Textile Exchange said it adjusted its approach following an extensive review and prioritisation undertaken in 2023, which coincided with Claire Bergkamp assuming the CEO position.
This shift is said to highlight the organisation’s dedication to expediting industry initiatives and generating tangible results at the inception point of raw material production.
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Textile Exchange collaborates with brands, manufacturers, and farmers to foster sustainable and responsible practices in fibre and material production.
The plan announcement follows Textile Exchange’s latest ‘Materials Market Report,’ which highlighted global fibre production had reached a record 124m tonnes in 2023 and projected an increase to 160m tonnes by 2030.
Despite significant growth within the organisation, including over 90,000 sites certified globally under its standards, the industry still lags in achieving the necessary 45% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from fibre and raw material production aligned with the Paris Agreement goals for 2030.
The new phase of the organisation’s strategy is designed to optimise operations and focus on priority raw materials to enhance preferred production systems. It also aims to tackle economic hurdles encountered by Tier 4 producers.
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By GlobalDataThree foundational pillars of the Textile Exchange 2030 strategy
1. Engagement and partnership
The organisation intends to leverage the strength and diversity of its community to deepen industry engagement through a more concentrated, action-based approach. This approach is aimed at nurturing commitment, alignment, investment, and effective collective actions.
2. Climate and nature impact
By improving tools, impact data, measurement, reporting systems, target setting, and guidance for preferred production systems, the organisation seeks to expedite positive impacts on climate and nature.
3. Standards system
The transition to the Materials Matter framework marks a shift towards a next-generation certification and assurance system that builds upon years of standards development. This new system is tailored to reflect the complexities of real-world production systems with a focus on outcomes for climate and nature. It aims to connect brands, retailers, and producers through verified best practices at the raw material level.
Textile Exchange CEO Claire Bergkamp said: “Now is the time for clarity and focus. We have what we need to double down, align our efforts, and deliver.”
“The next five years must be a time of accelerated, collective effort – rooted in partnership, shared responsibility, and a deep commitment to transformation at scale. We know this work is complex and will take all of us, working with clarity and purpose, to make meaningful progress.”
Textile Exchange has also updated its mission to change material production, selection, and reuse for the benefit of source communities and landscapes, coupled with a vision of a world where materials possess enduring value, fostering prosperous communities and thriving environments.
This reinvigorated direction focuses on intensifying efforts to overcome structural and economic barriers since change cannot occur without appropriate financial mechanisms in place, said Textile Exchange.
Over the next five years, Textile Exchange will enhance its commitment to these challenges by introducing a new engagement model that reflects these priorities. This model aims to foster broader community involvement as well as deeper alignment and partnerships with those leading systemic transformations.
Textile Exchange chief strategy officer Ashley Gill said: “We’re focused on maximising the impact of our role in driving systems change. This matters because the transformation we want to see – towards climate resilience, thriving biodiversity, and a less extractive approach to producing and sourcing materials – depends on recognising how much these issues are interconnected. None can be addressed in isolation.”
