"In the former army base of the Presidio in San Francisco, 200 representatives from more
than a third of the worldwide apparel and footwear market came together to pose a single question: how can we work together to make this industry sustainable?"
- The Guardian, Jason Kibbey, Sustainable Apparel Coalition Executive Director
A wonderfully thought provoking proposal was brought to the table this week with apparel manufacturers presenting a method that will evolve sustainability efforts in the fashion industry as well as positively impact the collective business relationships of key players. The idea is a "reverse scorecard" method in which leading sustainable factories would have the power to decide what brands and retailers they want to work with based on the active environmental and social performances of said brands and retailers. A fair pitch, given the traditional process where big (and namely, responsible) brands are the ones to decide which manufacturers they will partner with based on similar criteria. Questions arose over uncertainty in regards to controlling suppliers and who would take ownership for the responsibility of each performance factor. Most answers kept circling back around to believing in and relying on a foundation of trust, a critical component to any healthy and honest business relationship. With the support of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, building trust becomes easier as the organization's efforts involve bringing together representatives from every link in the value chain (of apparel and footwear) to evaluate what the needs are of each segment "in order [for them] to make radical shifts in environmental impact."
At this particular meeting, in addition to the reverse scorecard, every group expressed a desire to be held accountable for their role in reducing harmful environmental impacts. The Higg Index created by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition "measures the management of environmental and social impact for retailers, brands, and facilities" and enables these key players to share their scores with one another. Due to this open communication "each segment...can take responsibility for its own improvement -- and take steps to improve the whole."
"We have always known that solutions require collective action. What we discovered that day was that we also must change the rules for how the collective works together."
- The Guardian, Jason Kibbey, Sustainable Apparel Coalition Executive Director
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