Apparel & Footwear Working Group

As the apparel and footwear industry approaches £2 trillion in value, its environmental impact is becoming more pronounced, with up to 8% of global emissions attributed to the sector.
The Apparel and Footwear Working Group is leading efforts to address these challenges by creating harmonized guidance and solutions for Scope 3 emissions accounting, focusing on raw materials and production.

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Why Join?

Why Join?

  • Improve your decarbonization strategy 
  • Develop guidance to key challenges with other players in the sector 
  • Achieve greater impact from value chain operations and interventions 
  • Credibly claim and share impact 
  • Influence standards and future policy
Key Challenges

Key Challenges

Apparel production contributes 3-8% of global carbon emissions, primarily from raw materials. Climate risks such as flooding and heatwaves are threatening both production and operating profits. 

Without urgent action, GHG emissions could reach 1.266 Gt by 2030. To meet the 1.5°C climate target, emissions must be cut by 45% by 2030, driving many companies to commit to Net-Zero. Meanwhile, ongoing updates to standards like the GHG Protocol and SBTi Corporate Net-Zero are creating uncertainties, impacting investments in the sector. 

Objective and Outcome

Objective and Outcome

The Apparel and Footwear Working Group will evaluate new Scope 3 standards and frameworks and focus on developing solutions and incentives for effective action. 

The group will co-develop the VCI guidance addendum addressing the complexities of Scope 3 accounting, particularly around Tier 4 (Raw Material Extraction) and Tier 2 (Material Production) within the Apparel and Footwear value chains. 

The final deliverable will be the Apparel and Footwear Value Chain Intervention Guidance addendum, a detailed document offering harmonized frameworks for reporting and implementing Scope 3 interventions. 

Key Topics

Key Topics

During the sessions, the group will develop guidance for Scope 3 accounting and test emerging concepts. Potential topics include: 

  • Exploration and operationalization of SBTi’s NetZero and the use of Environmental Attribute Certificates 
  • Traceability in natural fibers and blends 
  • Market-based mechanisms and co-investment mechanisms 

The final list of topics will be agreed upon by the Working group members during the engagement period. 

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