Practices within fur farming systems, which account for the vast majority of production from this industry, present serious welfare risks to animals that cannot be mitigated by regulation or voluntary protocols.   

 Fur from wild-caught animals comes with different concerns. While Textile Exchange accepts that some wild-caught fur could lead to positive outcomes for Indigenous communities, the lack of regulation, the unacceptable level of animal suffering caused by traps, and the risks to threatened species cannot be ignored.  

 Textile Exchange does not consider that shearling (sheepskin with wool attached) or cattle hides with hair attached come under the definition of fur. The skin or hide in this case comes from an animal that has been primarily raised for meat, and the skin or hide is a co-product. This aligns with the definition of most animal welfare groups.   

We are happy to provide more information about our stance on fur on request.  

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The post What is the definition of a “preferred” fiber or material? appeared first on Textile Exchange.

• Building a suite or mix of preferred fibers and materials, based on the consideration of impacts and organizational priorities.
• Embedding a strategy that leads to preferred options replacing unsustainable or less sustainable options over time – including target setting to align commercial and sustainability teams and drive progress.
• Having a commitment to integrity and the principles of continuous improvement thus ensuring the options selected result in a positive change.

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The post Where can I source organic cotton? appeared first on Textile Exchange.

A deep-dive on organic cotton is provided through our annual Organic Cotton Market Report, which gives a unique overview of global organic cotton production including both historical trends and future estimates at global, regional, and country levels. Also included are stakeholder maps, initiative updates and Q&As with industry insiders.

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The goals of the rPET Round Table include are to: replace the use of virgin PET with rPET; create price parity based on product performance, quality and sustainable profiles; increase rPET availability; and improve education around rPET and circularity. The rPET Round Table is open to all.

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The Biosynthetics Round Table, driven by the priorities of its industry members, attempts to make sense of the opportunities and challenges we face as an industry, including the sustainability of feedstock production and innovations in future feeder materials.

Previous outputs of the Biosynthetics Round Table include the AboutBiosynthetics.org microsite and accompanying Quick Guide, which gather and synthesize available information and resources on biosynthetics with the goal of enabling this relatively new alternative to fossil fuel-based synthetics to become better understood and a more sustainable choice.

In 2019, the Biosynthetics Round Table formed a Working Group focusing on the sustainability assessments of biosynthetics and initiated a Biosynthetics e-learning series to explore different sustainability standards for biobased feedstocks. A second Working Group is working on the update of the microsite including the supplier directory and a broader communication strategy.

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New in 2019 was the roll-out of two dedicated events, the European roundtable on MMCF in July 2019, part of Berlin Fashion Week (more information below), and the global MMCF Round Table Summit in Vancouver in October 2019, part of Textile Exchange’s annual Textile Sustainability Conference.

Learn More about MMCF via our Learning Center or via our e-Learning Webinar Series.

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Launched in 2012 with a call to action prompted by a decline in organic cotton production despite a growing demand, the OCRT quickly became the place and space for stakeholders to get together to hear more about issues facing the organic cotton sector, to diagnose these issues and, most importantly, find ways to take action.

After a number of years of approaching barriers to growth in organic cotton at the global level, the need to customize strategies at the regional level become increasingly apparent. As a result, the Regional OCRT was born in 2017 and a number of region-specific meetings are held each year, for example in Turkey, Burkina Faso and China.

To find out more, visit the OCRT webpage. You may also like to explore our microsite dedicated to organic cotton; http://aboutorganiccotton.org/.

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The materials benchmarking provides a robust structure to help companies systematically measure, manage and integrate a preferred fiber and materials strategy into mainstream business operations, to compare progress, and to transparently communicate performance and progress to stakeholders. The materials benchmarking offers a quantified index ranking including a company’s position in relation to peers and the overall industry (universe of participants). It provides an indicator of progress, helps companies identify strengths and gaps, and encourages year-on-year improvement and a “race to the top.” Company participants see a lot of detail about their performance, and industry averages are reported for public consumption. Participants receive a comprehensive scorecard comparing their own progress year-on-year and how they rank alongside their peers. Customized scorecards are confidential to the participant, and an annual insights report, including benchmark leaderboards, is shared in the public domain. Starting in 2019, the materials benchmarking integrates an enhanced alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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