13 minute read
Climate Action
Carbon Collaborations
The temperature keeps rising. But luckily, so does the pressure to do something about it. Within the outdoor industry, companies and organizations have started to set bolder emissions goals – together. Today, there are a number of industry initiatives with clear targets and commitments. Suston presents three ongoing collaborations and asks companies why they have joined in these efforts.
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HOW MUCH OF THE BUSINESS IS INCLUDED? A company’s greenhouse gas emissions can be divided into three “scopes.”
SCOPE 1 emissions are direct emissions from sources the company owns or controls. These include burning fossil fuels from stationary sources used for heating or from vehicles you own or operate. For many companies in the outdoor industry, this is the easy part.
SCOPE 2 emissions are indirect emissions from the generation of purchased energy. If your company hasn’t switched to buying energy exclusively from renewable sources – just do it. But in a digitalized world, some parts can be trickier. What energy sources are the servers you use for your e-commerce running on? And if you use cloud services like Dropbox, should their emissions also count?
SCOPE 3 emissions are all indirect emissions (not included in scope 2) that occur in the value chain of the reporting company including both upstream and downstream emissions. These emissions are tricky – both to measure and to reduce. At the same time, scope 3 is where industry collaborations can be most useful and make the biggest difference.
Klean’s Klimate Ally Once a company decides to take responsibility for its carbon footprint, the first step is determining how to best do so. Klean Kanteen has turned to Climate Neutral to help take the guesswork out of their climate strategy. CLIMATE NEUTRAL
Can you explain the logic from Klean Kanteen’s perspective in joining the Climate Neutral initiative? “Klean Kanteen has been measuring greenhouse gas emissions related to its business operations for several years. We are at a place where we’re confident in our ability to gather this information regularly and robustly enough to plan for and take action to reduce emissions.”
“Climate Neutral happened to emerge as we were working out how to implement an internal carbon tax and other elements of reduction strategy. We saw commitment to Climate Neutral as a way to solidify that concept of an internal carbon tax; we’re going to pay for all the emissions we don’t find a way to reduce. That’s a significant cost, and a very tangible motivation to get after reductions. And frankly, there is a sense that we need to do something NOW given the climate emergency we’re facing. This was the primary driving motivator behind signing Klean up for Climate Neutral.”
Can you expand on how this process works? “Klean’s measurement follows greenhouse gas accounting methods of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. We started by identifying our emissions sources within the three scopes defined by the GHG Protocol.”
“Once we were comfortable with the approach for measuring Scopes 1 and 2, we shifted focus to the much larger Scope 3. We practiced measuring these for a couple years to gain confidence with our process. We felt if we didn’t have confidence in our measurement and reporting capability, we would have less confidence choosing where to
DANIELLE CRESSWELL Sr. Sustainability Manager, Klean Kanteen
PARTICIPATING OUTDOOR COMPANIES Biolite, Icebug, Klean Kanteen and Peak Design.
CLIMATE NEUTRAL Carbon pricing made cheap and easy? That’s what independent nonprofit Climate Neutral offers with their four-step certification process. By measuring carbon usage, providing strategies for immediate offsetting as well as long-term reduction, their certification empowers customers to choose brands that are carbon accountable. climateneutral.org
13,974
tons C02 is the total lifetime offsets purchased by BioLite, a co-founder of Climate Neutral. reduce and the appropriate magnitude for goals.” “The Climate Neutral process is very similar to any year-end accounting cycle. Right now, end of year data is being gathered to quantify greenhouse gas emissions from all sources for the 2019 calendar year. That data will be reviewed and reported by certifying brands to Climate Neutral in the Jan-March 2020 timeframe along with emissions reduction plans. Once approved, brands will purchase qualifying offsets and cross the finish line for 2019. Klean’s first offsets purchase will come in 1Q2020. This will become an annual process, with ongoing reduction planning and analysis and implementation in between reporting and certification – the in between activities is where the good stuff happens.”
How does Klean Kanteen determine its emissions reductions goals? “Our plan is to establish an overall emissions reduction goal that aligns with the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTI). This is a framework for setting emissions reduction goals that are in line with a target of keeping global average temperature increase well below 2 degrees C.”
