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Sustainability has had a pretty rough go of it these last few years. Despite major strides in the right direction, the push for a greener future has been dealt several devastating blows from a fraught supply chain, economic headwinds and political setbacks. Fashion, a notoriously unfriendly industry for the environment, is no exception. Last week, Newsweek released its ranking of America’s Greenest Companies 2026, a list recognizing 450 U.S. companies for their environmental sustainability leadership. The ranking welcomed two new additions from the textile and apparel manufacturing sector—Fruit of the Loom and Steve Madden —but as a whole, the industry saw a nearly 43 percent decrease in representation from last year’s ranking. Only a dozen textile and apparel manufacturing companies were recognized on this year’s list, compared to the more than 20 organizations that were recognized on America’s Greenest Companies 2025. And yet, as tensions remain between fashion and sustainability, certain luxury brands are ascending to the top and cementing their status as the industry’s biggest environmental champions. Tapestry, the parent company of luxury brands Coach and Kate Spade, made its second consecutive appearance on the ranking this year, while also making significant year-over-year gains. Insights from data partner Plant-A reveal that the company improved its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by more than 25 percent, its water usage score by 16 percent and its waste generation score by almost 10 percent. A model is seen wearing a Coach handbag and Coach trench coat. Tapestry, the parent company of Coach and Kate Spade, received the top rank of five stars on Newsweek’s ranking of America’s Greenest Companies 2026. (Courtesy of Tapestry) The fashion holding company also outperformed the industry average for GHG emissions by 47 percent, water usage by 62 percent and waste generation by 36 percent. “Sustainability is woven into our purpose, ‘make every beautiful choice a responsible choice,’” Peter Charles, the chief supply chain officer at Tapestry, told Newsweek. “It’s not an add-on; it’s how we design, source, make, and support the people behind our brands.” Tapestry’s Fabric of Change strategy is made up of four pillars, each aimed at investing in a diverse workforce, biodiversity solutions, product innovations designed to minimize waste and pollution and empowering communities to support the supply chain. As a result of this framework, the company has cut direct and indirect GHG emissions (Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions) by 84 percent from its baseline from Fiscal Year 2021. Internal from Fiscal Year 2024 also shows that Tapestry has achieved 96 percent renewable energy for its global operations and has sourced 99 percent of its leather from certified responsible leather tanneries. “Luxury has the power to lean in on ‘fewer, better’ products that last and circulate—and at Tapestry, our approach prioritizes durability, repair and circularity,” Charles said. Tapestry’s four-pronged approach may make it look easy to address sustainability, but one of the biggest challenges facing the industry is its scale and scope. Of the 100 billion garments produced each year, 92 million tons of textile waste is produced globally. According to the Global Fashion Agenda, that is the equivalent of a garbage truck full of clothing being incinerated or sent to a landfill every second. “On average, it will take these pieces approximately 100 years to decompose,” Karen Pearson, a professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), told Newsweek. “That’s a huge challenge in and of itself.” Scavengers collect used items such as plastic at the Cipeucang landfill in South Tangerang, Banten, on September 2, 2025. Of the 100 billion garments produced each year, 92 million tons of textile waste is produced globally. (Photo by Kristianto Purnomo / AFP) Because the fashion supply chain—which includes design, sourcing, manufacturing, distribution, sales and consumption—is quite expansive on its own, Pearson added that the industry also touches other industries that aren’t typically considered fashion-related, like farming and agriculture, which can be invisible to the consumer. Shoppers might be looking for cotton or linen garments, but when most of us are browsing the racks, we aren’t always thinking about those items as raw materials that need to be spun and woven, or the footprint of those practices. “Making fashion more sustainable starts deep in the supply chain—with the people, places, and materials that bring every product to life,” Charles said. “For Tapestry, that means knowing where things come from and working with our partners who share our commitment to doing better.” Charles said while tracking materials across countries and tiers is no easy feat, Tapestry has successfully mapped out 95 ...
