Jakarta. As the need to address climate change becomes more urgent, industry players are expected to reduce their carbon emissions and become more sustainable to contribute to safeguarding the planet.

As one of the big players in the textile and fashion industry, Asia Pacific Rayon (APR) has affirmed its commitment to climate action by signing up for the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) recently. APR has pledged to set approved science-based targets aligned with a 1.5°C Pathway and to achieve net zero emissions no later than 2050.

As a signatory to the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action, the sustainable rayon producer stated its commitment to the renewed Fashion Charter launched at COP26 in Glasgow last year. In the same year, the company also launched APR2030 sustainability vision which includes a decarbonization roadmap. In the roadmap, APRIL will work with its upstream value chain partners, as well as leverage their own decarbonization strategies, among others, through the use of renewable and clean energy.

“Setting science-based emission reduction targets is the gold standard for climate action. We fully support the ambition of the Paris Agreement in limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. This commitment highlights our increased strategic focus on decarbonizing our value chain,” said Head of Sustainability Susan Slabbert. 

The SBTi is a partnership between the Carbon Disclosure Program (CDP), the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute (WRI), and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). It aims to drive ambitious climate action in the private sector by enabling them to set science-based emissions reduction targets.

APR recently has also received a CDP rating B for its performance disclosure on climate change and security. The score is derived from APR’s data in 2021. The rating further ramped up APR’s focus on sustainability in boosting the creation of low-carbon, water-efficient, sustainable viscose staple fiber. 

The CDP disclosure scoring has become the gold standard for corporate environmental reporting that is referred to by investors, companies, cities, states, and regions to manage their environmental impact.

This year marks APR’s first full CDP disclosure on climate change and water security. The rating demonstrates the rayon fiber producer’s commitment to tackling global environmental challenges. Under the APR2030 agenda, it has set a goal to halve its water consumption and carbon emissions per product tonne by 2030.

The fashion industry accounts for ten percent of global emissions. At this pace, the fashion industry's greenhouse gas emissions will jump more than 50 percent by 2030, according to The World Bank.

Statista data shows that the global apparel industry is projected to emit 1,155 megatons of carbon dioxide equivalents into the atmosphere in 2022. This is estimated to increase to 1,202 megatons this year.

Slashing the emissions would require bold commitments and actions by stakeholders throughout the value chain. APR’s commitment to climate mitigation sets an example for fellow textile and garment industry players to drop their business-as-usual approach. We only have one planet, and it is time for businesses to adopt sustainable industrial operations.