Time for a Responsible Fashion Council?

Abstract

Fashion is one of the least regulated and most unsustainable global industries. It has recently come into the spotlight due to its social and environmental performance, which brought into sharp focus both the lack of adequate international regulations in the fashion sector and lack of compliance with existing ones. Despite the proliferation of voluntary initiatives, there is no single body that sets global rules in the fashion industry today, thus leading to lack of coordination and common standards around the world on anything from advertising to environmental performance. The chapter analyzes the current regulatory landscape in the fashion sector at the international level, including the existing standards and certification schemes as well as key initiatives in this sector. It explores the feasibility and possible mandate of a future global fashion council and its role in promoting sustainability across the industry.

Appendices

Annex 1: Mapping of Major Players in Fashion and Sustainability

1.1 UN-Led Initiatives

Ethical Fashion Initiative is a program developed by the International Trade Centre (ITC), which is an organization mandated by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the WTO. The collaboration between these two international intergovernmental bodies permits ITC to effectively focus on global economic sustainability with strong guidance from its parent organizations. The goal of ITC is to improve trade capabilities of developing countries by providing assistance, guidance, and connections to the global economy and advancing international competitiveness of SMEs. ITC fosters an international and impartial perspective while strategically engaging a wide range of stakeholders and organizations on a global level, thereby sustainably developing the global value chain. Clients of ITC include policymakers, trade-support institutions, and the business community.

ITC developed the Ethical Fashion Initiative as a part of their Poor Communities Trade Programme (PCTP) with an aim to meet PCTP’s intentions of reducing poverty and improving global economic competitiveness. To do so, Ethical Fashion Initiative incorporates micro-entrepreneurs from developing regions in international trade. Ethical Fashion Initiative focuses on empowering marginalized individuals and communities in Africa and Haiti with market-led career growth opportunities within the global fashion industry. The inclusive model of Ethical Fashion Initiative helps establish partnerships between artisans in Africa and Haiti with global fashion designers, brands, and companies to develop mutually beneficial business opportunities and long-term trade partnerships. The talented and renowned fashion designers in the initiative include Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood, and Marni, among others, as well as established brand partners such as United Arrows, Macy’s, Manor Switzerland, and Myer Australia/Hands That Shape Humanity.

To accomplish the economic and social goals of the program, Ethical Fashion Initiative trains local artisans through varying stages of production while simultaneously encouraging participants to gain economic independence by adopting entrepreneur business models. The program follows precise protocols in the three key areas of Performance Enhancement, Fair Labor Compliance Monitoring, and Feedback Protocol and Social Impact Evaluation, and then implements an Impact Assessment to evaluate the effectiveness of the program’s actions. Although the Ethical Fashion Initiative does not intentionally focus on a specific gender, the initiative is comprised of 90 % female teams, which work to promote long-term economic growth for women and families in regional communities. The initiative also increases gender equality in regions where such equality is often limited.

Aside from constructing social and economic advancements in the fashion sector by involving micro-entrepreneurs, Ethical Fashion Initiative also ensures that sustainable environmental needs are met by using mostly recycled and local materials with their trained artisans and but remaining carbon neutral throughout the training and production processes. Their Web site is http://www.intracen.org/itc/projects/ethical-fashion/.

UN Global Compact is a UN initiative dedicated to developing a sustainable global economy by supporting businesses in their efforts to address corporate sustainability. The UN Global Compact offers companies and organizations an ethical framework that is founded on universal principles in which to encourage innovation and collaboration among stakeholders, governments, and society. The initiative is open to a wide range of organizations and businesses with the goal of ensuring that each participating organization commits to addressing, defining, measuring, and communicating their organization’s sustainable strategy. The UN Global Compact does not act as a performance or assessment tool, but rather participation is based on voluntary initiatives by a company’s CEO; the company is responsible for implementing the sustainable framework and principles.

The policy framework consists of the UN Global Compact’s Ten Principles, which are categorized by human rights, labor, the environment, and anti-corruption. For companies to effectively adopt the Ten Principles, the UN Global Compact developed guidelines consisting of five essential elements that, when adopted, can ensure a high level of commitment to sustainable practices and add value to business activity.

