Sustainable Apparel Coalition and Higg launch new program for publicly sharing data on a product’s environmental impact

01 June 2021: Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), a global multi-stakeholder nonprofit alliance for the consumer goods industry, along with its technology partner Higg, launched the first phase of a transparency program for publicly sharing data on a product’s environmental impact. The program provides a consistent way for brands, retailers and manufacturers to share sustainability information on apparel and footwear products, across impact categories such as water use, greenhouse gas emissions and use of fossil fuels.

The main components of the program are the Higg Index Sustainability Profile and the Higg Index Materials seal, both of which are based on independent and externally reviewed environmental impact data from the Higg Materials Sustainability Index (MSI). SAC members Amazon, Boozt, C&A, Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger (owned by PVH Corp.), Columbia Sportswear, H&M, Helly Hansen, JustWears, Lenzing AG, Norrona, PUMA, Salomon and Zalando announced their commitment to implement the first phase of the program.

At launch, the program will focus on the environmental impact of a product’s materials and will expand over the next two years to incorporate additional data including manufacturing and corporate responsibility. H&M and Norrona will embed Higg Index Sustainability Profiles on their e-commerce platforms in the USA and Europe, with plans to scale up to additional products throughout the year.

“Transparency itself is not the end game, but it’s a critical step for transforming the industry and establishing a new era of accountability,” said Amina Razvi, Executive Director of the SAC. “By leveraging the Higg Index – starting first with environmental data and then expanding to include social impacts – we can help both businesses and consumers make better decisions, and drive collective action at scale.”

www.apparelcoalition.org