from international research and advocacy group Stand.earth earlier this month, we know which brands have the most work to do. The report unpacks the sustainability wins and woes of 42 major brands, and found that 45% reported reduced emissions compared with the previous year and close to one-third have set renewable energy targets for their supply chains. H&M ranked highest, garnering a B+ overall and an A+ for its commitments and transparency. Meanwhile, other well-known brands including mall classics like Gap, hyperfast fashion like Shein, and even luxury names like Chanel all scored a D+ or lower. However, even the best labels have work to do: None of the brands had goals for support for workers, and only one (Eileen Fisher) had a target specific to climate adaptation. Perhaps the most hopeful sign: 95% of the brands in the report offer some form of resale or repair.
Planting trees can’t counter fossil fuel emissions
Trees make for powerful carbon sinks, but is it possible to plant enough of them to undo the damage done by fossil fuel giants? Unfortunately, the answer appears to be a big “nope,” according a study published last week in the journal Communications Earth & Environment. The authors looked at the reserves of the 200 largest fossil fuel companies and found that countering the footprint of burning their current reserves with trees would require blanketing an area the size of North and Central America—displacing communities, farmland, and existing ecosystems in the process. It’d also run up a $10.8 trillion tab, when fossil fuel companies’ combined net worth is just $7.01 trillion. This study acts as a reminder that, while planting trees is wonderful for many reasons, it’s no “magic eraser” for emissions, Nina Friggens, a research fellow at the University of Exeter and coauthor of the study, tells the Associated Press. The real work is slowing the flow of carbon emissions in the first place.
Lab-grown salmon gets the greenlight
Despite growing partisan skepticism and traction on bans, cultivated proteins (popularly known as “lab-grown meat”) just hit a milestone: A salmon filet from the company Wildtype has cleared the FDA and is now on the menu at Haitian restaurant Kann in Portland, Oregon, Grist reports. Lab-made meat alternatives, in general, can have an environmental footprint up to 80% lower than conventional offerings—largely because producing them uses far less space and doesn’t require feed. For the fishing industry, in particular, growing seafood in a lab can help address overfishing for wild-caught fare and minimize the need for energy-intensive farming. While the FDA greenlight is an important signal for anyone wary of the healthfulness of lab-grown food, there’s still work ahead in terms of drawing down the emissions of seafood more broadly. Salmon is the second most-popular fish in the U.S., but it’s far from the most-polluting: Farmed shrimp ranks No. 1 stateside and produces about twice the emissions of salmon per kilo.
Shuttered coal mines can soak up a lot of sun
A new analysis from the Global Energy Monitor (GEM) found that converting the world’s abandoned or soon-to-shutter coal mines into solar farms could generate enough electricity to power a country the size of Germany. If flipped to photovoltaics, the land could produce 300 gigawatts of power, adding 15% to the world’s solar capacity. The report’s authors see a coal-to-solar transition as a means to ease tensions surrounding solar buildouts, specifically those related to squabbles over allocated acreage. “Acquiring land for global renewable energy targets has been rife with conflicts among stakeholders and decision-makers,” GEM Researcher Hailey Deres said in a statement, “so repurposing degraded lands could provide salient new benefits to former coal communities across the planet.” In the U.S. alone, there are about 1.5 million acres of abandoned or degraded mines, and there are currently 32 active conversion projects underway.