Because the UN initiates the Global Compact, the organization is able to act as a standing entity between the UN body and businesses worldwide. Thus, the UN Global Compact initiative works at both the global and local levels and connects its 85+ Local Networks to the global platform. The UN Global Compact developed the Local Networks in an effort to progress the initiative of the Ten Principles from an international perspective to a regional practice. The Local Networks also allow for businesses to develop connections and further their actions towards sustainability. The Local Networks are independent entities, yet they work closely with the UN Global Compact Headquarters.

The UN Global Compact also hosts annual events and meetings, such as the Annual Local Networks Forum, for the 85+ country networks to assemble and discuss governance of the Local Networks, as well as the triennial UN Global Compact Leaders Summit, which gathers the senior executives of company participants and stakeholders in an effort to develop strategic guidance for the continuance of the Global Compact. The Web site for the UN Global Compact is https://www.unglobalcompact.org.

10-Year Framework of Programmes for Sustainable Consumption and Production (10YFP on SCP) is a leading sustainable policy support initiative. The aim of 10YFP, operating from 2012 to 2022, is to enhance international cooperation and action of sustainable consumption and production patterns to improve the natural resources in both developed and developing countries. The initiative was generated in response to the Marrakech Process (2003–2012) and was delivered in 2012 by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) at the UN’s sustainable development conference, Rio+20. The 10YFP aims to decouple economic growth from natural resource degradation, thereby advancing social equity and economic opportunity. The long-term goal of 10YFP is to mainstream sustainable consumption and production policies and strategies. The 10YFP is built on the concept of common, yet differentiated, responsibility that is to be conducted on a global level with developed countries taking the lead in the initiative.

10YFP serves as a platform for international collaboration, cooperation, innovation, and action between interested participants from all countries including governments, businesses, researchers, and financial institutions. It is the intention of 10YFP that the international cross-sector collaboration will create a unified perspective of sustainability for each regional participant.

The strategy of 10YFP is based on the foundational principle of taking only what is necessary from our natural resources. By increasing resource efficiency and promoting sustainable lifestyles, participants of the initiative can work to safeguard the needs of future generations. The key tools of this initiative are collaboration of knowledge and experiences between partnerships and providing resources for developing countries. 10YFP provides financial and technical aid to developing countries to further promote implementation of sustainable consumption and production practices.

The programs developed for the 10YFP combine policy, regulation, and voluntary instruments with clear objectives for successful performance. The initial six programs of the 10YFP include:

• 1. Consumer Information

• 2. Sustainable Lifestyle and Education

• 3. Sustainable Public Procurement

• 4. Sustainable Building and Construction

• 5. Sustainable Tourism Including Ecotourism

• 6. Sustainable Food Systems (in October 2015).

The programs are strategically guided by the five-step model of stocktaking and consultations, developing program proposals by key partners, submission of template for online final comments, validation by the Secretariat, and confirmation by the Board and launching and implementation practices. The Web site for 10YFP is http://www.unep.org/10yfp/.

Government-Led Initiatives

Defra’s Sustainable Clothing Roadmap was launched in 2007 as an initiative to research the components of sustainable fashion and to create action plans toward improving the environmental and social impacts of the UK fashion industry. Defra, the UK’s governmental Department for Environmental Food and Rural Affairs, works collaboratively with fashion stakeholders, government personnel, and industry workers throughout the clothing road-mapping process to identify gaps within a product’s life cycle. By identifying the gaps, Defra then creates voluntary-implementation action plans to improve the sustainable life cycle of the clothing product. Defra developed a strategic, four-part plan for conducting research and developing actions plans, which consists of the following:

• a thorough evidence review to highlight the problematic gaps in the current product lifestyle;

• the engagement of stakeholders from across the product lifecycle who have the capability of initiating change;

• collaboration with stakeholders to develop an action plan from the evidence review, which is then implemented with the intention to improve sustainability of the product; and

• the monitoring and evaluation of the action plan to assess the plan’s delivery and effectiveness.

Since 2007, Defra’s Clothing Roadmap initiatives have included the following:

• 2007—Mapping of Evidence of Sustainable Development Impacts That Occur in Life Cycles of Clothing

• 2008—Use: Public Understanding of Sustainable Clothing

• 2009—Use: Reducing the Environmental Impact of Clothes Cleaning

• 2009—End of Life: Maximizing Reuse and Recycling of UK Clothing and Textiles

• 2010—Sustainable Design: Promoting Sustainable Indian Textiles

• 2010—Sustainable Manufacture: Eco-efficiency of Indian Dyehouses

• 2010—Sustainable Manufacture: The Role and Business Case for Existing and Emerging Fibres in Sustainable Clothing.