“Once we have an approved, science-based emissions target, we can rally our organization around strategy that aligns with that level of emissions reduction over the next 10 years. It’s exciting, really, to think we can remove ambiguity around what is a meaningful reduction. It helps transition our focus from trying to quantify the problem, or trying to quantify the goal, and moving us to quantifying the value of potential solutions, picking the winners, and making reductions a reality.”
VF Sets Clear Targets VF Corp – parent company to such outdoor brands as The North Face and Icebreaker – turned to the ScienceBased Targets Initiative (SBTI) to ensure their climate goals are in line with the Paris Agreement. SCIENCE BASED TARGETS INITIATIVE
VF states that its new science-based targets are among the most ambitious in the industry – can you expand on this, and where will the key reductions take place?
“We are among the first in our industry to have set a 1.5-degree target for Scope 1 and 2 emissions and a well-below 2-degree target for Scope 3 emissions, in alignment with the latest SBTI guidance for our sector which was just released in June 2019.” “Through the process of developing our science-based targets, we discovered that about 1% of our total emissions can be attributed to our owned operations, while over 50% can be directly related to the sourcing and production of materials and products. This gave us a great view of where to start in terms of prioritizing our CO2 impact reduction efforts.”
BETH JENSEN Director, Sustainable Materials + Products VF Corporation
What’s the value in this and similar initiatives from an industry perspective? “Companies have a significant role to play in driving down global GHG emissions. The purpose of the Science-Based Targets Initiative is to provide a consistent methodology within and across industries for companies to set meaningful targets, rooted in science, toward the well below 2 degrees C or 1.5 degrees C thresholds that will be required to prevent severe ecological and humanitarian crises.”
“As a purpose-driven company, and one of the largest apparel and footwear companies globally, we believe we have an opportunity to use our scale to effect change – and to demonstrate that these activities can enhance, not detract from, business success. We hope that our commitments inspire other companies to follow suit, and that
PARTICIPATING OUTDOOR COMPANIES Lenzing, Norrøna, Vaude and VF Corp.
they signal to NGO’s, government, investors, and other stakeholders that we are serious about leading the charge into a new vision of what business leadership can be.”
VF is also a signatory to other climate initiatives. How do you choose and prioritize these?
“We get approached to sign on to so many different initiatives – we definitely have to prioritize. This typically involves robust discussion among all of the relevant internal subject matter experts, which includes asking ourselves questions like ‘how does participation in this initiative provide value to our business?’ and, ‘are we already signed on to an initiative that provides the same or similar value?’”
Critics note it’s easy for businesses to exit such voluntary coalitions, putting into question their long-term efficacy. Would you agree or disagree?
“I actually disagree with the statement that it’s easy for businesses to exit these types of commitments. In my opinion, businesses do not take these types of commitments lightly – neither joining nor dissolving them. I don’t think companies would sign on unless they are truly committed to the change.” “I have friends and colleagues in various organizations and sustainability leadership positions across the outdoor and fashion industries, and our collective passion and commitment to the fight against climate change is what gives me hope that we can actually succeed in achieving our targets and using the power of business to play a significant role.”
SCIENCE BASED TARGETS INITIATIVE The science is clear: we must limit the global rise in temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The Science Based Target Initiative helps over 700 companies do just that, providing individualized and science-backed pathways to greenhouse gas reductions. sciencebasedtargets.org
55%
absolute reduction in GHGs by 2030 is VF Corp’s goal.
Nordic Outdoor and Fashion Together Over 90 brands in the outdoor, fashion and sports industries have now signed The UN Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action. The STICA Network will ensure that Scandinavian brands reach the same goals. THE STICA NETWORK
Peak Performance was one of the first companies to sign the UN’s charter and join STICA. Now it has been one year since its launch – what have you accomplished over the past year?
“We are roughly 10 Scandinavian outdoor brands such as Peak Performance, Fjällräven, and Bergans as well as approximately 35 representatives from Scandinavian fashion companies. STICA, which stands for the Swedish Textile Initiative for Climate Action, was initiated by the consulting company Sustainable Fashion Academy, together with H&M, KappAhl and us, Peak Performance. We began by putting together a steering committee with six people who meet every week. We put together an overarching ‘industry roadmap and action plan’ that consists of three steps. In short, the first step concerns training, the second step concerns getting all member companies started with measuring and reporting their emissions within Scope 1, 2 and 3. Then comes the big step: Starting to reduce emissions.”
