Gap has released its ‘Preferred Fiber Toolkit’ put together in partnership with Textile Exchange. The toolkit is an online resource that details the environmental and social impacts of various raw materials, to inform likeminded companies striving to meet their sustainability targets. Serving as a complement to the Sustainable Apparel Coalition’s (SAC) Product Tools, the toolkit will not only disclose the associated environmental effects of raw materials but also other factors for consideration such as the subsequent impacts on labourers, biodiversity and land-use.

With this toolkit, users can flick through a database of raw materials and their associated impacts on not just the environment, but also workers, land, biodiversity and animal welfare. It will provide clear direction to create alignment and reduce the proliferation of conflicting guidance.

Textile Exchange (TE) will update the Toolkit with new data and a broader set of fibers and materials, before starting to use the tool to drive the adoption of ‘preferred’ materials.

Textile Exchange will also work to identify areas of further reduction of impacts to support the industry in meeting science-based targets. The updated Toolkit and the proposed review process will be shared with stakeholders for comments and feedback later this year.