Guidance on Science-Based Targets for Nature

Our Guidance on Science-Based Targets for Nature publication is designed to help brands and retailers go beyond greenhouse gas emissions and establish more holistic impact goals.

The textile industry’s reliance on both fossil and land-based raw materials directly impacts natural ecosystems. Alongside the overwhelmingly negative impacts of virgin fossil-based synthetics, common land-based materials can either disrupt or restore nature, depending on how they are managed.

It is a key opportunity for the industry, with fibers and materials including cotton and leather now listed on the Science Based Targets Network’s (SBTN) list of High-Impact Commodities — which considers their potential worst-case scenario pressures on areas like climate, land, water, and soil. In contrast, these can all form part of regenerative systems that restore nature and biodiversity, giving the industry significant leverage on its impact just by changing how its materials are produced.

The formal introduction of science-based targets for nature by the SBTN in 2024 gave brands a common methodology to address these areas. However, setting effective nature targets requires granular, location-specific data and heightened supply chain visibility, resulting in complex processes that demand industry-specific guidance and support.

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Our Guidance on Science-Based Targets for Nature helps translate the SBTN methods, supporting the uptake of nature-related targets. The publication is designed to help brands and retailers implement primarily Step 3 of the science-based targets for nature framework as it relates to raw material production.

Download the full paper

Next steps for the industry

Successfully setting and delivering on science-based targets for nature will involve rethinking the entire supply system. This is by no means an easy task and requires stakeholders to support and align across all tiers and levels.

Textile Exchange’s Guidance on Science-Based Targets for Nature provides users with practical steps and general considerations to get started, along with specific tips to navigate the two most relevant target-setting areas for the industry: freshwater and land. Broadly, it recommends that companies consider the following six key areas:

• Reducing resource use and overall environmental impact 
• Exploring regenerative agriculture in material production
• Implementing responsible land management practices
• Adopting circular economy solutions and recycling 
• Reducing pollution and chemical use 
• Supporting Indigenous and local communities

These steps can help the industry address its ecological footprint, contribute to biodiversity conservation, and support the regeneration of natural systems. These factors are all important within Textile Exchange’s longstanding Climate+ strategy, which states that nature-related impact areas such as biodiversity, freshwater, and soil health should always be considered alongside greenhouse gas emissions reduction.