Textile Exchange

Written by Guest Blogger: Nicole Bassett, Sustainability and Supply Chain Consultant

A couple of weeks ago I attended the Outdoor Industry Association’s (OIA) trade show – Outdoor Retailer.  The show brings everyone one could think of linked up with the outdoor industry. Within this larger group is a dedicated set of brands, retailers, experts, and NGOswho develop tools to support sustainability in the outdoor industry. Formally called the Sustainability Working Group these people have been instrumental in developing an index that will rank products on their social and environmental impact. The larger group is then broken up into other working groups to address issues that the industry is facing as a way to work together and expedite positive change. 

One of the newly mined working groups at the show this year was a Traceability working group.  Traceability has been a core element to the work that Textile Exchange provides, so it was an obvious fit that Textile Exchange partner with OIA to lead this group in developing an industry approach to traceability.  The group met and the room was packed.  It showed the concern within the industry of truly being able to verify that what is in our products is actually in our products.

The group convened around two specific areas… Read more...