Supply Chains

Worldly has launched a new tool — the Facility Data Manager (FDM) — that will help brands prepare for environmental reporting requirements by providing timely primary data that aligns with regulatory frameworks.

Fashion has some bad news for the planet. Most brands are actively “greenwashing” their emissions with none of the companies assessed reporting transparently on the terms, value invested or availability to suppliers, says a new Stand.earth report.

Non-compliance continues to be a bane with an overwhelming 93.8% of all verified assessments of facilities including at least one and in case of SMEs it went up by 7% in 2023, according to the 2023 Impact Report of the Social and Labour Convergence Program (SLCP).

A clean chit notwithstanding, Better Cotton, in not addressing the loopholes with the standard itself, has only exposed itself to further investigation. And that’s despite the sugar-coated admissions that “we will take action to expand our due diligence process."

UK nonprofit Earthsight’s investigations reveal nearly a million tonnes of tainted cotton from some of the most notorious estates in Brazil to clothing manufacturers in Asia, and being supplied to fast fashion behemoths H&M and Zara.

A volatile commodity, the global trading of cotton has seen more than its share of turbulence. Ben Eaves, Director of Liverpool Cotton Brokers Ltd, elaborates on the situation and how it is impacting the world of textiles.

A new report by Planet Tracker emphasises that the apparel supply chain is exposed to water stress, with the problem likely to worsen over time, exposing apparel corporates and their investors to risk from water-related disruptions to operations and brand reputation.

As pressure mounts on clothing retailers to prove that there is no forced labour in their supply chains, Zara’s parent company, Inditex, has been urged to disclose its list of suppliers and their geographical location.

Mauritius, the latest example of the use of forced labour within company supply chains, is proof that garment workers can experience unacceptable forms of exploitation that can only be countered through sustained labour organisation.

Renewable electricity strategies of some major brands fall woefully short and standard-setters provide limited incentives and sometimes even barriers to increase ambition, says a study by the NewClimate Institute.