This report responds to the request made at the 4th United Nations Environment Assembly, in its resolution on ‘Innovative pathways to achieve sustainable consumption and production’, operative paragraph 12 (UNEP/EA.4/Res.1). It is the report of the task group composed of the One Planet network and the International Resource Panel. The task group aims to catalyse science-based policy action on sustainable consumption and production, thereby creating the conditions to provide actionable insights on the management of natural resources in relation to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The value-chain approach anchors natural resource use and environmental impacts within the socio-economic
reality of production and consumption, and uncovers actionable insights on how the management of resources is connected with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Critically, the approach goes beyond an understanding of where along the value chain resource use and environmental impacts occur. By applying a systems lens, the value-chain approach identifies the drivers and barriers that cause the value chains of different sectors to operate as they do, taking into account the complex drivers and feedback loops that determine and influence the operations and behaviours of actors along the value chain. By engaging all actors along the value chain, the value-chain approach identifies the most promising solutions and defines a common agenda for concerted actions that can transform the system.
In this way, the value-chain approach identifies where the greatest opportunities for improvement occur and shapes
corresponding actions by building on existing knowledge and available data.

The global textile industry has experienced increased consumption, manufacture and use of textile products, affecting the global climate, the quality of ecosystems and human health. Currently, more than 300 million employees work along the textile value chain and according to one source the sector accounts for approximately 8% of world’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. There is reason for hope since several promising initiatives have been observed to be happening across the sector (coupled with increasing consumer sustainability awareness), from industry, governments and organizations/institutions that promote this change towards increased sustainability & circularity. This is further triggered by the global COVID-19 outbreak, highlighting the urgency but also opportunities to transition from textile industry’s current linear model to a more sustainable, socially inclusive, and circular model.