March to sustainability 2011 predicts supplier consolidation as key focus area cKinetics today announced the launch of its

annual sustainability report for the textile sector, 'March to Sustainability 2011', that highlights sustainability plans of leading brands and retailers for their global textile supply chains. In a global market dotted with increasing regulation and growing consumer preferen ces for sustainable products, the report delves into actions that global textile and apparel majors are taking, and outlines implications for manufacturers glob ally. New Delhi, India, October 04, 2011 -- cKinetics today announced the launch of it s annual sustainability report for the textile sector, 'March to Sustainability 2011', that highlights sustainability plans of leading brands and retailers for their global textile supply chains. In a global market dotted with increasing regulation and growing consumer prefer ences for sustainable products, the report delves into actions that global texti le and apparel majors are taking, and outlines implications for manufacturers gl obally. The report summarizes the key drivers for the increased focus on Sustainability: (a) Brand reputation protection and risk management; (b) Increasing resource (w ater, energy, land) scarcity in the regions of production; (c) Compliance requir ements both at a product level (which is driven mainly by the importing market l ike REACH in the EU) and compliance requirements at a process level (which are d riven by the production region laws); and (d) Consumer pull i.e. increasing cons umer preference in the EU and in North America (which are the largest markets) f or sustainable labels. The global firms profiled include adidas, Nike, C&A, Gap n Lewis, Levi Strauss, Lindex, Mountain Equipment Co-op, gonia, Phillips-Van Heusen, Puma, Recreational Equipment d, Carrefour, IKEA, Marks & Spencer, Tesco, Wal-Mart and Inc., H&M, Inditex, Joh New Balance, Otto, Pata Inc, VF Corp, Timberlan Continental Clothing.

The report provides a detailed insight into the sustainability initiatives under taken by the firms around aspects such as sustainability dimension in their sour cing strategy, sustainable material initiatives, sustainability in manufacturing , sustainability in labor practices, and tracking and compliance. The report also features details on eco-labels, certifications and industry init iatives; as well as outlines niche Sustainable brands. March to Sustainability 2011 also offers a glimpse into the future, outlining ac tions that are going to change the textile industry landscape. The report makes three predictions for the next 12-24 months that will influence suppliers and ma nufacturers: 1. The cotton supply chain will undergo significant changes with a number of ini tiatives towards ethically sourced cotton going mainstream. 2. There will be a unification of reporting and tracking systems across the supp ly chain, leading to increased transparency and lowering of the reporting costs for manufacturers. 3. The industry will witness a consolidation of suppliers and long term contract s will increasingly become the norm. Complete details on the report are available at: http://www.cKinetics.com/MarchT oSustainability2011/ About Us : cKinetics is a sustainability accelerator providing operational consulting and s trategic services for shaping scalable sustainability solutions and low carbon g

rowth practices within industry and communities. The firm has offices in New Del hi, India and Palo Alto, California, United States. This report has been written by cKinetics Market Access and Insight Practice. The firm is also working on suppl in interventions that include mapping, base-lining, risk assessment and inventor ization. Conatct : Sandeep Roy cKinetics New Delhi, India +91.11.4105.1195 MTS2011@ckinetics.com http://www.ckinetics.com/MarchToSustainability2011