Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), is an industry-wide group of leading apparel and footwear brands, retailers, manufacturers, non-governmental organizations, academic experts and the US Environmental Protection Agency working to reduce the environmental and social impacts of apparel, footwear and home textile products around the world, has released Materials Sustainability Index (MSI) Contributor – a new addition to the Higg Index suite of tools. This will allows experts and suppliers to submit apparel, footwear and home textile material data into the Higg MSI.
“Sustainability measurement can only be achieved when the industry is speaking a common language. With the MSI contributor, SAC wants to assist the apparel industry members in taking better decisions about materials and in the process, clothing brands will also be able to cut costs and engage in more sustainable supply chain processes,” said Jason Kibbey, CEO at SAC
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The major benefits of the Higg MSI include assessing materials’ impact on chemistry, climate change, eutrophication (a form of water pollution), land use, resource depletion and water scarcity. With the Higg MSI, the apparel industry members can access information about materials in a transparent and unified manner. “Manufacturers will have a credible and comparable means to show how their responsible production processes reduce impact, allowing them to attract more brands committed to responsible sourcing,” added Jason.
Initially, the Higg MSI will include 79 scored base materials, like cotton, polyester, and EVA foam, and 225 additional production specifications such as organic or bio-based fibres and weaving or knitting processes.
