SAN FRANCISCO — October 19, 2020  — The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), the leading association representing the apparel, footwear and textile industry in sustainability, today announced that it has appointed ex-Nike executive, Jeremy Lardeau, as its new VP of Higg Index, the suite of tools that were developed by the organization to standardize tracking and measuring social and environmental sustainability. Lardeau joins the SAC executive team and will lead the ten-year-old organization in its integration and continued evolution of the Higg Index tools and act as the key liaison point with Higg Co, the technology company which spun out of the SAC in 2019 to accelerate tool digitalization and develop new products and services to scale up industry adoption.

“As the SAC embarks upon our second decade driving innovative and measurable social and environmental progress for the apparel industry, we are excited to bring on an experienced leader like Jeremy to oversee the Higg Index,” said Sean Cady, VF Corporation Global Vice President for Sustainability, Responsibility and Trade, and the SAC Board Chair. “Jeremy has the technical experience and industry expertise needed to drive transformative change by enhancing and executing upon the Higg Index Roadmap.”

“On behalf of the entire SAC staff, I’m thrilled to bring Jeremy on board to champion the Higg Index and help us achieve exponential impact throughout the apparel industry,” said Amina Razvi, Executive Director of the SAC. “When we began the search for this particular role, we knew we needed someone who had a deep understanding of the Higg Index tools and the industry, coupled with a passion for this work and the determination to embark on the next decade of this work. Jeremy has proven he’s up for the task. His leadership experience within a global brand, subject matter expertise and understanding of the current landscape make him an exceptional choice to fulfill this critical role for our organization, and we can’t wait to get started.”

With 17 years of corporate sustainability experience at companies like PwC and Nike, Lardeau brings a breadth and depth of subject matter expertise to the SAC. He is a recognized thought leader in the industry with a genuine dedication to business sustainability. In his most recent role as senior director of sustainability analytics at Nike, he invested considerable time in SAC and Higg as a champion for the Higg Index, believing that the suite of tools have the potential to change the industry more than any other initiative. Through his relationships, knowledge, and expertise, Lardeau will help guide the Higg Index to fulfill its ambitious promise.

“This is a critical moment for our industry, and I believe that the Higg Index is the key to achieving the ambitious goals needed to protect the future of our planet,” said Lardeau. “I’m excited to join the SAC’s Leadership Team in charting the next chapter of the Higg Index for our organization, our shared ecosystem, and across our industry.”

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About the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC)

The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) is an industry-wide group of more than 250 leading apparel, footwear and textile, brands, retailers, suppliers, service providers, trade associations, nonprofits, NGOs and academic institutions working to promote social justice throughout the global value chain and reduce the environmental impacts of products. Through multi-stakeholder engagement, the SAC seeks to lead the industry toward a shared vision of sustainability built upon a common approach for measuring and evaluating apparel, footwear and textile sustainability performance that spotlights priorities for action and opportunities for technological innovation. The SAC was incorporated as a 501(c)6 nonprofit organization and launched the groundbreaking Higg Index suite of tools in 2011. In May 2019, the SAC spun-off the Higg Index technology platform to the newly formed Higg Co. For more information, visit www.apparelcoalition.org.