The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) has launched a new membership model for companies with a revenue of over $100 million.
- The move is meant to encourage more in the industry to work towards including sustainability as part of their business.
The New Model: The new 'Candidate' membership model will offer businesses an insight into what it means to be a full SAC member, and provide clarity on the expectations of members to help them better determine if their company’s sustainability goals align with those of the SAC and its global membership.
- It will create greater opportunities for companies to engage with the SAC and gain support on their sustainability journeys.
- As a Candidate member, businesses will have access to the SAC membership community, the Higg Platform and all five Higg Index tools that together assess the social and environmental performance of the value chain and the environmental impacts of products.
- The range of tools comprise: Higg Facility Environmental Module (FEM), Higg Facility Social & Labor Module (FSLM), Higg Brand & Retail Module (BRM), Higg Materials Sustainability Index (MSI), and Higg Product Module (PM).
- All companies that express interest to become a Candidate member will be evaluated by the SAC on certain criteria including suitability, commitment, goals, and abilities.
- The new Candidate membership will allow companies access for up to two years, following which they will be required to transition into full membership at the SAC.
What They Said:
We believe it presents a great opportunity to further expand the SAC’s reach within the apparel and footwear industry while also creating opportunities to expand our reach into adjacent sectors within the consumer goods industry to drive further progress and deliver greater impact. As a global convener of almost half the apparel and footwear industry, we believe the reach and diversity of our members is our most powerful lever for collective action and providing greater inclusivity for all sizes of businesses is critical if we are to move the industry forward.
— Andrew Martin
Executive Vice-President
Sustainable Apparel Coalition
We are excited to launch the Candidate membership model that offers a pathway to SAC membership for medium to large companies committed to positively impacting people and the planet. We recognize that not all businesses are at the same stage of the journey, and hope that through this membership model, more companies can better understand how they can introduce and implement initiatives to accelerate their sustainability journey.
— Erlinda Lee
Senior Manager, Global Membership Development
Sustainable Apparel Coalition
Tchibo is excited to join the SAC as the first Candidate member. In the journey towards net-zero we are at a time where the industry needs to increase efforts to bring down GHG emissions to reach the 1.5 °C target. The collection of primary and standardized data is essential to increase our efforts towards environmental challenges in our supply chains. Solutions need to be tailor-made and adapted to the specific and individual needs of our partners.
— Michelle Herfeldt
Sustainability Manager
Tchibo
