To support a sustainable supply chain, TMAS, the Swedish Textile Machinery Association, has teamed up with ClimatePartner to assist its members in mapping their corporate carbon footprints. Cara Dudgeon talks to Therese Premler-Andersson from the association about the project and how it could impact the textile & apparel industry.
With the ever-increasing number of regulations being placed on the textile & apparel industry, especially within Europe, Swedish textile manufacturers, supported by their national association, Swedish Textile Machinery Association (TMAS), has been exploring new options to contribute to a more sustainable industry.
According to Therese Premler-Andersson, secretary general of TMAS, the association initiated a range of activities including training packages and seminars as well as dialogue with members. This provided a format for the mapping of the individual carbon footprints of its members.
Premler-Andersson says: “For any business that is serious about climate action, the starting point is to calculate a corporate carbon footprint. With a better understanding of an organisation’s greenhouse gas emissions, a robust strategy to reduce emissions can be initiated.”
TMAS initiated the corporate carbon footprint (CCF) project with ClimatePartner: an environmental consultant, to boost the progress of its members.
In order to meet carbon emissions in compliance with the established Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol overseen by the World Resources Institute, emissions are divided into three scopes.
According to Premler-Andersson, the first scope regards GHG emissions that occur from sources that are owned or controlled by a company, for example, from combustion in owned or controlled boilers, furnaces and vehicles.
She adds Scope Two covers emissions from the purchased electricity consumed by a company, while Scope Three is about emissions that arise not only as a consequence of the activities of a company, but also from sources not owned or controlled by it.
Scope Three includes raw materials, logistics, business travel by employees and even how they commute to work, says Premler-Andersson.
The data
The data needed for the project was predominantly from the finance department, such as invoices, says Premler-Andersson. For example, data on heat, electricity, fuel and water consumption, waste generation, the use of cooling agents as well as flights taken and employee commuting was collected by each member company.
ClimatePartner employed an advanced software data tool to automatically translate the accumulated data into carbon emission equivalents. The final report contains a breakdown of the corporate carbon footprint so that hotspots are clear and prioritisation of changes to be made is easier, says Premler-Andersson.
She continues: “The results showed scope three was the biggest source of emissions among our members, which is in line with ClimatePartner’s previous results. This is likely due to Sweden being an exporting nation, meaning business inevitably involves a lot of travelling which adds to the result.
“After the past few years with the Covid-19 pandemic, ways of working that involve more digital tools and remote services have evolved and are continuing to escalate, contributing to a reduction in overall emissions.”
Changes by members
With the mapping phase of the project just finalised, TMAS members are now receiving recommendations from ClimatePartner on where and how they can make informed changes.
Premler-Andersson says: “We are still at the beginning of the project, but it’s already become about sharing best practice, which is a good initial outcome although I think there’s still more to be developed.
“Within our association, we don't have that many competing companies and this makes it easier for them to engage in transparent dialogue. They have been able to assess how other organisations operate and make comparisons on the data.”
She adds Sweden has a lot of “green” electricity, produced by sun, wind or water. Therefore, switching to more sustainable suppliers is an easy change for members. Other initiatives being undertaken include cover waste management, reducing packaging material and ensuring effective transportation of goods.
Digitalisation
Digitalisation and automation have been trends within the textile & apparel industry for a while and will likely continue to be as they help the market to achieve sustainability targets. For Premler-Andersson however, the industry needs to let go of the past and accept that now things need to be done differently.
She says: “Automation and digitalisation are key to reaching a more flexible, efficient and sustainable production. Production should preferably be closer to the end-user, with reshoring now growing as a means to reducing overproduction and shipping emissions. For this to accelerate, we need to have new technology.”
For Premler-Andersson, technology from TMAS’ members are examples of how innovation can contribute to energy efficient and flexible production with minimal waste.
She says: “We have several Swedish innovations that reduce the use of water and chemicals by up to 50%. These new technologies, along with machinery that can handle recycled fibres, are essential to tomorrow’s sustainable textile production.”
The future
Some of the biggest regulations looming over the industry is the United Nation’s goal of net zero carbon by 2050 and its sister goal of a 45% reduction of global greenhouse emissions by 2030.
With the majority of the industry now working towards these targets, there are various developments underway, however that doesn’t mean they will be met, says Premler-Andersson.
She explains: “We need customers who are willing to pay that bit extra for sustainable products. Plus, investments are needed to create new technology to meet these goals. I think we are moving in the right direction, but maybe a bit too slowly.”
Projects like TMAS’ CCF contribute to the increase in transparency and traceability within the supply chain and can create inspiration for others to become aware of their sustainability. Although for Premler-Andersson, it’s definitely a first step.
She says: “You really need to understand your own emissions to understand how to reduce them. Measuring is the starting point.
“It's the kind of knowledge you can share with others in the value chain such as your partners and customers. We all know by now that reaching sustainability goals is nothing you do on your own, you do it together with others and we are an example of that. It is a springboard for ambitious climate actions.”
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