The goal of each Clothing Roadmap initiative targets one of the following action areas: improving environmental performance, creating ethical traceability across the supply chain, developing market drivers, and changing consumption trends and behaviors or providing education and awareness to consumers through media and networks. The action plans were previously monitored by a steering group; however, as of April 2011, the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) formally took the lead to further direct the development and monitoring of the roadmap and actions plans. The Web site is https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/69299/pb13461-clothing-actionplan-110518.pdf.

Industry-Led Initiatives

British Fashion Council (BFC) is a London-based progressive nonprofit organization devoted to advancing the British fashion economy by providing collective knowledge, experience, and fashion industry resources to British designers and the BFC network. With creative influence, strategic development plans, and international connections, BFC leads the British fashion economy as it repositions British fashion in the global fashion economy both in the media and with buyers. BFC compartmentalizes their efforts into five strategic pillars: business, education, innovation and digital, investment, and reputation. Each pillar has an appointed strategic president to help progress the pillar.

BFC stands as an economic propeller and voice of the fashion industry by hosting key events throughout the year—such as London Fashion Week, London Collections: Men, the British Fashion Awards, and Vodafone London Fashion Weekend—as well as annual fashion forums compiled with carefully curated British fashion influencers to brainstorm the development of the British fashion industry. Aside from events, BFC also advances the economic activity of the British fashion industry by hosting fashion charities, providing supportive initiatives for designers to progress their businesses, and publishing research reports.

In terms of sustainability, BFC has made strides toward developing this sector of the fashion industry. Estethica is BFC’s sustainable designer-support initiative focusing on the growth of sustainable fashion and simultaneously exposing the sustainable challenges currently faced by the fashion industry. Established in 2006, Estethica selects fashion designers to join their initiative due to a designer’s sustainable dedication and innovative designs. In order to qualify, Estethica designers must adhere to one of three sustainable principles: (1) fair trade and ethical practice in production process, (2) inclusion of organic fibers, and/or (3) use of up-cycled and recycled fabrics and materials. Estethica designers are given the opportunity to showcase their work in London Fashion Week’s Estethica showroom, thereby promoting their work and their name. In 2009, Estethica introduced a new one-on-one mentoring program between eco-fashion businesses and commercially successful designer companies. Also in 2009, Estethica collaborated with Defra to promote the Clothing Sustainability Roadmap at London Fashion Week. Furthermore, Estethica has produced their own publication, the Estethica Review, which promotes sustainable fashion by including editorials on sustainability issues, interviews, and fashion shoots featuring Estethica designers. Finally, Estethica developed the Estethica Veolia Re-Source competition with Central Saint Martins (CSM) University. This competition, in collaboration with Veolia Environmental Services, honors a graduate fashion student from CSM with the opportunity to compete, develop, and create sustainable opportunities in the fashion industry. The winner of this competition receives resources, mentorship and the opportunity to showcase in a London Fashion Week. The Estethica Web site is at http://www.britishfashioncouncil.com.

Danish Fashion Institute (DAFI) is a member-based organization established in 2005 by and for the Danish fashion industry to provide effective networking, development, and promotion of the Danish fashion market in the global fashion economy. DAFI established various initiatives to further the overall Danish fashion industry as well as projects to directly benefit DAFI member organizations. To enhance the Danish fashion industry, DAFI developed Copenhagen Fashion Week, an international biannual fashion show; Fashionforum.dk, an online forum that launched in 2010 and consists of industry news and career information; Modezonen, a 3-year political initiative (2008–2011) in collaboration with academies and institutions that examines economic and responsible growth in the fashion industry; and NICE, the Nordic Initiative Clean & Ethical program initiated in 2008.

NICE is a DAFI project in collaboration with DAFI’s sister organization, Nordic Fashion Association, with the goal of motivating and assisting fashion companies in their effort to implement sustainable business practices. As a pan-Nordic initiative, NICE takes precedence as the first approach of Nordic fashion industries to work collaboratively on a common project with a global perspective.

DAFI developed various programs under the NICE initiative to advance sustainable practices. NICE programs include the following:

• The Fabric Source: A sustainable fashion fabric and textile platform, this initiative works in collaboration with C.L.A.S.S., Source4Style, Better Cotton Initiative, and Sustainable Apparel Coalition with the intention to promote products and production practices with limited impact on the environment.

