In a coauthored paper to guide the apparel industry against growing carbon emissions, Chendan Yan of the World Resources Institute says many global companies have started taking action against increasing carbon pollution. Many are setting targets and trying very hard to achieve them.

According to Yan, the biggest challenge that the industry faces is that brands often outsource manufacturing to companies in other countries. Those companies rely on others for raw materials, which makes it hard to measure and reduce carbon pollution.

Hence, a lot of these brands are educating and engaging their suppliers. For example, Levi-Strauss is helping its suppliers obtain low-interest loans for renewable energy or efficiency projects. And Nike is helping manufacturers switch from fossil fuels to solar and biomass. Yan believes as more suppliers get involved, it will help reduce carbon pollution throughout the industry.