Textile Exchange, in partnership with industry leaders including Google, the National Genomic Information System (NGIS), and the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF), unveils a groundbreaking tool tailored for the fashion, textile, and apparel industry. The Materials Impact Explorer (MIE) represents a pioneering risk assessment tool, poised to revolutionize how brands navigate environmental risks in their sourcing practices.
This publicly available and cost-free tool offers an all-encompassing evaluation of environmental risks spanning diverse impact areas. It not only provides brands with essential risk ratings but also delivers invaluable recommendations, empowering them to adopt responsible and sustainable sourcing strategies.
The MIE harnesses the power of over 160 datasets, drawn from sources like Google Earth Engine (encompassing critical factors like vegetation cover and water surface changes), The World Bank, The World Health Organization, Quantis WALDB, and the Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool (IBAT). This comprehensive data approach ensures that sourcing risks and environmental impacts are thoroughly analyzed.
In a world where raw materials contribute a staggering 24% of the fashion industry’s carbon footprint, brands are increasingly driven to fathom the implications of their sourcing decisions and to collaborate with communities in risk mitigation. The Materials Impact Explorer fills a crucial void, offering a turnkey solution for the comprehensive assessment and management of these risks.
Initially developed in 2021, the tool has undergone significant refinement in collaboration with industry experts. Leading brands such as H&M Group, Stella McCartney, and Reformation have been early adopters, underscoring the tool’s industry-wide importance.
The MIE’s relaunch will further extend its capabilities by evaluating risks in three core categories: Climate, Freshwater, and Biodiversity. Future phases of development will introduce additional categories like Forests and Air Pollution, ensuring the tool remains at the forefront of sustainable sourcing solutions.