• Copenhagen Fashion Summit: This summit serves as the world’s largest biennial sustainable fashion conference with participants consisting of international industry professionals, politicians, sustainable experts, and NGOs.

• New Nordic Fashion: The Nordic platform gathers transformational and sustainable initiatives taking place in the global fashion industry.

• The NICE Consumer: Because consumers are key to progressing fashion sustainability, NICE developed this program to increase awareness of responsible and sustainable business models in the industry.

• Textile Waste as a Resource: Through the collaboration of the National Institute for Consumer Research, stakeholders, and partners, this program is an ongoing research project intended to discover the value of textile waste. The program questions reverse life-cycle approaches, designers’ contribution to recycling, and political authority over the matter to gain insight on the value of waste.

• NICE 10-Year Plan: This plan is a 10-year collaborative effort between the five Nordic countries to create and promote a sustainable and ethical Nordic fashion industry. The collaborative effort aligns the intentions of the Nordic countries, thereby generating a common vision and common actions toward sustainable practices. The initial plan examines five critical areas in need of advancement: labor and ethics, water, chemicals and dyes, carbon dioxide emissions, and waste.

DAFI developed a NICE Code of Conduct and Manual, which is used as a guide for effective implementation of their various programs. The Code of Conduct and Manual is built on the UN Global Compact’s Ten Principles.

To further spread awareness and dialogue of sustainable fashion, NICE also developed Nicefashion.org, an online forum for consumers, designers, and textile companies to share resources and information. The aim of Nicefashion.org is to transform the supply chain by inspiring industry professionals to design and supply ethically while simultaneously informing consumers on the proper care of garments and the benefit of prolonged-use of items.

The NICE Web site is at http://danishfashioninstitute.dk/en/node/757 and http://nordicfashionassociation.com/nice.

Italian Chamber of Fashion (Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana or CNMI) is a not-for-profit organization established in 1958 and located in Milan with the intention of protecting, coordinating, and economically promoting the Italian fashion industry in the global fashion economy. To do so, the organization developed various events, including Milan Fashion Week, as well as promotional programs for young Italian designers to gain visibility within the organization’s network. Members of the Italian Chamber of Fashion are allotted exclusive services and international visibility through promotional news and events.

In 2012, the Chamber released the Manifesto for the Sustainability of Italian Fashion, which has been supported by the 150 members of CNMI and by the 1500 textile and clothing companies of the industry. The manifesto states that the future of Made-in-Italy is unimaginable without considering environmental and social factors and underscores the industry’s responsibility to map out a way for Italian sustainable fashion.

The manifesto contains 10 points ranging from the value chain to horizontal principles:

• 1. Design: design quality products that can last and minimize the impacts on ecosystems;

• 2. The choice of raw materials: use raw materials, materials and textiles having a high environmental and social value;

• 3. Procession of raw materials and production: reduce the environmental and social impacts of the activity and acknowledge everyone’s contribution to the product value;

• 4. Distribution, marketing, and sales: include sustainability criteria at every stage of the journey of your product toward the customer;

• 5. Management systems: be committed to the ongoing improvement of the business performance;

• 6. Fashion and national production system: support the community as well as Made-in-Italy products;

• 7. Business ethics: integrate universal values into your brand;

• 8. Transparency: communicate to stakeholders your commitment to sustainability in a transparent way;

• 9. Education: foster ethics and sustainability with consumers and all the other stakeholders;

• 10. Make the manifesto live: the manifesto emphasizes CNMI’s commitment to publicize it and increase the number of its supporters as well as to identify mechanisms to recognize good practices and extend partnerships with institutions.

The manifesto can be found at this Web site: http://www.cameramoda.it/en/.

United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) is a government-supported, industry-led fashion association comprised of US government partners, textile brands, apparel brands, retailers, importers, and wholesalers that conduct business domestically and globally. USFIA acts as a representative body and respectful voice before the US government, international governments, and stakeholders. Formally known as the United States Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel Products (USA-ITA), the organization was initially formed in 1989 with the intention of eliminating the global apparel quota system and has since evolved the organization’s objective to correspond with the needs of the fashion industry.

