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There is no doubt that the textile (and fashion) industry is important for the economy; however, taking into account the concept of sustainability, this industry many times—actually most times—operates to the detriment of environmental and social factors. John R. Ehrenfeld defines sustainability as “the possibility that humans and other life will flourish on the earth forever” (Ehrenfeld and Hoffman 2013, p. 7). This notion of sustainability is not only a concern for people and the environment, but also for animals. Besides environmental and social issues, more than 50 million animals suffer cruel death each year to benefit the fashion industry (Born Free USA 2014). The purpose of this chapter is to make a contribution to the animal care agenda in the textile and fashion industry by presenting the United Nations Global Compact Code of Conduct for the Textile and Fashion Industry and Ovis 21 case—a company from the Argentine Patagonia, that is a B Corp and Savory Institute Hub company, but a company in which People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) discovered cruelty to animals in one of their establishments. This also puts forward the reactions of two of its most important clients, the media and consumers. This chapter closes with an analysis and some conclusions about the topic and Ovis 21 case.

The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) is an industry-wide group of more than 100 leading apparel and footwear brands, retailers, suppliers, nonprofits, and nongovernmental organizations working to reduce the environmental and social impacts of apparel and footwear products around the world. The SAC Higg Index 2.0 is primarily an indicator-based tool for apparel that enables companies to evaluate material types, products, facilities, and processes based on a range of environmental and product design choices. The United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) is a strategic policy initiative for businesses that are committed to aligning their operations and strategies with 10 universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment, and anti-corruption. The first “sectorial” initiative of the UNGC is the Code of Conduct and Manual for the Fashion and Textile Industry, which is totally aligned with the Global Compact principles. This chapter introduces SAC Higg Index 2.0 and the UNGC Code of Conduct, in addition to describing their principles or constituent tools. The chapter also analyzes the differences between both initiatives, putting forward some thoughts based on the impacts of the fashion and textile sector. However, because every company is unique, this work is not intended to prescribe the only way to develop sustainable strategies in the textile and fashion sectors.