Rising sea levels a threat to Asia’s apparel sector

Asia’s apparel sector is under threat from rising sea levels, according to a new report.

An analysis by Cornell University claims that large apparel producing areas in Asia will be underwater by 2030. Thousands of garment factories must relocate to higher ground or be submerged in places such as Jakarta and Phnom Penh. It also warns the issue is not receiving enough attention from sustainability drivers.

The analysis utilised information from the open-source factory database, the Open Apparel Registry. Using a map of factory locations, the researchers compared it to data from climate change think tank, Climate Central. The data suggests that these areas will fall in elevation below coastal flood levels once per year by 2030.

OAR data is being used frequently within the apparel industry, and could potentially inform sustainability decisions for brands. The not for profit database works to address industry challenges such as making its data available to all industry stakeholders.

[Source: fashionunited]