Geospatial data collaboration will fuel fashion brands’ sustainability pursuits.
As highlighted in our previous blog, we are eager to work with fashion companies to reduce their negative impacts on the environment and society. We attended the Innovation Forum’s Sustainable Apparel and Textiles Conference from April 26–28, where representatives of fiber producers, manufacturers, suppliers, retailers, global fashion brands, and industry-related groups gathered. Discussions revolved around the fashion industry’s main sustainability challenges, sharing company commitments, and outlining strategies to steer the sector onto a more sustainable course. In this blog, we reflect on how the wide range of proposed actions throughout the conference demonstrates the complexity of the challenges at hand and highlights stakeholders’ willingness to take transformative steps. We offer some suggestions on the steps that can be taken now with LandGriffon.
Discussions at the Sustainable Apparel and Textiles Conference centered around transforming the current linear “take-make-waste” fashion business model towards one that is respectful of the environment, society and a net-zero future. Knowing that companies cannot tackle the sector’s contribution to the environmental and climate crises on their own, a recurring theme was that of collaboration. We at Vizzuality not only endorse this philosophy but are actively part of building a supply chain solution that has this at its core.
Two key topics were how to (a) reduce scope 3 emissions and (b) implement regenerative agricultural practices at scale. With an estimated 80 to 90 percent of carbon emissions stemming from scope 3 sources, locating impacts requires transparency and visibility of all components from operations to farm-level. However, the extreme complexity of global supply chain networks poses a major challenge to achieving this transparency, and subsequently, impact reduction. Many brands buy textiles or even finished goods instead of purchasing the material at its source. Such scenarios make tracing scope 3 impacts to their origin difficult and costly.
To scale up industry-wide solutions, conference panelists agreed that different stakeholders across industries and throughout supply chains need to come together and share knowledge and information. This includes farmers, manufacturers, suppliers, and brands. We believe open geospatial data and technology can fuel such collaborative efforts by filling the informational gap. This is why, when given the opportunity to speak on the panel “Supply chain data in action: How to unlock the real value of more and better data?” We made the case for cooperation, data, and technology as the foundation upon which to build effective change.
Data equips organizations with the necessary information to act efficiently, impactfully, and responsibly. We are refining the supply chain sustainability solution, LandGriffon, to capture and utilize raw material and environmental impact data. It is collaboratively developed by Vizzuality and Satelligence, and advised by the Stockholm Environment Institute’s Trase Initiative. It is designed as a cooperative service that brings together environmental analysis and strategy building into one place.
LandGriffon combines a company’s sourcing data with geospatial and science-based environmental impact data, from data providers such as Global Forest Watch, WWF and EarthStat to name a few. It then maps and analyzes the regional impacts of raw materials, assessing carbon emissions, water, biodiversity loss, and deforestation across the supply chain. Using scenario modeling, companies can understand the various pathways to reduce their impact, and find the most feasible route to reaching their environmental goals. This allows fashion brands to plan strategies of action and to engage with other stakeholders from farm to brand level to create meaningful change.
LandGriffon works for every company, no matter how far they have come on their path to sustainability and tracing their supply chain. For example, we offer our probabilistic sourcing model which estimates location based on geospatial and public open-source data. This provides brands that do not deal directly with tier 4 suppliers a solid place to start in understanding and reducing the impact of their supply chain, going beyond generic industry assumptions.
We are committed to being part of the solution, fostering collaboration, and creating an ever-growing community determined to reach environmental targets. By unleashing the power of collaborative strength, we believe we can transform supply chains to ensure a better future.
Reach out to learn more about LandGriffon and how it could work for your company.
Contact Maria Ricart, Sustainable Business Development
maria.ricart@vizzuality.com
