Latest news with #CarolinavanLoenen
Associated Press
02-07-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Cascale Elevates Collaboration in Accelerating Collective Action at ZDHC Event
Cascale was deeply appreciative of ZDHC for recently having Carolina van Loenen, director of stakeholder engagement at Cascale, participate in ZDHC's Convention Week event in Amsterdam. Celebrating a decade of ZDHC's transformative progress in the industry, the event featured a week of sector-focused meetings, cross-industry collaboration, and technical deep dives. It brought together global changemakers to share insights on how to shape the future of responsible production and sustainable chemical management. Van Loenen joined a panel to discuss how sustainability initiatives can better align, reduce duplication, and improve outcomes for suppliers, brands, and the planet. The panel was moderated by Janne Koopmans, collaborations director at ZDHC Foundation, and included Carolin Franitza, stakeholder manager at OEKO-TEX, Francesca Rulli, co-founder at Ympact, and Maria Pulido, global advisor, sustainable trade stakeholders and partnerships at Amfori. Van Loenen emphasized the need to move beyond fragmented efforts, noting that some manufacturers undergo as many as 200 audits a year, an overwhelming challenge which can hinder real progress. Reflecting Cascale's mandate to foster pre-competitive collaboration, she reiterated that most environmental and social challenges — such as factory emissions or excessive overtime — cannot be solved by one brand alone. Van Loenen noted that when competitors align on shared expectations, data systems, and improvement frameworks, it helps create a level playing field and clearer market signals for suppliers. She shared that insufficient cooperation among numerous sustainability initiatives in the apparel and textile industry has slowed progress, leading to duplicative, overlapping, isolated, and at times contradictory audit and improvement programmes, resulting in fragmentation and suboptimal outcomes. Highlighting the importance of collaboration and partnerships, a value proposition for Cascale members, Van Loenen delved into some real-life examples of collaboration in action, including a recent grant-funded pilot project with the Apparel Impact Institute (Aii) and ZDHC. Developed under the umbrella of the apparel alliance program, the Factory Improvement Journey can help brands and supply chain partners clarify how different environmental programmes such as the Higg FEM, Supplier to Zero and Aii Clean by Design can optimize the use of existing tools without duplicating efforts. She shared how the project supported alignment by creating a Data Matrix, which mapped key data points across the three programmes - a first step toward a more open and interoperable data model, reducing audit fatigue, making environmental due diligence more efficient, and thereby consolidating sustainability programmes. She invited other sustainability assessment tools and improvement programs to join the initiative and industry stakeholders to join existing endorsers of the publicly available guidance. Van Loenen's concluding remarks reiterated the urgent need for collective action to achieve meaningful progress. She highlighted the importance of amplifying supplier voices, fostering industry alignment, and true collaboration to accelerate collective action to address complex issues facing the industry. She urged like-minded multistakeholder initiatives to take bold action on data sharing as well as companies to leverage the extensive data insights of tools such as Cascale's Higg Index suite of tools, and The Better Buying Partnership Index (BBPI). These tools offer actionable insights and are designed to drive efficiencies, reduce costs, and enhance both environmental and social performance, ultimately contributing to more resilient supply chains. Visit 3BL Media to see more multimedia and stories from Cascale
Business Wire
26-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Bangladesh Positioned to Lead Sustainable Apparel Manufacturing
AMSTERDAM & HONG KONG & OAKLAND, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cascale (formerly the Sustainable Apparel Coalition) has released ' Bangladesh Country Report: Macroeconomic and Sustainability Analysis,' a comprehensive report detailing Bangladesh's progress and potential to drive sustainable progress in the consumer goods industry. The report also reveals a pivotal opportunity to align with the Industry Decarbonization Roadmap (IDR), a sector-wide initiative to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 45 percent by 2030. This follows Cascale's April publication of the ' Vietnam Country Report: Macroeconomic, Socioeconomic, and Industry Analysis ' report, developed with the support of Apparel Impact Institute (Aii). Similar in scope, Cascale's new report emphasizes Bangladesh's impressive strides toward sustainability, including ambitious environmental targets, the rise of green manufacturing, and a growing culture of industry collaboration. 'Scaling up the decarbonization of the energy supply will be crucial for Bangladesh to meet its 2030 climate ambitions.' –Jeremy Lardeau, SVP, Higg Index, Cascale. 