Currently, USFIA aims its initiatives toward eliminating tariff and nontariff barriers in place that obstruct free trade and progressive economic opportunities. USFIA collaborates with members to understand the needs of the fashion industry while simultaneously communicating with government partners to develop creative solutions for the industry. USFIA encourages collaboration between their member organizations as well as provides their members with resources, events, and conferences to enable members with competitive business approaches in the fashion industry. USFIA also ensures members are informed of current and future regulatory challenges facing the industry. Some sustainable initiatives the organization has provided include a discussion led by sustainable speaker Brian Whitters of Global Sustainability Services at the 2012 USA-ITA West Coast Seminar, information regarding social compliance and sustainability programs in a 2013 newsletter, a Cotton LEADS webinar in 2014 regarding responsible cotton production, and access to a labor compliance webinar in early 2015 showcasing a discussion led by Avedis Seferian of Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP). The USIFA Web site is here: http://www.usfashionindustry.com.

Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC): In 2011, a group of major apparel and footwear brands and retailers made a shared commitment to help lead the industry toward the zero discharge of hazardous chemicals by 2020. As a part of the commitment and first steps toward ZDHC, the group of brands published a Joint Roadmap in November 2011. The document demonstrates the group’s collaborative efforts in leading the apparel and footwear industry towards ZDHC for all products across all pathways by 2020. The ZDCH Web site is http://www.roadmaptozero.com/.

Multi-stakeholder Platforms

Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) is a voluntary, member-based, nonprofit organization headquartered in Geneva that has revised global standards of cotton production with the intention of reducing negative environmental impacts associated with cotton production and safeguard the livelihoods of cotton farmers. Consisting of global stakeholders, organizations, and individuals across the cotton supply chain, BCI intends to improve and transform cotton production on a global scale by focusing on social and environmental initiatives with the goal of establishing Better Cotton as a mainstream product. To do so, BCI developed the Better Cotton Standard System, which covers the three pillars of sustainability: economic, environmental, and social pillars. There are six components to the implementation of the Better Cotton Standard System:

• 1. Production Principles Criteria: BCI created the universal definition of Better Cotton through specific criteria to include farmers who minimize the harmful impact created by crop-protection practices, incorporate water efficiency, care for soil health, conserve the natural environment, preserve the quality of fiber, and encourage decent work.

• 2. Capacity Building: BCI works with trained and endorsed Implementation Partners who directly assist farmers in creating change at the farm level. Implementation Partners are monitored regularly and provide BCI with a high level of efficacy.

• 3. Assurance Programme: To ensure advancement in the farming industry, BCI farmers are expected to continue learning and growing. Initially BCI farmers must reach the BCI minimum requirements to receive the BCI license to grow Better Cotton. After a farmer reaches a specified amount of Better Cotton growth, the farmer must continue to meet improvement requirements to remain a Better Cotton producer.

• 4. Chain of Custody: This stage develops BCI’s authenticity by requiring documentation for a change in cotton capital ownership. BCI’s Better Cotton traceability tools are available online for members to easily access.

• 5. Claims Framework: Aside from guidance on Better Cotton production, members also benefit from BCI by association with the initiative. BCI allows members to make credible claims regarding their production of Better Cotton and the activities involved. Claims can be applied at the corporate, brand, or in-store levels.

• 6. Results and Impact: BCI created the Results Indicator, a quantitative tool used to measure differences between Better Cotton farms and conventional farms. This information is used for the Assurance Programme. BCI also uses case studies to reference against the Results Indicator.

Currently, BCI is partnering with academic institutions to research and better comprehend the environmental and social impacts of Better Cotton implementation. The BCI Web site is http://bettercotton.org.

BSR is a global nonprofit organization that works with its network of more than 250 member companies to build a just and sustainable world. From its offices in Asia, Europe, and North America, BSR develops sustainable business strategies and solutions through consulting, research, and cross-sector collaboration. Through its Consumer Products Industry Focus, BSR has conducted an analysis of Bangladesh’s ready-to-made garment sector. Through its Sustainable Luxury Working Group, BSR provides a forum for dialogue among luxury sector actors and stakeholders to pre-emptively identify, understand, and prioritize emerging sustainability issues in luxury-industry value chains. It acts as an incubator for co-creating broad-based sustainable solutions via collaboration including with relevant stakeholders and complementary initiatives. It coordinates common approaches for implementing solutions to avoid duplication, maximize economies of scale, and ensure applicability and usefulness for business. The BSR Web site is http://www.bsr.org.

