Confused about “Net Zero”? You Shouldn’t Be, as Time Is of the Essence!
A recent study conducted by the British Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) revealed that there is a significant lack of understanding of both environmental, social, and governance (ESG) as well as sustainability-centric marketing claims that companies are using to attract conscious consumers.
The ASA carried out interviews with individuals across the United Kingdom in order to gauge consumer understanding of common ESG advertising claims. The most widely used phrases in advertising that people encountered were “carbon neutral” and “net zero.” Despite these claims being widely used in consumer-facing campaigns through to investor-focused reports, there was “little consensus” among consumers as to their meaning.
Accepting that there may be some work to do in relation to the B2C messaging and action about this important subject, one would hope that B2B activity and communication in this area would be much more advanced.
However, according to a recent article by Joyce Tsoi, head of collective action at the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, at this moment in time, the fashion sector is not on track to hit net-zero by 2050. The latest data from non-profit Textile Exchange shows that the textile industry is set to miss crucial climate targets in line with the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C.
Joyce insists that we (the textile industry) need to follow the latest science and urgently turn this situation around. It’s time the apparel sector embraced science-based targets (SBTs) to ramp-up our collective efforts to cut emissions globally, before it’s too late and too costly.
While an increasing number of fashion companies are setting top-line net-zero targets, most targets exclude the majority of their supply chains. That is the finding of a new analysis from Stand.earth, an environmental NGO based in the U.S. and Canada, which has assessed 10 large fashion firms’ plans for reaching net-zero emissions. You can see the findings here.
Stand.earth has concluded that the net-zero plans of fashion brands “still vary widely” and commonly “lack consistency in commitments, detail in transition plans and any real accountability on supply chains.”
Why is this critical? Because the majority (95 percent and upwards) of carbon emissions in the textile industry at brand and retailer level are the scope 3 emissions, mainly generated by purchased goods and services, a category that includes the textile processing steps along the value chain (see graphic below). The further along the supply chain that you are, the greater the amount of emissions will fall into scope 3.
If brands and retailers intend to combat climate change, they will need to focus on reducing their scope 3 emissions and look at their emission reduction from the raw material stage to product assembly. Indeed, they can only do that if they source from companies in their supply chains that are striving to reduce their emissions.
In late 2019, Lenzing pledged to reduce specific carbon emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and become net carbon-zero by 2050. Picking up on these commitments, Lenzing’s TENCEL™ brand is taking action via the pillars Reduce, Engage and Offset, which actively reduce the product’s carbon footprint, engage industry partners and offset unavoidable carbon emissions.
On the back this initiative, less than one year later TENCEL™, Lenzing’s flagship brand for textiles, introduced its very first carbon-zero TENCEL™ branded lyocell and modal fibers to the market. Following the strict guidelines of The CarbonNeutral Protocol, the leading global framework for carbon neutrality, carbon-zero TENCEL™ branded fibers are certified CarbonNeutral® products for the textile industry.
This means that the emissions associated with the fibers’ production, manufacturing and distribution have been calculated and offset. Under the guidance of the TENCEL™ True Carbon Zero campaign, the TENCEL™ brand is contributing to Lenzing’s commitment to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and its continuous support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to limit global warming.
Currently carbon-zero TENCEL™ is available over a broad range of fiber types:
- TENCEL™ Lyocell
- Matte TENCEL™ Lyocell
- TENCEL™ Lyocell x REFIBRA™
- TENCEL™ Modal
- TENCEL™ Lyocell Micro
- TENCEL™ Lyocell Micro AIR
- TENCEL™ Modal Color/Black
- TENCEL™ Modal x Eco clean
- TENCEL™ Modal x Eco clean Micro
As of today, more than 70 spinning mills already use carbon-zero TENCEL™ fibers and approximately 100 fabric mills are working with the fibers.
Earlier this year we commissioned a series of graphics, the aim of which was to simplify some rather complex environmental subjects. This graphic visualizes what is the most pressing environmental issues of our time. If you like the style of these graphics, and would like to create something for yourself or your company, here is the link to the graphic recorder and facilitator who was the creative artist behind the images: www.carlottacat.com