In an effort to encourage sustainable cotton production, the fashion industry unveiled the Unlock Programme, a large-scale project created by sustainability consultant 2050 and The Fashion Pact. This program is a major step in the direction of teamwork in supply chain emissions reduction.
Financial incentives are provided by the Unlock Programme to farmers that implement regenerative and lower-impact agricultural methods. The pilot phase’s initial findings show that cotton production in the USA and India has significantly reduced carbon emissions.
The necessity of the program was emphasized by Eva von Alvensleben, Executive Director of The Fashion Pact: “Investing in Tier 4 to secure sustainable materials is essential, as demand for low-climate-impact raw materials could exceed supply by 133 million tons by 2030.”
The program calculates the greenhouse gas effects of modifications to farming practices and awards farmers “Unlock Units” in proportion to the amount of emissions they are able to cut. By buying these units, participating companies can directly fund farmers and possibly use these claims in their Scope 3 inventories.
The objectives of the program were highlighted by Laila Petrie, Director General of Future Earth Lab: “Unlock was designed to push the boundaries of sustainable practices with the support of the fashion industry.” Our goal is to enable farmers all around the world to use these technologies.