Ethical Fashion Forum (EFF) is the industry body for sustainable fashion representing more than 6000 members in more than 100 countries. EFF is a not-for-profit organization focused on poverty reduction, education, and the environment in relation to the fashion industry. It is run by a representative board.

The Ethical Fashion Forum aims to develop a collaborative movement that will transform social and environmental standards in the fashion industry within a decade. In line with its vision, the EFF goals are as follows:

• The eradication of exploitation, hardship, and environmental damage from supply chains to the fashion industry and the practices of fashion businesses.

• The creation of a movement led by the fashion industry, for the fashion industry, which upholds and practices more than doing no harm; it is actively striving to add value for people and the environment across the entire industry sector.

• Industry training and resources made available that ensure that every single UK fashion business is aware of how they can become more sustainable, why it is important, and where to find the tools to do so.

• The raising of consumer awareness in relation to sustainable fashion.

• The creation of a clear and consistent system for communication of ethical standards by fashion businesses.

• A system of standards and regulations ruling out exploitative practices in the fashion industry.

• Broad and fundamental change toward better practices in the fashion industry within the next 10 years.

• The creation of a model and precedent for industry change that can be drawn from and built upon by other industries.

To facilitate sustainability in the fashion sector, the EFF has developed the SOURCE: The Global Platform for Sustainable Fashion. Including a sourcing and business database, online network, business intelligence platform, and global programme of events, the SOURCE offers a sustainability tool kit for the fashion sector. The EFF Web site is http://www.ethicalfashionforum.com/.

Natural Capital Coalition (NCC) has a mission of amalgamating the various approaches of natural capital preservation into one universal vision. The coalition is comprised of stakeholders in the government, financial and reporting industries. NCC’s focus is on research development and stakeholder engagement in order to establish standardized methods of accountability and valuation in business practices. Overall, NCC understands the value of preserving natural capital recognizing that natural capital is the foundation of all economic productivity and is thus necessary for sustaining operable businesses.

In an effort to develop a standardized approach of natural capital preservation, NCC developed the Natural Capital Protocol and Sector Guides, including the Apparel Sector Guide, which work to generate acceptable principles of natural capital accounting. The combined protocol and sector guide provide a compelling case for implementing natural capital valuation into an organization’s strategic planning process. The Protocol and Sector Guides are available globally and across various business levels including the organization/corporate level, the project/site level, and the product/process level.

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development created NCC’s protocol along with a selected Technical Group consisting of various international businesses, NGOs, and academic institutions. The protocol provides companies with natural capital accounting counsel including a step-by-step guide to qualitative, quantitative and monetary valuation. The protocol measures the direct and indirect impacts that an organization may have on natural capital, the organization’s dependency level of natural capital, and methodology suggestions to help alleviate negative outcomes from natural capital overuse.

The Sector Guides develop the case for specific industries, such as the Apparel Sector, with compelling information that displays the relevance of natural capital to that industry as well as the benefits of developing strategic business approaches of measuring, evaluating, and valuing natural capital to further an operable industry. The guide also provides counsel for adapting NCC’s protocol to a specified industry. The Apparel Sector Guide is one of the first NCC sector guides to be produced due to the intricate and immense impacts from the fashion industry. The Apparel Sector Guide was developed by TruCost, with a team of experts to review the guides.

NCC’s efforts for sustainability—including the production of a high-level guide for senior management teams to review and adopt, which will provide leaders with a clear understanding of the relevance of including natural capital preservation in their business strategy—are still in progress. NCC’s Web site is http://www.naturalcapitalcoalition.org/projects/the-natural-capital-protocol.html.

Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) is a San Francisco-based coalition founded by sustainability leaders with the goal of directing the apparel, footwear, and home textile industries toward those that do not negatively impact the environment or the people and communities associated with such production. SAC addresses specifically targeted environmental issues including water use and quality, energy and emissions, chemical and toxicity, waste, and social and labor sectors. The coalition’s membership is comprised of nearly one third of the global market share for clothing production and is a self-initiated organization. SAC’s intention is to create an industry-wide shared vision of sustainability by developing a common language in the industry that can serve to alleviate negative environmental and social impacts through a common evaluative approach of product sustainability performance.

