EU, 77 Nations Pledge Climate Action at COP 31
The European Union and 77 OACPS countries reaffirmed Paris Agreement commitments ahead of the UN climate conference in Antalya, Turkey.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Fashion
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The European Union and 77 OACPS countries jointly called for accelerating efforts to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and identified six climate cooperation areas. The statement comes ahead of COP 31 in Antalya, Turkey, held November 9 to 20.
Why it matters
The alliance spans 104 countries and roughly 2 billion people, and its priorities include adaptation, financing, clean electrification and a just energy transition. Fashion supply chains, which generate about 80% of the industry's carbon footprint, are among the sectors affected by these commitments.
The fashion industry accounts for between 2% and 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, with about 80% of its carbon footprint generated in the supply chain. Specific measures for supplier-level emissions reductions were not detailed in the joint statement.
The players
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
The UN body that coordinates international climate negotiations and published two August 2026 reports on market mechanisms and sustainable financing for industrial emissions.
European Union
A political and economic union of 27 European member states that co-signed the joint climate statement with OACPS countries.
The details
The joint statement identifies climate adaptation and resilience, access to financing, clean electrification and a just energy transition as priorities. Large fashion companies have set emissions targets for their value chains, while much of the required investment takes place at supplier facilities that often operate on tight margins.
Timeline
November 2023: Samoa Agreement signed
January 2024: Samoa Agreement provisionally applied
August 2026: UNFCCC publishes two reports on market mechanisms and sustainable financing
November 9 to 20, 2026: COP 31 held in Antalya, Turkey
Industry Context
The joint statement builds on the Samoa Agreement, signed in November 2023 and provisionally applied since January 2024, by extending that partnership into climate-specific cooperation ahead of COP 31. Fashion supply chains, which depend on textile and apparel factories in climate-vulnerable markets, sit within the emissions footprint this framework seeks to address.
Shoppers may see fashion brands publicize supplier-level emissions targets as climate commitments move from policy statements into industry practice. The extraction does not specify how any of these commitments will change retail prices or product availability.
The takeaway
Emissions in fashion are concentrated upstream in supplier facilities rather than at the brand level, so climate progress depends heavily on financing and technology reaching those factories. Watching how COP 31 translates these priorities into concrete supplier-level commitments will show whether the pledges move beyond framework language.
What happens next
COP 31 is scheduled to run from November 9 to 20, 2026 in Antalya, Turkey, where the joint EU-OACPS priorities will be discussed.
Further reading
For more on how emissions targets are reshaping apparel production, see Fashion.
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