What is Unlock?
Unlock is a non-profit programme dedicated to reducing impact in to hard-to-reach parts of the global fashion supply chain, through robust and credible climate action coupled with innovative financial solutions. We have begun our work with cotton producers in India and the US, and will expand to more regions and more fibres as the programme grows.
The story of Unlock
Unlock was developed by The Fashion Pact and climate consultancy firm 2050, and is now housed with the non-profit Future Earth Lab.
The pilot phase of Unlock was completed during 2023, and the programme is now scaling to full implementation with 20,000 farmers enrolled for 2025 and up to 90,000 farmers to be enrolled within the next few years.
How can Unlock help you?
Unlock can help brands radically reduce their reported scope 3 emissions for cotton without needing to change their sourcing. This is because Unlock Units - the financial mechanism used to support farmers - can also be used to reduce the climate emissions associated with existing cotton sources. But unlike an ‘offset’, these claims are aligned with the reporting requirements of key organisations such as SBTi and CDP, making them a clear choice for sustainability teams.
Partners in the fashion supply chain are able to collectively invest in these climate improvement projects through Unlock in a way that reduces financial and reputational risk, reduces cost, and improves future supply chain security.
25 global fashion brands have already joined the Unlock working group, and were part of the first Unlock Unit issuance providing direct financial support to farmers to help them reduce their impacts
Quantification
We measure climate impacts at the level of each farm and field, as well as calculating benefits for biodiversity, water, soil, climate resilience and farmer livelihoods. We provide all this data back to the farmer - making it easier for them to identify additional improvements
Farmer incentives
We provide early additional incentives to farmers for improved practices and technologies, supporting ultra-low climate impact and regenerative practices that increase with each crop cycle
Validation
We work with the leading global standards to validate climate outcomes and empower credible brand scope 3 reduction and removal claims for cotton in line with SBTi and LSRG requirements
Do I need to have a traceable supply chain?
No, we have designed Unlock to meet brands where they are at with sourcing - and we can support brands to make claims with some basic information about country of origin and fibre quality. If you would like to make other claims or get support with traceability, we also have a range of solutions to help you connect directly to the right farmers within the programme.
I only work with organic farmers - can Unlock work for me?
Unlock is designed as a cross-industry solution, which means we partner with a whole range of programmes, farming collectives and certification schemes to enrol and support farmers. We have organic farmers in the Unlock Programme, alongside a range of other certification schemes and non-certified farmers implementing low impact practices. We can match brands to the right farmers for their specific sustainable sourcing strategies.
What if I’m not a fashion brand?
Those outside of the fashion supply chain can support our farmers through beyond value chain GHG claims.
We are also seeking philanthropic and private finance partnership to scale up the Unlock Programme and the Unlock Finance Stack, a de-risking mechanism to support private sector lending for farm level technology investments repaid using Unlock Units.