The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) and the International Apparel Federation (IAF) have inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), outlining a strategic collaboration to advance equal partnership in commercial activities throughout the textiles-fashion supply chain.
- The MoU will collaborate on projects and activities to deliver decarbonisation of the industry in line with internationally recognised targets, working together on collective action opportunities to reduce carbon emissions.
- In addition, they will work together towards industry-wide alignment and implementation of responsible purchasing practices, while also identifying and implementing opportunities to ensure that manufacturers’ voices and influence are represented in the development of legislative initiatives, measures, and policies that impact the supply chain, both on relevant policy stages and with key policymakers—on a regional or national level and from a global perspective.
THE COLLABORATION: The collaboration aims to advance a shared vision for equitable and sustainable global supply chains for the apparel and fashion industry.
- It complements the SAC’s recent launch of its updated strategic plan, redefining its mandate of “evolution for impact” — a focal theme that now drives its strategies, initiatives, and partnerships, building on the strong base SAC has created over the last decade.
- It fortifies the SAC’s commitment to realising a sustainable future, aligning harmoniously with its strategic plan’s overarching objectives.
- The two organisations have come together with the shared belief that their collaboration can catalyse net-positive effects on the societies and communities of which they are a part.
- > This is underpinned by an understanding of the need to further advance balance and equal partnership in commercial activities throughout the supply chain — including building efficiencies that will reduce the number of social and environmental assessments that unnecessarily burden manufacturers.
- The strategic collaboration recognises the value of each organisation’s different core competencies, skill sets, and expertise in order to build complementary solutions, industry roadmaps, and frameworks — working together to raise the voice, engagement, and real influence of manufacturers.
Responsible for as much as roughly 8% of annual global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the textiles and apparel industry recognises the scale and urgency of the global climate challenge and the impact of apparel and fashion supply chains in responding with and a 45% reduction by 2030 to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
WHAT THEY SAID:
We are delighted to be collaborating with the International Apparel Federation. As an organization committed to creating an equitable and just world for all, we believe this collaboration will enable us to harness our collective strength in our work on areas from decarbonization, to purchasing practices and more, and will see us co-create solutions that drive rapid progress at scale. We are at a critical point for our planet and now more than ever, we must work together to solve the industry’s most urgent and systemic issues, and doing all we can to elevate manufacturer voices and perspectives is essential not only for the SAC but our industry as a whole. At the SAC, we have renewed our commitment to collaborate with key industry stakeholders and organizations to develop solutions that foster equitable and restorative business practices, as evidenced by the recent launch of our updated strategy. Our collaboration with the IAF will only accelerate the momentum.
— Andrew Martin
Executive Vice-President
Sustainable Apparel Coalition
It is the IAF’s conviction that the impressive range of challenges faced by our industry can only be met by brands, retailers and manufacturers working in unison. Hence, as IAF, we have embarked on an ambitious program to create structural links between such global initiatives as the SAC and the global apparel manufacturing community that IAF represents. The IAF is very pleased that SAC clearly shares our view on the importance of structurally including apparel manufacturers’ voices and perspectives when designing solutions to create a more sustainable industry. Organizing the inclusion of manufacturers is not only the just way forward, it is also simply imperative to achieve the necessary results as an industry. Good collaboration is complex but rewarding and this agreement will facilitate and push IAF and SAC to make it happen.
— Matthijs Crietee
Secretary-General
International Apparel Federation
