Feb 15th, 2016, 02:16 PM

Measuring the Fashion Suppy Chain: The Sustainable Apparel Coalition

By Tara Savarese
Could these supply chain icons replace the usual fabric care symbols?
How the Sustainable Apparel Coalition is making a reality of environmental consciousness.

Very few of us look at the label on our clothes unless it's to identify the designer or to see how the fabric should be laundered. Suppose, however, that on this label were details about the garment's environmental impact or whether it was made in a sweat shop. Perhaps the label read even further, stating the number of people whose hands it passed through and the amount of water used in the manufacturing process. Would this information warrant more than a mere glance? 

The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) thinks so. Founded in 2009, the SAC, along with Walmart and Patagonia, has been dedicated to developing "a universal approach to measuring sustainability performance," which would leave "no unnecessary environmental impact."

Rethinking the supply chain was not easy. The SAC had to come up with a way to measure each brand's environmental, social and labor impact. Thus the Higg Index was born. The Higg Index is a module-based self-assessment system that allows a company enter data about its business practices, and then produces a "score card" that quantifies the input on a scale of 0 to 100. Companies can use this score for comparative purposes, to see its standing relative to competitors or industry standards, as well as to pinpoint where in the supply chain they are falling short. 


Image Credit: SAC.

The modules are divided into three categoriesfacility, brand and productthat follow the entire life cycle of the product, from conception to consumption. First the Higg Index measures the environmental cost of overall brand practices such as material sourcing, product design and distribution. The index also evaluates the social and labor aspects by measuring work place standards, community engagement and ethical communication with stake holders. Finally, it looks at the practices of the individual facilities that the company operates. This is done by measuring water, chemical, and energy use, and greenhouse gas emission, waste management and effluence.   

Feedback from the Higg Index is slowly informing the way brands are manufacturing their products. Aside from assigning a number to represent a company's sustainability level, the Higg Index offers "designers the information they need to make better choices at every stage of development." 

With a demand for increased transparency in everything from factory conditions to pricing tactics, more companies are trying to communicate their supply chain operations with consumers. American brand Everlane has been leading this movement on its e-commerce site, where each product description takes you through its manufacturing journey. 

As the SAC states, "No company alone can shift the existing industry paradigms" so all the members agree to complete transparency to share information and best practices.


Some of SAC's current members. Image Credit: SAC. 

Patagonia recently announced that there are "49 members of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, which represent nearly a third of all clothing and footwear sold on the planet." As more major fashion and supply chain brands join the SAC and adopt the Higg Index, the industry will be able to minimize its harmful environmental and social impacts. Just as our grocery products are stamped with nutrition facts, ingredient lists, and sometimes a "USDA Organic" logo, our clothes may soon have labels that tell us how they are made.