Solidaridad: Change to a sustainable apparel sector.
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Janet Mensink, international program coordinator sustainable cotton&textiles of Solidaridad Network, spoke as panellist during Jason Kibbey’s session on the Sustainable Apparel Coalition. http://www.solidaridadnetwork.org/thoughts-sustainable-fashion-sac-higg-index-20-launched Solidaridad has chosen to take an active role in the Sustainable Apparel Coalition. The SAC convenes key stakeholders in the sector -over 400 members and more than 40% coverage of the apparel market- it has a new perspective on creating change. Rather than creating a certification standard it aims to measure and communicate the social and environmental footprint of apparel. The tool used is the Higg Index. It will enable customers to compare products and brands and will be a great tool for consumers to put pressure on the sector. As a result, sustainability will be a competitive parameter, next to quality and price. Especially the facility module is of great interest for Solidaridad programmes. We therefore started to actively integrating it in our programmes with the mills and factories. During the panel discussion, Janet elaborated on the status of the industry. She concluded that despite 15 years of standards, Codes of Conduct and audits there are still huge social and environmental issues, ranging from over use of hazardous chemicals in cotton cultivation to untreated effluents in fabric dyeing to low wages and unsafe buildings in the cut&sew factories. The Higg Index has the potential to provide a break through: for the first time stakeholders have come together to share and collaborate. The index is holistic, covering both social and environmental aspects in the fully value chain and based on performance in stead of compliance. Janet called for broad adoption by the stakeholders of the Higg index in order to measure the current sustainability status, set priorities for improvement and drive desperately needed change.
Transcript of Solidaridad: Change to a sustainable apparel sector.
CHANGE THAT
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MATTERS
SOLIDARIDAD BELIEVES THAT A
COMBINATION OF MEASUREMENT
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AND ACTION CAN CREATE THE
NEEDED CHANGE TO A
SUSTAINABLE APPAREL SECTOR.
OUR CORE EXPERTISE IS IN THE
ACTION: WE DESIGN AND
IMPLEMENT ENVIRONMENTAL &
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SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
PROGRAMS ALONG THE VALUE
CHAIN, FROM FIELD TO FASHION.
IN THESE PROGRAMS, OUR
PARTNERSHIPS WITH
FARMERS,
MANUFACTURERS AND
BRAND & RETAILERS
ARE KEY.
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WE COMMIT TO USING THE
SAC’S HIGG INDEX AS AN
INTEGRAL PART
IN OUR PROGRAMS, TO
SET A BASELINE AND
MEASURE PROGRESS.
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MOREOVER, WE WANT TO
INSPIRE ALL OF OUR
STAKEHOLDERS TO ADOPT
THE HIGG INDEX AS THE
GENERIC MEASUREMENT TOOL IN
THE INDUSTRY.
