A consumer-facing transparency program from the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) is on pause after a report found that some of its tools essentially amounted to greenwashing. The SAC is an apparel, footwear and textile industry alliance devoted to sustainable production, and includes Top 40 promotional products supplier SanMar (asi/84863), HanesBrands (asi/59528) and Top 40 supplier Gildan among its members.

An investigation by the Norwegian Consumer Authority (NCA) into SAC member Norrøna concluded that the outdoor apparel brand’s eco-marketing claims were “misleading to consumers” and thus prohibited in the country. The NCA asked Norrøna to change or remove the marketing (which appeared on organic cotton T-shirts) before Aug. 14, issuing similar warnings to fast fashion brand H&M, according to WWD.

Norrøna and H&M were using SAC’s consumer transparency program, which was first launched in May 2021 and uses data from the coalition’s Higg Materials Sustainability Index (MSI) – part of a suite of impact measurement tools for the fashion industry. The SAC owns and oversees the methodology behind Higg Index tools, while tech firm Higg hosts the data on its platform. The Higg Index was launched in 2011 and is made up of five tools that were initially developed to help retailers measure sustainability in a consistent way.

However, the index has faced growing criticism, including a recent New York Times article that dinged it for favoring synthetic materials made from fossil fuels over natural ones like cotton, wool or leather.

The SAC’s transparency program, piloted online by H&M and Norrøna, detailed impact categories like water use, global warming, fossil fuels and water pollution.

“As an organization focused on driving positive environmental change in the fashion industry, we take the notification from the NCA extremely seriously,” SAC CEO Amina Razvi said in a statement. “It is critical we seek to understand how to improve this work and act urgently and decisively to ensure the changes that are needed both in the industry and at a consumer level are accelerated, and not delayed by the lack of harmonized legislation and clear guidance from regulators. We know how important it is that our members and the wider industry have trust not just in our mission, purpose and approach, but also the data and insights that sit behind our tools.”

Razvi added that the SAC would put the transparency program on hold as it works with the Norwegian authority and other consumer agencies and regulators to figure out how to better substantiate its product claims “with trusted and credible data.” The coalition will be temporarily removing the Higg Index seal and scorecard from participating online retail platforms while the evaluation is taking place.

The SAC is commissioning a third-party expert review of its Higg MSI data and methodology. The last time such a review had been performed was in 2016.

“We are also working on a comprehensive program, through industry partnerships, to gather and update the environmental impact data quality and accessibility needed for the industry to drive more informed decisions,” Razvi noted.

More than 250 apparel brands, retailers and trade associations are members of the SAC, including several in the promotional products industry.

Top 40 supplier SanMar has been a member of the SAC since 2017, and has noted on its website that it uses the Higg Facility Environmental Module to assess its facilities and determine areas to improve sustainability performance.

CEO and President Jeremy Lott said SanMar remains a proud member of the coalition. “We appreciate their thoughtful approach and decision to pause the use of their consumer-facing tools while more exploration is done to ensure consumers can make the best choices around sustainability,” Lott said. “We continue to use their other tools to measure our sustainability performance and that of our suppliers.”

Plus, he added, “The Higg Index is only a part of our sustainability efforts as evidenced by our commitment to science-based targets for carbon reduction. We will continue to deliver high-quality products made sustainably.”

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