“During the first year – the training phase – four workshops were held and Scope 1 and 2 were measured. Not only did we learn more about emissions in the various scopes, but we also discussed communication. For example, when can a company rightfully call itself climate neutral? Is it sufficient to mitigate your emissions with carbon offsets or is this just a type of ‘greenwashing’?”
What will Peak Performance be working on in 2020?
“In 2020, we will be focusing on measuring and reporting our emissions in Scope 3. Our network contains everything from H&M with
ÅSA ANDERSON Sustainability Manager, Peak Performance
PARTICIPATING OUTDOOR COMPANIES Bergans of Norway, Craft, Didriksons, Fjällräven, Haglöfs, Lundhags, Norrøna and Peak Performance.
THE STICA NETWORK Around 45 Scandinavian companies are members of the Swedish Textile Initiative for Climate Action (STICA) network. The network has the same overarching goals as the United Nations Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action: Member companies commit to reducing their emissions by at least 30% by 2030 and to be climate-neutral by 2050. sustainablefashionacademy.org/stica By this year, all members commit to have reduced their emissions by at least 30%. 2030
approximately 200 employees who are working on sustainability, to smaller companies who don’t even have a director of sustainability. So it’s clear that some of us have different resources and that some will have more to do than others. But by working together, we can find a clear path forward, utilize the same methods and definitions and learn from each other.”
“At Peak Performance, we had already begun measuring Scope 1 and 2 and had been monitoring Scope 3 thanks to the European Clothing Action Plan (ECAP) project.”
After 2020, the STICA members will have nine years to reduce emissions by at least 30% in order to live up to your commitment – are you going to succeed?
“It’s within Scope 3 that we’ll have our greatest impact, and that’s where we should be looking at all of the links in our supply chain – tier 1, 2, 3 and 4. In the outdoor industry, we have the advantage of often having a close working relationship with our material suppliers. In addition, many of us have the same suppliers. If – as a group – we can tell our suppliers that we need to reduce our total climate impact and that we need their support, then this will create synergy effects. Other effects like this can include procuring consulting help together.” “Within the STICA network, we have also committed to follow the Science Based Targets, and if they raise their goals and ambitions, we must follow suit.”
“One advantage with a public commitment is that owners and management stand behind the goals. So the question isn’t whether we will succeed but rather how.”
Textile Exchange Team Children and Friends during Climate Strike 2019.
Driving Force for Urgent Climate Action
One thing all people have in common is that we come into contact with various textiles every single day, from the clothing we wear to the furnishings in our homes. Can you imagine how much climate impact from fiber and material production could be reduced if even a fraction of each item was produced in a more sustainable way?
That is what Textile Exchange set out to do when we announced our new 2030 Strategy: Climate+ (pronounced Climate-Plus) during its 2019 Textile Sustainability Conference. Under the Climate+ strategic direction, Textile Exchange will be the driving force for urgent climate action with a goal of 35-45% reduced CO2 emissions from textile fiber and material production by 2030.
Climate science, including the UN IPCC report from October 2018 titled “Global Warming of 1.5°C…,” makes it clear that we have a limited time window in which to act and if we do not act soon, we lock in certain climate impacts that will negatively impact a multitude of areas. Textile Exchange recognizes that if we don’t successfully combat climate change, we may lose the opportunity to address these impact areas.
For years, Textile Exchange has promoted practices, standards, and resources that benefit the climate. Adopting the Climate+ Strategy is a way to bring the priority of climate, biodiversity, and As time runs out on meeting the 1.5°C climate target, the Textile Exchange’s newly announced 2030 Strategy: Climate+ aims to ratchet up joint industry action.
carbon to the heart of our work with preferred fibers and materials. The “+” in Climate+ allows Textile Exchange to prioritize climate while continuing to address other impact areas that are interconnected with climate in most situations (e.g. water, biodiversity, forests, soil and animal welfare). The “+” is also an acknowledgement that Textile Exchange cannot achieve this new 2030 goal of 35-45% reduction in CO2 emissions from preferred fiber and material production on its own. Achieving the 2030 Strategy: Climate+ goal will require strong partnerships to accelerate adoption of existing tools as well as enable disruptive innovation around new business models and zero carbon materials. Join us in achieving this goal!
