In an industry where the challenge is no longer awareness but action, many decisions are still shaped by limited visibility across the value chain. This makes it harder to prioritise the changes needed to decarbonise in a just way.

Future scenarios offer a structured way to challenge assumptions and explore what different futures could mean in practice – for example when setting sourcing strategies, deciding where to invest, or planning long-term partnerships.

The real challenge in the textile industry is not awareness, but making better decisions in a complex system. This is where future scenarios become useful.

Karolina Fabó, Communications Strategist, H&M Foundation

A practical tool for better decisions

Forum for the Future, a non-profit organisation working with business, government and civil society, will develop four robust and thought-provoking scenarios for the textile industry.
Textiles Futures 2040 builds on earlier scenario work, including Fashion Futures 2030, developed by Forum for the Future together with partners. That work has been used across the fashion industry to explore future pathways and inform strategy.

There are currently no equivalent, open scenarios focused on the textile industry and its transition to just decarbonisation towards 2040. This project aims to fill that gap by providing a practical, industry-relevant tool.

Designed to be used in practise

The scenarios are designed to be used directly in business decision-making – from strategy development to investment planning and collaboration across the value chain.

They help organisations to:

• Test strategies against different plausible futures
• Understand risks, trade-offs and opportunities
• Prioritise investments and innovation
• Align decisions across the value chain

Not predicting the future

Future scenarios are not predictions. They are different, plausible futures that help organisations step outside their usual way of thinking and consider what could unfold – not just what they expect or plan for.

By exploring multiple futures side by side, organisations can look beyond short-term pressures, spot risks earlier, and identify opportunities – for example how sourcing models might need to shift, where to invest in supplier decarbonisation, or how partnerships across the value chain could evolve.

The global textile industry has such a massive impact on the world – as an employer, an economic powerhouse and as a large carbon emitter. We’re excited to work with those in the industry and the H&M Foundation to explore what the future could look like. And importantly, produce tools to help people working in the industry to make better decisions and decarbonise faster.

Zoe Le Grand, Director UK/EU and Americas at Forum for the Future

Developed with the industry

The scenarios are developed through research, interviews and workshops with stakeholders across the textile system – from manufacturers and brands to industry organisations and innovators, including less represented perspectives. This makes them more grounded in real-world challenges and more relevant for decision-making.

By linking long-term futures to present-day choices, Textiles Futures 2040 helps turn uncertainty into a basis for action and supports better decisions across the textile industry.

Toolkit available in October 2026

The scenarios, along with a workshop toolkit and supporting resources, will be available in October 2026.