From implementation to influence: Defining the next phase of supplier collaboration

Guest article by Andrew Martin

For much of the past decade, the apparel industry’s sustainability agenda has largely been shaped by brands and global initiatives, with manufacturers primarily responsible for implementation on the factory floor. That model is now being tested, as suppliers begin to organise more actively to shape how sustainability is defined, financed and delivered across the industry. In a recent article published in EcoTextile News, I explored how this shift is beginning to take shape, drawing on conversations with a few industry leaders, including IAF’s own Matthijs Crietee, as well as manufacturer perspectives from Türkiye and Indonesia.

Initiatives such as the Sustainable Terms of Trade Initiative (STTI) and the Apparel and Textile Transformation Initiative (ATTI) — co-created by IAF, with ITMF (for ATTI), and driven by the energy and commitment of key industry leaders such as Miran Ali and Cem Altan — both of whom have played important roles in advancing these initiatives — point to a growing trend: manufacturers organising in a more structured way to influence how sustainability frameworks are designed and implemented.

This is an important development.

Manufacturers sit at the centre of the industry’s social and environmental impacts, yet historically their voice in shaping sustainability frameworks has been relatively fragmented.

Through deeper discussions with manufacturer leaders in Türkiye and Indonesia, such as Cem Altan (CEO, Cenka Tekstil) and Anne Stutanto (Vice-CEO, PT Pan Brothers), a consistent theme emerged: closer coordination among manufacturers can help ensure that the operational realities of production are better reflected in industry discussions.

At the same time, one point came through clearly — sustainability cannot be separated from the economic foundations of the supply chain.

Initiatives such as STTI have played a key role in highlighting how purchasing practices shape the commercial environment in which manufacturers operate. Order predictability, contract terms and pricing structures are not just commercial details — they are fundamental to whether suppliers are able to plan, invest and ultimately deliver on sustainability expectations.

This is particularly relevant in the current context, where rising energy costs and broader economic pressures are placing additional strain on manufacturers, further reinforcing the need for more stable and predictable commercial relationships.

Looking ahead, there is also a growing connection to finance.

As the industry seeks to mobilise capital for decarbonisation, more coordinated articulation of investment priorities — potentially through platforms such as ATTI — could help improve how financial institutions assess risk and opportunity across the sector.

However, this shift will not happen automatically.

The apparel industry remains highly competitive and fragmented, and in the short-term manufacturers will continue to operate within structures largely shaped by buyers. Collective organisation, while important, is still developing.

This is where the opportunity — and the responsibility — for manufacturers becomes clearer.

Engagement, collaboration and a willingness to contribute to shared frameworks will be essential if these platforms are to translate into practical outcomes. As Miran Ali notes, “if supplier-led initiatives are to realise their potential, they will depend on active participation from across the manufacturing community.”

In that sense, the next phase of industry transformation may not only be defined by new initiatives, but by the extent to which manufacturers themselves choose to step forward, engage and help shape the systems in which they operate.

The full article can be accessed here: Manufacturers mobilise to reshape fashion sustainability