Nike, Target, JC Penney and Levi’s are among the nearly 30 manufacturers and retailers that have created an industry-wide index to evaluate apparel products’ environmental impact.
The Sustainable Apparel Coalition, launched today, also includes non-profits, academics and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It aims to reduce the environmental and social impacts of apparel and footwear products sold around the world.
Coalition members have already drawn up Version 1.0 of their Apparel Index, with beta testing by members and their suppliers due to begin in April. Later in 2011, they plan to expand the index to cover footwear.
The Apparel Index will not be a consumer-facing rating in the short term, because of the complexity of calculating a single numeric score, the coalition said. Instead, it will be used to drive improvements.
But the index will be developed with the expectation that customer-facing scoring will be used in the future, and it will be fully transparent to encourage broad, global adoption, the coalition said.
Version 1.0 uses indicators that span the entire apparel life cycle, including materials, manufacturing, packaging, transportation, use and end of life, the coalition said. Its environmental impact categories include energy, greenhouse gases, water quality, water use, chemistry and toxics, waste, land use and air emissions.
The index will draws on previous efforts by members, including the Outdoor Industry Association’s Eco Index and Nike’s Environmental Apparel Design tool, unveiled late last year.
Read entire article and see members listing
Source: Environmental Leader