Over 600 consumer goods industry leaders attend the nonprofit organization’s Annual Meeting, where new data reveals climate impacts – as well as strategies to accelerate opportunities to reduce climate change and increase social justice.
Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Oakland (CA) – September 13, 2024: Global nonprofit alliance Cascale, formerly the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, centered their recent Annual Meeting in Munich on a call to action: Attendees must become bold advocates for change within their organizations and throughout the industry.
This was the first Annual Meeting since the organization rebranded in February 2024, and it marks a major milestone in the organization’s evolution. Themed “A New Era of Unified Impact,” the event united over 600 attendees from around the world, who heard from more than 80 global industry experts.
The tone was set during the opening session as Cascale CEO Colin Browne presented new analysis from Cascale’s partner, RESET Carbon, which used data from Cascale’s Higg Index, exclusively available on Worldly, to show that 1,500 manufacturing facilities in nine countries account for over 80% of the whole industry’s carbon emissions. “The reality is that the textile and apparel industry is not doing enough to combat climate change. With new data demonstrating a stark concentration of climate impact, we must direct action to where it matters most. We have to focus on the Industry Strategic Supplier hotspots. There is no path to achieving our 45 percent reduction target that doesn’t involve these 1,500 facilities,” Browne said.
He concluded the address by sharing a targeted strategy for critical mitigation that included a direct challenge to brands and retailers: “Cascale data shows there is a long road ahead. We found that within our membership, 33 percent of brands and 54 percent of manufacturers haven’t set Science-Based Targets. That needs to change. More importantly, brands and suppliers need to work in tandem to transform their Tier 2, which is the single most prominent source of carbon emissions. Setting an SBT without close consultation with one’s supply chain is unacceptable and irresponsible given the near-term deadline of 2030. But, with the right actionable data and mutual support – there is hope as we uncover at this Annual Meeting.”
Throughout the two-day event, programming reinforced opportunities for attendees to commit to accelerating climate action and catalyzing impact at scale through a unified approach to sustainability. Key moments included:
To learn more and view the program from Cascale’s Annual Meeting 2024, which was made possible through the support of Nike, VF Corporation, Zalando, Sympatex, Lululemon, TÜV Rheinland, Haelixa, TrusTrace, Puma, CottonConnect, GSCS International, IDFL, Artistic Milliners, Made2Flow and REN energy, click here.
Cascale Press Contact
Email: cascaleforster@forster.co.uk
ABOUT CASCALE
Cascale is the global nonprofit alliance empowering collaboration to drive equitable and restorative business practices in the consumer goods industry. Spanning over 300 retailers, brands, manufacturers, governments, academics, and NGO/nonprofit affiliates around the globe, we are united by a singular vision: To catalyze impact at scale and give back more than we take to the planet and its people. Formerly known as the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Cascale owns and develops the Higg Index and a unified strategy for industry transformation.
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