Bridging the influence gap between apparel manufacturers and brands

As a formal partnership between the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) and International Apparel Federation (IAF) is signed, a key figure involved in the collaborative process speaks to Ecotextile Talks about what the duo hope to achieve.

Andrew Martin, executive vice president of the SAC, sits down with podcast host David Styles to discuss what a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two organisations might mean for the fashion and textile industries at large.

When asked about the purpose of the partnership and how the SAC and IAF will quantify success, Martin stated: “It has to be built on relationships, partnerships, the longer term. So I think the big numbers that will come out of it will be things like: are we starting to see a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, as one area.”

The SAC executive vice president also spoke candidly about a need for meaningful change in relation to climate targets cited by some brands and retailers. “I'll be quite bold and say, unless they actually have very strong purchasing practices, very strong relationships with their suppliers, they won't hit their science based targets. They just won't.”

Other topics covered in the episode include audit fatigue, decarbonisation efforts and the value of industry partnerships, as well as the process of attempting to bridge influence gap between manufacturers and the brands and retailers they produce for.

* Episode glossary *

MoU – Memorandum of Understanding

SAC – Sustainable Apparel Coalition

IAF – International Apparel Federation

Higg BRM – Higg Brand & Retail Module

STTI – Sustainable Terms of Trade Initiative

GIZ – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (German development agency)