The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), Washington, and the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) — a global organization established by a group of apparel and footwear brands, retailers, manufacturers, nongovernmental organizations, academic experts and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with the aim to promote sustainable and socially responsible practices among apparel and footwear producers and reduce the global environmental and social impacts of their products - have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) under which the organizations will further collaborate on sustainability initiatives in the U.S. apparel and footwear industry.
AAFA and SAC will focus especially on promoting The Higg Index — a tool developed by SAC for measuring product sustainability across the industry value chain (See " Sustainable Apparel Coalition Launches Higg Index," July 31, 2012, TextileWorld.com).
"When it comes to tackling the serious issues of environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and sustainability, the apparel and footwear industry must collaborate around the best practices, measurable benchmarks, and a shared vision," said Kevin M. Burke, president and CEO, AAFA. "This memorandum of understanding better enables the industry and our stakeholders to rally around a consistent approach to sustainability in a more productive and efficient manner."
"We welcome this formalized understanding with AAFA, as it will allow the Sustainable Apparel Coalition to better fulfill its mission of unifying sustainability standards within the apparel and footwear industry, and help make a greater impact in the environmental footprint across the entire value chain," said Jason Kibbey, executive director, SAC.
November 20, 2012
