A new membership model for companies with revenues of over US $ 100 million has been launched by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) to encourage industry players to work towards including sustainability in their businesses.
This new Candidate membership model will create greater opportunities for companies to engage with the SAC and gain support for their sustainability initiatives. The model will also provide clarity on members’ expectations on whether their sustainability goals match those of the SAC and its roster of members.
Businesses which are a part of the Candidate members, will have access to the SAC membership community, the Higg Platform and all Higg Index tools to assess the environmental impact and performance of the member companies. These tools include the Higg Facility Social and Labor Module (FSLM), Higg Materials Sustainability Index (MSI), Higg Facility Environmental Module (FEM), Higg Product Module (PM) and Higg Brand and Retail Module (BRM).
The SAC will evaluate the companies interested to become Candidate members and assess them on sustainability, goals, commitment and abilities. Companies will have access to the membership for two years after which they will be required to become full members at the SAC.
“We are delighted to introduce the Candidate membership model and for the opportunity to engage with more companies. We believe it presents a great opportunity to further expand the SAC’s reach within the apparel and footwear industry while also creating opportunities to expand our reach into adjacent sectors within the consumer goods industry to drive further progress and deliver greater impact. As a global convener of almost half the apparel and footwear industry, we believe the reach and diversity of our members is our most powerful lever for collective action and providing greater inclusivity for all sizes of businesses is critical if we are to move the industry forward” said Andrew Martin, Executive VP at the SAC
“We are excited to launch the Candidate membership model that offers a pathway to SAC membership for medium to large companies committed to positively impacting people and the planet. We recognize that not all businesses are at the same stage of the journey, and hope that through this membership model, more companies can better understand how they can introduce and implement initiatives to accelerate their sustainability journey” said Erlinda Lee, Senior Manager, Global Membership Development at the SAC.
