2025 Methodology update

Fashion brands often impose top-down targets on suppliers without meaningful consultation. Disclosure should explain how suppliers co-create climate targets and ensure these efforts aim to cease, prevent, or mitigate potential adverse impacts on suppliers. 

Brands could disclose:

- How suppliers are meaningfully consulted in setting climate targets (e.g. net zero, emissions reduction) that affect the supply chain.

- Whether climate goals are co-created to avoid adverse impacts on suppliers.

- Support provided to help suppliers set their own, context-specific targets, including verified ones (e.g. SBTi-approved).

- Evidence of a shift from top-down targets to supplier-led, locally appropriate approaches.

The ILO-ITUC Issue Paper, 'Social dialogue as a driver and governance instrument for sustainable development' is a useful resource on this process. 

Previous Methodology

In this question you are being asked to identify whether the company discloses how suppliers were consulted in the establishment of climate targets that impact their supply chains.

Where to look for this information:
- Corporate Social Responsibility report
- Company documents
- Company policies
- Company websites
- Company code of conduct
- Parent company documents (only if the parent company is linked to from the brands website)
- Parent company policies (only if the parent company is linked to from the brands website)
- Parent company websites (only if the parent company is linked to from the brands website)
- Parent company code of conduct (only if the parent company is linked to from the brands website)

Good keywords for your searches include:
- Stakeholder engagement
- Supplier consultations