Fashion industry bodies forge sustainable supply alliance
Two important fashion industry bodies have launched a joint initiative to accelerate decarbonisation across the entire industry, with suppliers across multiple tiers a key point of focus.
The move has been made by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) and the Apparel Impact Institute (AII).
The SAC is an independent organisation whose goal is sustainability based upon measuring, evaluating and improving performance. The AII identifies, funds, scales and measures the apparel and footwear industry’s environmental-impact solutions.
The bodies say that the fashion sector needs to reduce emissions by at least 43% by 2030 compared to 2019 levels, and at least 60% by 2035.
On this note, the collaboration will see the organisations work together in key areas, including:
- Unlocking finance to drive decarbonisation
- Establishing a standard journey for suppliers, manufacturers and brands for setting impact targets
- Creating action plans
- Tracking climate-related achievements and industry engagement, on reporting and data sharing
Fashion sustainability focus is on suppliers
Under the partnership, an agreement has been signed to support the development of two further fashion sector bodies: the Climate Solutions Portfolio (CSP) – a registry of proven carbon-reduction solutions – and the Fashion Climate Fund (FCF), a body that raises funds around carbon emissions in supply chains across supplier-tiers from one to four.
The joint initiative resonates with recent comments from now-Deutsche Telekom Chairman, Frank Appel, who at the time of speaking was DHL CEO. Appel said that of all sectors, fashion has the potential to be a pioneer in driving circular supply chain models
Appel said that, although a shift to renewable energy is important for curbing climate change, every industry must also “examine what they can do in their specific case”.
His comments followed DHL’s publication of a report, ‘Delivering on Circularity’, which focuses on the fashion and consumer electronics industries, both of which are cornerstones of the e-commerce boom.
Appel said: “Circularity is the likeliest source of complementary strategies that addresses the impact of both emissions and waste.
“It is consumer goods – particularly fashion and electronics – that merit a closer look. The presence of these industries in our lives is nearly universal,” he says. “The potential positive impact is huge.”