ESG reporting has grown significantly over the past decade, but much of it remains inaccessible to the people and communities most affected by climate outcomes. Commitments are published in lengthy sustainability reports, aggregated at a global level, and written primarily for investors and regulators.
Carbon Debt was built to make that information more readable. Publicly available sustainability disclosures, organised so that a researcher, a journalist, a policymaker, or a curious person can see what a brand has said, what it has committed to, and where the public record goes quiet.
The tracker focuses on South Asia because it is one of the most significant manufacturing regions in the global apparel supply chain, and also one of the most climate-vulnerable. The economic and human costs of climate disruption in this region are well documented. What is less visible is how the brands sourcing from these regions have positioned themselves on climate in their public reporting.
We think of this as carbon return on investment, framed differently. When a brand makes a climate commitment, what does that translate to for the countries and communities in its supply chain? Country-level carbon data, flood response, science-based targets, supplier engagement programmes: these are the indicators that connect global ESG language to local climate reality, and the ones most consistently absent from public reporting.
The tracker documents what brands have chosen to disclose and makes that information accessible in one place.
The primary source for brand data is each company's own published materials, including annual reports, sustainability reports, ESG disclosures, and CDP submissions. Where a brand has reported a figure publicly, we reference it. Where they haven't, we note that it isn't in the public record.
Country-level context draws on publicly available data from credible institutions, including World Bank, NDMA Pakistan, Apparel Impact Institute, CDP, Stand.earth, and Clean Clothes Campaign. All sources are cited.
We document what brands have publicly said, not what we believe they are doing behind closed doors. Our tracker reflects the public record as it stands.
When a brand has not disclosed a figure, we mark it "not publicly disclosed." We do not characterise non-disclosure as wrongdoing, only as a gap in the public record.
Where brands and manufacturers have made verifiable commitments or taken concrete steps, those are recorded here with the same rigour as the gaps.
You've found a figure that's out of date or inaccurate. Send us the correct figure and a link to the public source it comes from.
A brand has published new sustainability data, made a new commitment, or issued a climate report we haven't captured yet.
You represent a brand or manufacturer listed here and want to engage with the research, update your entry, or respond to what's recorded.
You're a journalist or researcher working on a related story. We can share methodology, data, and context.
Response time varies but we are always happy to hear from you.