WWF has welcomed a new UN initiative --The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) -- that encourages apparel and textile supply chains to address climate change. The initiative urges brands, suppliers and other actors to commit to at least a 30 per cent reduction in GHG emissions across the value chain by 2030. It also calls on them to support development of a sector decarbonisation pathway that helps the industry set science-based targets (SBTs), and to collaborate on joint solutions to key climate challenges.

Over a decade ago, collaboration between NGOs and brands like IKEA, H&M and M&S helped establish the Better Cotton Initiative and develop sustainable cotton practices in key markets such as India and Pakistan. WWF and IKEA’s ongoing work with in-country partners is pushing the boundaries of what sustainability means for cotton, and supporting decision-makers in the two countries to adopt and integrate improved practices into agricultural programmes and policies.