FABRIC Engagement Brief on Nature. Textiles and Apparel Sector
Two critical resources, the Investor Expectations and the Engagement Brief on Nature, were launched on 12 December 2024 as part of the FABRIC (Fostering Action on Biodiversity through Responsible Investment in Clothing) initiative. They are designed to empower investors to engage effectively with companies in the Textiles and Apparel sector, aiming to drive positive biodiversity outcomes in a sector with a notoriously high environmental impact.
The Engagement Brief on Nature provides a detailed examination of the sector’s environmental impacts and its role in tackling global biodiversity challenges. As part of the FfB Foundation’s Sectoral Engagement Briefs series, this resource equips investors with the knowledge needed to foster impactful engagements and encourage sustainable practices throughout the value chain.
The Investor Expectations document offers a clear roadmap for companies in the Textiles and Apparel sector to reduce their environmental footprint and align with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) by 2030. The document focuses on several key areas, including improving supply chain traceability, adopting circular business models, setting science-based targets, and enhancing transparency and governance through alignment with frameworks such as the TNFD.
Why Target the Textiles Sector?
The Textiles and Apparel sector is a significant contributor to environmental challenges, responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions, 35% of primary microplastics released into the environment from the laundering of synthetic clothes, and 20% of clean water pollution linked to dyeing and finishing processes. At a global level, it takes approximately 3,781 litres of water to produce a single pair of jeans, from cotton cultivation to final delivery (UNEP).
By addressing these impacts, the FABRIC initiative supports global biodiversity targets, including sustainable consumption, pollution reduction and ecosystem restoration, as outlined in the GBF.
About FABRIC Initiative
Launched in autumn 2024, FABRIC is a collective engagement initiative created by the FfB Foundation in collaboration with 16 investor members representing €5.85 trillion in assets under management or advisement. With funding from the Laudes Foundation, the initiative fosters cooperation between investors and companies, offering actionable pathways to mitigate environmental impacts through a focus on key drivers such as greenhouse gas emissions, land use, water pollutants, and waste.
A Call to Action
The newly launched resources are designed to assist investors in their engagement with companies to help steer the Textiles and Apparel sector towards practices that support a sustainable, biodiversity-positive future. Companies are called upon to:
- Publicly commit to biodiversity-positive practices across the product lifecycle
- Improve traceability and conduct lifecycle analyses to mitigate impacts
- Implement circular economy principles to reduce waste and reliance on virgin materials
- Enhance transparency through alignment with global frameworks like TNFD.
This milestone underscores the Finance for Biodiversity Foundation’s commitment to driving systemic change and aligning the Textiles and Apparel sector with global biodiversity goals.