SAC developed a qualitative analysis index called the Higg Index, which is a publicly available self-assessment tool used by textile producers to measure the environmental and social performance of apparel products and to identify ways to improve products and production processes. SAC’s theory is that with effective self-assessment and modifications to the production process, an organization can strengthen their company value with innovative, sustainable practices. Since the emergence of the Higg Index 1.0 in 2012, SAC has enhanced the Higg Index’s measuring effectiveness and introduced the Higg Index 2.0 in 2013, which expanded the scope from measuring solely environmental concerns to a scope that includes social concerns and footwear production as well. Overall, the Higg Index is designed with three assessment tools, called “modules,” which evaluate the impacts of three textile-supply sectors: facility, brand, and product.

• Facility Tools: These ready-to-use tools are appropriate for facilities, vendors, or manufacturers in both environmental and social modules to assess the performance of material, packaging, and manufacturing facilities.

• Brand Tools: The brand tools assess product-specific environmental and social practices at the brand level.

• Product Tools: The product tools assess product-specific impacts. The two product tools include the Rapid Design Module (RDM) and the Materials Sustainability Index (MSI) Data Explorer. RDM is used as a prototype to help guide an organization toward sustainable product design with accurate information and the use of the decision-support framework. MSI is an online platform that expands on the RDM methodology allowing users to understand the data collected from RDM and the scoring of the quality of materials.

The modules allow for increased efficiency and transparency in sustainable practices throughout the supply chain due to rapid understanding of an organization’s practices and environmental hot spots for improvement. SAC also provides companies with a platform for engagement with the coalition’s stakeholders to create decisive and innovative measures toward alleviating current environmental and social instability. To date, the Higg Index 2.0 does not include an assessment of retail activity; however, such consideration may be included in future versions of the Higg Index. The SAC Web site is http://apparelcoalition.org.

World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) is a CEO-led organization uniting progressive companies with a mission to develop sustainable solutions for various global challenges. Headquartered in Geneva, the Council consists of CEOs and board executives of more than 200 participating companies. The overall goal of WBCSD is to lead businesses to valuable sustainable solutions and recognize businesses for implementing such efforts. Council members work across a range of industry sectors, geographies, and value chains, thereby activating diverse discussions and perspectives on sustainability issues and experiences.

WBCSD is one of the most respected and leading voices for sustainability due to its multilateral collaboration with considerable involvement from the UN, World Bank, and UNFCCC. The involvement of such organizations allows the conversations generated from WBCSD to reach influential global platforms such as the UN Climate Summit and COP negotiations. WBCSD Global Network includes more than 65 participating companies and partner organizations with two thirds of the participants representing developing economies.

The two programs developed by WBCSD, Vision 2050 and Action2020, work together to promote the long-term sustainable goals of the organization. The Vision 2050 report is a sustainable report compiled by 29 leading global companies across 14 varying industries and includes dialogue from more than 200 companies and stakeholders representing approximately 20 countries. From the Vision 2050 report, WBCSD generated the long-term sustainable goal of developing a pathway for a livable world for 9 million people and within our planet’s resources by 2050.

To strategically meet the Vision 2050 goal, WBCSD and Action2020 member companies developed Nine Priority Areas with specific goals, known as the societal “must-haves” that can be attained by adopting specific business solutions. The Nine Priority Areas are Climate Change; Release of Nutrient Elements; Ecosystems; Exposure to Harmful Substances; Water; Basic Needs and Rights; Skills and Employment; Sustainable Lifestyles; and Food, Feed, Fibre, and Biofuels. The WBCSD Web site is http://www.wbcsd.org.

World Economic Forum is an independent and impartial not-for-profit organization operating as an officially recognized foundation for public and private sectors to cooperate on global sustainable solutions. Headquartered in Geneva, the World Economic Forum provides an integrated platform for international politicians, businesses, academia, and other society leaders to engage in discussion regarding challenges and solutions to the world’s most critical issues.

The forum fosters collaboration through integrated meetings, research networks, and digital discourse focusing on the 10 categorized projects—Agriculture and Food Security; Employment, Skills and Human Capital; Future of the Global Financial System; Global Gender Parity; Long-Term Investing, Infrastructure and Economic Development; Economic Growth with Social Inclusion; Environment and Resource Security; Future of the Internet; International Trade and Investment—as well as other forum projects.

World Economic Forum also developed the World Economic Forum Academy. The online platform and collaborative peer-to-peer community of innovators, experts, and practitioners provides a holistic view on the topics of sustainable intelligence and strategic foresight. The subscription-based academy also acts as a navigational guide for applying and taking action on sustainability. The World Economic Forum Web site is at http://www.weforum.org.