China and the United States are the world’s two largest emitters of greenhouse gases, and both countries have initiatives in place and/or in progress at a national level to reduce those emissions. But governments move slowly and often get bogged down in layers of bureaucracy. To fill the gap, many corporations are jumping in with their own initiatives to increase sustainability across a global footprint. The larger the company, the more impact it can have, but the more likely it also will get bogged down with bureaucracy. Many times, it is the smaller, more nimble organizations that can come up with unique approaches that can then act as a template for others to follow. Or a larger company may create a subsidiary with a mission to introduce dramatic change.

In textiles and apparel, the world’s second largest polluter behind the petroleum industry, the need is even more urgent to take action. In this space, we have written about several important initiatives that companies have undertaken—both producers and suppliers to the industry—to help reduce the impact of the industry on the climate as well as address other sustainability issues, such as landfill diversion, reduction of the shipping footprint within the supply chain, and more.

In a recent WTIN article (subscription required}, we learned about NCKF, a cut & sew factory owned by parent company PFG, located in Nanchong, Sichuan Province in China, which was established with the goal of automating as much as possible, incorporating as many sustainability features as possible and being a disruptive force in the industry. This is an example of a company that could provide a template for others to follow. In the case of NCKF, the facility was built from the ground up, something that not every company can afford to do. But by understanding what they have done, companies can pick and choose the aspects that they can implement, thus contributing to a more sustainable textiles industry.