'The workforce is both Bangladesh's RMG sector's greatest asset – providing the people power behind its competitive advantage – and its greatest responsibility to protect. By investing in organisational health and safety, fair labor practices, and skill development, Bangladesh aims to uphold and protect the wellbeing of the millions who form the backbone of this industrial activity.' –Carolina van Loenen, Director of Stakeholder Engagement, Cascale. With a robust apparel sector that contributes over 80 percent of national exports and employs more than four million people – most of them women – Bangladesh stands behind China as the world's second-largest garment exporter, commanding 7.4 percent of the global market share. With its strong economic growth and proactive sustainability initiatives, the country is positioned to leverage both domestic policies and international collaboration to advance its low-carbon transition amid evolving global market dynamics. In 2024, Bangladesh installed an interim government that issued a 2025 Renewable Energy Policy including tax incentives and measures designed to cut fuel imports, balancing continued economic growth with a shift toward cleaner energy. The interim government has set general elections for April 2026. Key Highlights from the Bangladesh Country Report include: Economic Strength & Global Relevance With a GDP of USD 451 billion in 2024 and projected growth of 3.8 percent in 2025 (IMF), Bangladesh's economic trajectory is powered by its textile and garment sector, now expanding into higher-value products and man-made fibers. Decarbonization Commitments The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has launched a Sustainability Vision 2030 to guide the industry, pledging: 30 percent GHG emissions reduction 50 percent sustainable material sourcing 20 percent energy from renewable sources Zero discharge of hazardous chemicals Exclusive Environmental Performance Insights from the Higg FEM Nearly 1,300 factories in Bangladesh used Cascale's Higg Facility Environmental Module (FEM) in 2023. Results show stronger performance than global averages, with opportunities to scale renewable energy use and reduce dependence on natural gas. Leadership in Green Factories Bangladesh boasts over 240 LEED-certified green garment factories – the most of any country in the world. Among these are 62 of the world's top 100 highest-rated facilities, with over 500 more in the certification pipeline. Collaborative Industry Transformation In 2024, BGMEA signed a partnership MoU with Cascale to drive unified sustainability efforts across the supply chain and, in 2025, the International Apparel Federation (IAF) and International Textile Manufacturers' Federation (ITMF) launched the Apparel and Textile Transformation Initiative (ATTI). The initiative is an innovative manufacturer-led, nationally oriented, globally coordinated program. It aims to advance environmental improvements across the supply chain by promoting manufacturer leadership on systemic challenges relating to energy use, water consumption, emissions and other key sustainability impacts, in collaboration with brands and industry initiatives. ATTI's pilot countries are Bangladesh and Türkiye, and BGMEA and BKMEA lead the ATTI Bangladesh Chapter. Under the initiative, the associations will lead the development of an ATTI Bangladesh Transformation Plan with support from the ATTI Global Council. Energy Landscape & Transition Efforts With 57 percent of national energy from gas and only two percent from renewables, Bangladesh faces challenges for a green energy transition. However, there are also many opportunities: Factories are increasingly investing in solar PV systems, bioenergy, and energy-efficient technologies to future-proof operations. A Critical Moment for the Industry The report concludes that Bangladesh is at a turning point — leveraging past progress to chart a path toward a sustainable, inclusive, and competitive future. The country's alignment with global decarbonization goals, including its role in the UN Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action, signals readiness to lead a new era of responsible manufacturing. Cascale urges brands, investors, and policymakers to support Bangladesh's transition by aligning sourcing practices with sustainability goals, offering financial mechanisms for factory upgrades, and promoting inclusive growth across the value chain. ABOUT CASCALE Cascale is the global nonprofit alliance empowering collaboration to drive equitable and restorative business practices in the consumer goods industry. Formerly known as the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Cascale owns and develops the Higg Index, which is exclusively available on Worldly, the most comprehensive sustainability data and insights platform. Cascale unites over 300 retailers, brands, manufacturers, governments, academics, and NGO/nonprofit affiliates around the globe through one singular vision: To catalyze impact at scale and give back more than we take to the planet and its people. LinkedIn | X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube
