- Marjorie van Elven
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Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), the alliance of apparel, footwear
and textile enterprises behind the Higg Index, has decided to spin off its
technology division. A for-profit corporation called Higg Co. has been
launched today to develop the technology behind the sustainability
assessment tools offered by SAC, allowing it to concentrate its efforts on
the multi-stakeholder collaboration.
“SAC’s vision of an industry that produces no unnecessary environmental
harm and has a positive social impact remains as vital as when we started,”
said SAC Interim Executive Director Amina Razvi in a statement. “Spinning
out the technology capability enables both organizations to focus on
accelerating progress towards that vision”.
Higg Co. will be headquartered in San Francisco and led by former SAC
CEO Jason Kibbey. In addition to developing the Higg Index tools, the
company will offer custom technological solutions for specific clients.
SAC owns the majority of Higg Co., but financing is also provided by
investment firms Titan Grove, Buckhill Capital and Sanjeev Bahl of Saiburg
B.V.
SAC was founded in 2009 by Patagonia and Walmart. The group includes
more than 240 apparel, textile and footwear businesses, nonprofits, trade
associations and academic institutions looking to reduce their
environmental impact. The Higg Index tools were released in 2011.
