The apparel/fashion industry is one of the leading contributors to global pollution, positioned as the second-largest polluter in the world. One of the main reasons for this is that the apparel industry’s supply chain has more complex and extensive than many other industries. Another reason is the concept of fast fashion, which is being adopted in the fashion industry, where consumers frequently buy and change their apparel and related products. This leads to increased waste and pollution. It is estimated that more than 80 billion new clothes are purchased worldwide every year, accounting for a 400 per cent rise in the last 20 years. As a result, millions of tons of apparel now end up in landfills around the world.

Concept of Sustainability

The concept of sustainability mainly focuses on meeting the present needs of humans without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. This means that the present generation must consume available natural resources sensibly so that future generations can equally enjoy those resources without difficulty. The concept is based on three parameters: equity, economics, and the environment, often referred to as People, Profit, and Planet, in business. This is known as the ‘Triple Bottom Line (TBL)’.

The equity parameter focuses on social equity, ensuring that everyone is provided with equal opportunities, with a focus on the welfare and interests of the communities in which the business operates. This includes fair treatment of human beings, resources, and the law.

Economic viability focuses on the opportunities it provides to stakeholders. Businesses should aim to benefit their stakeholders in the long term. Additionally, businesses bear the responsibility for the value of the materials, services, and resources they utilise, and for using them efficiently, while minimising waste. They should also ensure that all parties involved in any business transactions benefit equally, making transactions fair for every company participating in an apparel supply chain, regardless of its size, wealth, or background. This can be achieved by providing reasonable wages and equal opportunities. In addition to generating profits, many companies are genuinely concerned with creating long-term value for the communities in which they operate and for broader economic systems.

The environmental aspect focuses on the impact of business on the environment. It relates to the degree of effort taken by the business to reduce its environmental impact, including physical conditions, circumstances, and related resources that influence the health and comfort of both current and future generations. In other words, everyone is responsible for living and operating in a way that protects the natural environment, as it provides everything that current and future generations need for survival and well-being.

Measuring Sustainability

Various measures can be adopted in the apparel industry to assess an organisation’s sustainability levels.

Economic Measures

Table 1 lists measures that can be used to measure the economic impact of an organisation.

                                                                                                                Table 1. Economic Measures

S. No

Performance Areas

Measures

1

 Quality Jobs

i) Direct jobs

ii) Job security

iii) Career growth

2

Reporting & transparency

i) Integrated reporting

ii) Transparency

3

 Product Focus

i) Product qualities

ii) Integrated sustainability labelling

iv) Ethical pricing

4

 Marketing Focus

i) Integrated marketing

ii) Customer engagement

iii) Meet your producer website

Social Measures

Table 2 lists measures that can be used to measure the social impact of an organisation.

                                                                                                          Table 2. Social Measures

S. No

Performance Areas

Measures

1

Employment

i) Employee diversity

ii) Working flexibly

iii) Job security

2

Place and Accessibility

i) Public spaces

ii) Project increases walking, cycling (biking) or transit options

3

Community

i) Toxic exposure

ii) Fair Trading

iii) CSR initiatives

iv) Support local suppliers

Environmental Measures

Table 3 lists the measures that can be used to measure the environmental impact of an organisation.

                                                                                                    Table 3. Environmental Measures

S.No

Performance Areas

Measures

1

Eco-efficiency

i) Energy use

ii) Water use

iii) Solid Wastage

iv) Emissions

2

Green Design and Construction

i) Green Building

ii) Sustainable design

iii) Adaptive reuse

3

Green Operations

i)  Energy from renewable resources

ii) Packaging recycling partnership

iii) Reduced transportation

iv) Green products and services

v) Customer clothes recycling

Scoring the Criteria

The scoring criteria for each measure can be based on the following guidelines:

•   Each TBL goal has performance areas i.e., outcomes that help to achieve the goals.

•   Each performance area has measures i.e., items that help deliver those outcomes.

•   An item can be measured using various scales, such as a scale of -3 to 3, 0 to 100, 0 to 10, a Likert scale etc.

•   After scoring, all the scores to be normalised or standardised in a scale of 0 to 100.

•   The scores can then be compared to the standard scores established by the Higg Index to evaluate the sustainability level of an apparel firm.