Page 13 - ABFRL SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2016-17

ABFRL
SUSTAINABILITY
REPORT /

HIGG INDEX

The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), a
global non-pro t organisation, is the apparel,
footwear and home textile industry's foremost
alliance for sustainable production. Companies
from every segment of fashion, manufacturing MADURA FASHION AND LIFESTYLE
and retailing, from all over the globe, have (NOW ABFRL) IS ONE OF THE FOUNDING
joined forces with SAC.
CIRCLE MEMBERS OF THE SAC
The core driver of the SAC is the Higg Index, a We have been actively participating and
suite of ground-breaking self-assessment tools contributing to the SAC and its initiatives by being
that not only empower brands, retailers and part of various working groups, providing inputs for
manufacturers to measure their environmental, their new initiatives and also supporting them with
social and labour impacts at every stage of the life pilot implementation.
cycle and value chain, but also demonstrate data
in a standardised and simpli ed way.
ABFRL adopted the Higg Index (facility and brand Environment - Apparel/Footwear
Facility
modules) in 2013 and carried out self-assessment Social/Labour - Apparel/Footwear
of environmental and social impact of its
operations. We began our Higg Index journey by HIGG Environment - Apparel
conducting orientation and awareness sessions for INDEX Brand Social/Labour - Apparel/Footwear
2.0
key teams, sourcing of sustainable raw material or
recycled material, conducting life cycle assessment Rapid Design Module (RDM)
study for select products to identify opportunities Product Materials Sustainability Index
(MSI) Data Explorer
that reduce the environmental impact, and
releasing Brand Sustainability Guidelines.

Design Development Module (DDM)
The Higg Index quantitatively measures the life cycle impacts of commonly used materials found in
products and is at the core of the Design and Development Module (DDM) of the Higg Index. The DDM
helps product designers and developers in making sustainable choices at the early stage of prototype
design, when they have the freedom and scope to improve. The module guides them towards picking
better materials, using better construction techniques, and assessing the complete life cycle of the
product. It facilitates consideration of environmental criteria as they iterate prototype designs, helping
them to optimise sustainability before production starts.

Materials Sustainability Index (MSI)
The MSI is a cradle-to-gate index informed by life cycle assessment (LCA) and derived inventory data to
engage product design teams and the global supply chain of the apparel and footwear products in
environmental sustainability. The MSI addresses signi cant environmental impacts of a wide range of
processed materials, including textiles and component materials.

Way Forward

Going forward, we intend to carry out a pilot for both - FEM 3.0 and Retail module. This will arm us with
better information and help select more responsible materials for our products. We also intend to integrate
the Higg Index into all aspects of our business - design, development, sourcing, marketing, sales and
distribution of sustainable products and thereby, o er superior value to all our stakeholders.

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