Textile Exchange has launched a Regenerative Agriculture Outcome Framework to assess outcomes across a range of fibres, farm scales, and geographic contexts, including a specific focus on smallholder farmers and resource-limited farming. One of the framework’s defining principles is that brands must collaborate on outcome measurement with growers.
Taking Off: The Framework takes off from the Regenerative Agriculture Landscape Analysis brought out in January 2022 that helped establish a clear position on the key categories of indicators that textile value chain partners should be using to assess whether a project or programme is following a regenerative approach and, importantly, whether it is generating beneficial outcomes over time.
- It creates further alignment on which indicators to track and lays out some initial groundwork on how this could be done. It is a critical step to speed up progress on regenerative agriculture in a way that supports farm communities.
- Rather than provide a list of boxes to tick, the Framework offers a flexible, content-adaptable system for outcome measurement.
- It also answers the call for the industry to take an approach that includes the development of equitable partnerships with farming communities.
THE FRAMEWORK: The Framework aims to help the fashion, textile and apparel industry align on outcomes for assessing the holistic benefits of regenerative agriculture. It is designed to respect the inherent place-based nature of these agricultural systems while shifting the industry’s focus from the avoidance of negative outcomes to the achievement of measurable, beneficial ones.
- This open-source, fully documented framework lays out the key indicators that make for a regenerative system, encouraging collaboration by including expectations for both brands and growers.
- It draws on rigorous research and synthesis of work from other outcome frameworks, related sector methodologies (such as Science Based Targets for Nature and the GHG Protocol), and scientific literature.
- Most important, it respects and centres local farm community knowledge.
- The framework is designed to be applicable worldwide in cropping, grazing, and agroforestry systems and to assess outcomes across a range of fibres, farm scales, and geographic contexts.
- It includes a specific focus on smallholder farmers and resource-limited farming.
- One of the framework’s defining principles is that brands must collaborate on outcome measurement with growers.
HOW TO USE IT: Textile Exchange has listed out some elementary guidlines.
- The framework offers a choice of indicators for each outcome area. This approach respects the context-based nature of regenerative agriculture and allows programmes in different regions or at different stages of the regenerative journey to select indicators that work for them.
- Projects are not expected to demonstrate progress towards every outcome indicator listed. However, they are expected to select, establish a baseline for, and show meaningful efforts to track progress towards a context-appropriate selection of indicator(s) within each outcome area.
- For each indicator, references for standard operating procedures, methods, or specific guidance on assessment from existing sources are included, but others can be used if already under way.
Textile Exchange recommends that brands use the Regenerative Agriculture Outcome Framework as part of a broader three-step process to implementing regenerative agriculture programmes and initiatives:
- Identify best practices that are contextually appropriate for a company’s fiber and raw material production systems and regions;
- Utilise the Regenerative Outcome Framework to identify contextually appropriate outcome indicators; and,
- Ensure robust verification and reporting mechanisms.
The regenerative outcome framework is intended to serve as a neutral basis for building outcome measurements into existing standards and certifications.
THE BACKDROP: Sponsored by Kering, J Crew and Madewell, and CottonConnect, the Regenerative Agriculture Landscape Analysis by Textile Exchange in January 2022 is the first report that gives the fashion and textile industry a framework and toolkit to credibly understand, implement and describe the benefits of work in this space.
- It emphasises regenerative agriculture’s roots in indigenous and native practices and promotes a holistic approach that puts humans and ecosystems at the centre.
- This landmark report helped Textile Exchange establish a clear position on the key categories of indicators that textile value chain partners should be using to assess whether a project or programme is following a regenerative approach and, importantly, whether it is generating beneficial outcomes over time.
