Latest news with #LewisPerkins
Associated Press
22-04-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Cascale Podcast Season Spotlights Consumer Goods Supply Chain Decarbonization
AMSTERDAM, HONG KONG, OAKLAND, Calif., April 22, 2025 /3BL/ - With a thematic focus on consumer goods supply chain decarbonization, the new season of Cascale's 'Source of Good' podcast reflects the nonprofit organization's commitment to combat climate change. Kicking off with Lewis Perkins of Apparel Impact Institute (Aii), released today, 'Source of Good' will share actionable insights and inspiring stories that drive the urgent transformation needed in the consumer goods industry. Across 10 bi-weekly, 20-minute episodes, listeners will discover how innovative companies – including Tapestry, Primaloft, ITL, Hirdaramani, and more – use Cascale's Higg Index tools and other pioneering practices with the aim to achieve a 45% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030, ultimately aligning with a 1.5°C future. 'Our work with Cascale is about more than metrics - it's about building momentum for real, lasting change,' said Lewis Perkins, president at Aii. 'Together, we're shaping a shared roadmap to help our industry cut emissions. I'm inspired by what's possible when we align around bold action and collective responsibility for a better industry and healthier planet.' Building on the inaugural season successes – including a conversation with Rick Ridgeway, legendary mountaineer, environmentalist, writer, and Cascale co-founder – 'Source of Good' set the standard for industry dialogue on sustainable practices. With subscribers in over 50 countries, listeners can find the podcast on all major streaming platforms and follow the journey of industry change through each insightful episode. 'By spotlighting supply chain decarbonization, we're addressing one of today's most urgent challenges—while sharing powerful stories of transformation. These episodes showcase tangible strategies that inspire collective action and demonstrate how our industry can unite for a sustainable future,' said Lee Green, vice president of Marketing & Communications at Cascale. 'Source of Good' is produced by Hueman Group Media, a Webby-winning media company that produces high-caliber podcasts for social change and impact. The show is hosted by Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff, Cascale's communications director and a former journalist. 'Source of Good' is available on multiple platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, and more. For more information about Cascale and to listen to the Source of Good podcast, visit or join our email mailing list here. 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 Visit 3BL Media to see more multimedia and stories from Cascale
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Fashion's Decarbonization Delays Also a Dollar Short
The Apparel Impact Institute's 2024 annual report opens with a compliment sandwich—arguably, one that the textile trade has been choking down since 2021. 'We're halfway to 2030—a critical year by which the fashion industry must achieve a 50 percent reduction in carbon emissions to meet our climate goals—and while we've made progress, it's not enough,' said the nonprofit, better known by its acronym, Aii. More from Sourcing Journal PrimaLoft's Pure Process Wants to Cool the Climate, Heat Up Efficiency SEC Votes to End Its Defense of Biden-Era Climate Disclosure Rule Panama Canal Opens 'Net-Zero' Transit Slot for Low-Emissions Ships The climatic cost of the sector's scant sustainable solutions is hot on the trail of reaching degrees that will decimate the ocean's remaining coral reefs, per 2018 IPCC data. 'The cost of inaction is monumental,' Lewis Perkins, president of Aii, wrote in the report's opening letter. 'As Aii tracks industry progress, the findings emphasize the urgency of the moment…..Many scientists and climate experts now warn that we are more realistically heading toward 2 degrees Celsius or higher, unless urgent action is taken.' If the industry fails to accelerate its efforts to meet this goal, he continued, its carbon footprint will continue to grow unchecked. For context, the fashion industry generated an estimated 897 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2021, per the Aii's last annual report. If unchecked, 2030's emissions could reach 1.2 billion metric tons. 'This will lead to further acceleration of global climate impacts, with severe economic and environmental impacts that will devastate both people and the planet,' Perkins said. 'But here's the good news: many scale-ready solutions exist, and momentum is building.' To that end, the California-based industry advocate's resulting 73-page report detailed the greenhouse gas reductions attained through Aii's programs, totaling 8.58 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions 'saved over useful life' since 2018. Last year alone saved roughly 2.7 million metric tons, though the Cascale partner is shy of hitting its goal by about 92 percent. 'To achieve this industry's ambitious climate goals, it's imperative that every stakeholder leverages their influence to drive tangible change,' Perkins said. 'A joint effort among brands and retailers is essential to create conditions where suppliers are motivated and capable of making these investments.' On the topic of financing such motivations is the organization's Fashion Climate Fund. The $250 million call to arms to identify, fund and propagate verifiable solutions for decarbonizing apparel and textile production has 'mobilized' $156 million for supply chain decarbonization to date. Up 42 percent year-over-year, the 'catalytic capital' accounts for 66 percent of its pooled $250 million target and 7.8 percent of its overarching goal of unlocking $2 billion by 2030. 'Financial institutions are poised to offer better finance options provided there's a robust pipeline of suppliers ready to embrace decarbonization efforts,' Perkins said. 'The acceleration of these efforts occurs when the industry aligns its business strategies, resources and investments toward the most impactful solutions.' As a result, suppliers have nearly doubled (49 percent) greenhouse gas emissions reductions over useful life in 2024 against 2023, per the report. Over 1,250 facilities and 9,600 farms were reached through Aii's Supplier Journey from 2018-2024. This framework, formerly known as the Climate Action Approach, works to support suppliers' decarbonization efforts. This includes the low-carbon thermal energy roadmap published last month, outlining steps industry players can take in the near-, mid-and long-term to implement electrification effectively in pursuit of net zero. 'With the release of our roadmap we have a clear direction of travel for the sector's largest supply chain emission source: thermal energy in wet processing facilities,' Pauline Op de Beeck, Aii's climate portfolio director, said in the report, noting the 'fascinating' work done with GEI in effort to help partners strategize. 'Without supply chain investment using the plays in our playbook, we cannot achieve the vision that the roadmap and our strategy has set out.' The nonprofit also 'remains focused' on its Climate Solutions Portfolio—a registry of credible carbon-squashing solutions—working to 'strengthen supplier financing mechanisms and ensure decarbonization strategies are accessible across the industry,' per the report. 'In this round of grants, we bridged innovation gaps by supporting solution innovators who have leading-edge, impactful and practical technologies,' said Aii's chief impact officer, Kurt Kipka. 'Collectively, these solutions have the potential to reduce 24,407 tcOe2 within the first 12 months of project implementation.' Also of note was Aii's 'digital transformation.' In 2024, the Clean by Design promoter shifted its software and technology focus to this process, which 'integrates digital technologies in all areas of an organization to improve operations, efficiency, partner experiences and service delivery value,' the company said. Aii overhauled its tech strategy to meet 2030 deadlines with efforts like forming strategic partnerships to improve the delivery of services (like the Carbon Toolkit) and building a robust, reliable data repository. 'While digital transformation may seem like a common strategy implemented by organizations across all industries, its impact relies heavily on commitment to a shared vision and execution,' Dan Xavier, Aii's head of software, said in the report. 'These are areas where Aii truly excels, and I'm already excited at the progress we've made in such a short time as a smaller organization. The industry will soon see not only Aii's innovative mind at work but also our ability to take an idea and make it into a reality with all industry stakeholders in mind.'
