The new candidate membership model will provide companies with insight into the importance of full membership of the SAC and provide clarity on member expectations so they can better determine whether their company’s sustainability goals are aligned with those of the SAC and its global membership. It will create more opportunities for companies to engage with the SAC and receive support on their sustainability journey.
As a candidate member, companies have access to the SAC membership community, the Higg Platform and all five Higg Index tools that collectively assess the social and environmental performance of the value chain and the environmental impact of products, including the Higg Facility Environmental Module (FEM), Higg Facility Social & Labor Module (FSLM), Higg Brand & Retail Module (BRM), Higg Materials Sustainability Index (MSI) and Higg Product Module (PM).
All companies expressing interest in candidate membership are evaluated by the SAC based on specific criteria including suitability, commitment, goals and skills. The new candidate membership gives companies access for up to two years, after which they must transition to full membership with the SAC.
Andrew Martin, Executive Vice President of the SAC said: “We are excited to introduce the candidate membership model and have the opportunity to connect with more companies. We believe this represents a great opportunity to further expand the reach of the SAC within the apparel and footwear industry, while also creating opportunities to expand our reach into adjacent sectors within the consumer goods industry for further advancement and greater impact. As the global bringer of nearly half of the apparel and footwear industry, we believe that the reach and diversity of our members is our most powerful lever for collective action, and that delivering greater inclusivity to businesses of all sizes is critical as we move the industry forward want. ”
Erlinda Lee, Senior Manager, Global Membership Development at SAC said: “We are excited to introduce the Candidate membership model, which offers a path to SAC membership for medium to large companies committed to making a positive impact on people and the planet. We recognize that not all companies are at the same stage of the journey and hope that through this membership model, more companies can better understand how to launch and implement initiatives to accelerate their sustainability journey.”
Indira Chauhan, Senior Ethical Manager at George@Asda said: “George from Asda is delighted to join the SAC as part of its new candidate model membership. This gives us a great opportunity to collaborate with other members and with the help of SAC’s Higg Index tools we can continue to strengthen and drive sustainability improvements across our supply chain as well.”
Michelle Herfeldt, Sustainability Manager at Tchibo, said: “Tchibo is delighted to be the first candidate member to join the SAC. As we move towards net zero, we are at a time when industry must step up efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to reach the 1.5°C target. The collection of primary and standardized data is essential to increase our efforts to address environmental issues in our supply chains. Solutions must be tailored and adapted to the specific and individual needs of our partners.
Knowing that the majority of our suppliers are already using the SAC tools, we can take the opportunity to get in touch with them and together implement measures that will help build sustainable, safer and greener production. Candidate membership gives us the opportunity to be part of the community while having the flexibility to evaluate the tools’ applicability to our business before fully customizing them.”
If you have any questions about SAC membership, contact the sac’s membership development team. For more information on the new candidate membership and other membership types, please download our membership brochure.
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About the Sustainable Apparel Coalition:
The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) is an independent and impactful organization that aims to lead the industry towards a shared vision of sustainability, based on a shared approach to measuring, evaluating and improving performance.
A not-for-profit organization, it has members from across the apparel, footwear and textile industries, but exists independently outside of a company to drive progress. The SAC’s collective efforts bring together more than 280 global brands, retailers, manufacturers, NGOs, academics and industry associations. They represent around half of the apparel and footwear industry along the entire supply chain – from sustainability pioneers to organizations just getting started.
Before the SAC existed, organizations operated in isolation, using their own programs and measurements that lacked standardization and the ability to drive collective action. In 2009, Walmart and Patagonia identified this as a serious problem. Together, they brought together peers and competitors from across the industry to develop a universal approach to measuring sustainability performance and formed the Sustainable Apparel Coalition.
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