WWF AND GANT

During 2021, WWF Sweden and GANT entered a partnership focusing on water stewardship in GANT’s value chain and beyond. In the partnership, WWF and GANT will work to assess water risks in GANT’s supply chain and the river basins it is connected to, and update the company’s water strategy to address these risks. Being a water steward also means engaging in collective action – collaborating with stakeholders in the industry and in key water risk areas.  

About the Partnership 

Water is our most precious resource. We can’t live without it, and nor can vast numbers of species. But we are facing a global water crisis. The textile industry is an important focus area for WWF as raw materials and processing locations are often based in some of the world’s most water stressed and polluted river basins. 

To address this, WWF has developed a best practice company approach for sustainable water management; water stewardship. It focuses on five steps; water awareness, knowledge of impact, internal action, collective action and influence governance. 

During the partnership period, GANT and WWF will go through all these steps, starting with water awareness and knowledge of impact by assessing GANT’s water risk and key impact areas. Based on the findings, GANT’s water strategy will be updated and include both internal and collective action in a selected key water risk basin for GANT. GANT and WWF will also work together to influence water governance locally in selected river basins and influence global policy when relevant.  

GANT will both use and contribute to the development of the WWF Water Risk Filter, an online tool that enable users to explore, assess, and respond to water risks. GANT will regularly assess the water related aspects of their value chain of apparel and textile production including dyeing and washing processes through the Water Risk Filter. The overall water risk indicated by basin and company, for each of their business partners’ facilities, will steer and guide to specific actions to address the challenges. 

Sustainable cotton in India 

Since 2023, GANT is financing a sustainable cotton pilot project in Gujarat, located in the western region of India. A significant part, about 35 percent, of the cotton produced in India originates from this region. Gujarat is also the home to four Ramsar wetlands including the Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary.

The goal of the project is to encourage farmers to adopt sustainable cotton practices that help preserve the health of Nal Sarovar, focusing on pesticides, nutrients and irrigation. The project will also contribute to the development of an integrated wetland management plan for the Nal Sarovar wetland catchment area.

Partnership Progress 

• WWF has introduced GANT to the water stewardship concept. This included creating educational materials with the purpose of raising GANT’s staff general water awareness. Through the development of the material, GANT has contributed to WWFs general learning materials on water, for other companies to use, learn and get inspired from.
• WWF has supported GANT in identifying GANT’s key water risks along its supply chain. Initially, this analysis has focused on first tier textile factories, including factories with wet processing where the biggest water risks could be found. The next step is to cover water and biodiversity risks related to the cultivation of the cotton used in GANT’s garments.
• Based on the assessment, GANT has updated the company’s water targets, taking into account the specific water risks GANT faces along its supply chain, as well as its water strategy.
• GANT has started to analyze the company’s biodiversity risks using the WWF Biodiversity Risk Filter tool.
• GANT has participated in events to share its water and biodiversity work and experience with industry peers.
• GANT has supported WWF’s water stewardship resources internationally.
• Since 2023, GANT finances a sustainable cotton pilot project in India. The goal is to encourage farmers to adopt sustainable cotton practices that help preserve the health of Nal Sarovar, an important bird sanctuary and wetland area, focusing on pesticides, nutrients and irrigation. The project will also contribute to the development of an integrated wetland management plan for the Nal Sarovar wetland catchment area.