Share your feedback on the draft human rights criteria for our Preferred Fiber and Materials Matrix
We’re opening a public consultation on the new draft human rights criteria for the next version of our Preferred Fiber and Materials Matrix, from March 13 to March 29.
At Textile Exchange, we’re in the process of redeveloping the human rights criteria used in our Preferred Fiber and Materials Matrix (PFMM). The existing human rights component of the tool is based on criteria set out in WWF’s Certification Assessment Tool (CAT). Now, we’re aiming to bring the PFMM methodology fully in-house and develop criteria aligned to industry-leading practices, working with experts in the field and through multistakeholder engagement.
We have worked with Ergon Associates to develop the human rights criteria, thanks to their expertise in labor standards and human rights, and extensive experience in working with the textile industry. Ergon has already undertaken expert stakeholder engagement with a number of organizations in the initial development of the criteria. Now, we are sharing the draft criteria and an explanatory document for open public consultation.
The consultation will run from March 13 and will close on March 29. If you are interested in providing feedback on the criteria, you can do so by sharing your comments by March 29 via email to: matrix@textileexchange.org.
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About the Preferred Fiber and Materials Matrix
Textile Exchange’s Preferred Fiber and Materials Matrix (PFMM) aims to help apparel, footwear and home goods companies make informed sourcing decisions by providing transparent data and consolidated, validated guidance on over 65 of the industry’s most commonly used materials.
Not merely a ranking, but a robust method to assess materials across broad impact areas, the PFMM combines quantitative and qualitative data that allows for detailed comparisons within each specific material category. Impact criteria includes indicators across soil health, water contamination, human rights, and animal welfare.
Building on Gap Inc.’s Preferred Fiber Toolkit, the framework leverages existing tools like the Sustainable Apparel Coalition’s Higg Materials Sustainability Index (MSI), Textile Exchange’s own Animal Welfare Framework, and third-party assessment of programs and certifications.
Our goal for this project
With this project, we aim to deliver a revision of the methodology for assessing the robustness of human rights criteria of each relevant raw material standards systems or certification programs within the PFMM.
Next steps
Feedback from the open consultation will be collated, considered and where possible, integrated into the design of the human rights criteria. The updated human rights criteria will feature in Version 2.5 of the PFMM which will be launched in summer 2023.