Clothing makes the man or woman, but mankind makes the clothing. The Textile Exchange’s Material Change Index (MCI) has been tracking industry changes and their impacts since it was launched in partnership with GreenBiz in 2019. The MCI is the largest business-to-business comparison initiative tracking progress toward more sustainable material sourcing for apparel, footwear and home textiles. It also monitors alignment with global efforts such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the transition to a circular economy. With a goal to accelerate action, 2019 was established as a baseline year from which to track the related efforts and progress of leading corporations.

The MCI is part of Textile Exchange’s Corporate Fiber & Materials Benchmark program, enabling companies to measure, manage and integrate a strategy for using preferred fiber and materials in their operations. With a goal of 45 percent reduced CO2 emissions from textile fiber and material production by 2030, Textile Exchange is pushing for urgent climate action. This year, they are launching an insights report, leaderboard and dashboard to provide a comprehensive analysis of the state of the industry and determine ways to work with the data.