OUR SUSTAINABILITY PLAN
It’s time to look to the future.
We’re focusing on implementing more ways to be responsible, from the clothes we produce, our suppliers and communities through to our impact on the environment.
We’ve assessed our business and we pledge to make improvements from the beginning, opting for better choices and creating a plan to help us become READY FOR THE FUTURE.
There is always room for improvement, but we’re committed to being more upfront, open and honest on the progress we’re making. We vow to regularly check our ways of working and our choices. We may not always get it correct, but we’re working to make changes every step of the way.
Our next chapter is still in the making.
FOCUS AREA 1:
CLOTHES.MADE SMARTER
Making our clothes in a smarter way - with better materials, more sustainable design and less waste packaging.
FOCUS AREA 2:
SUPPLIERS.ON BETTER TERMS
Doing more for our suppliers - transparent supply chains, improved standards and management and a long-term commitment to those that work in fashion.
FOCUS AREA 3:
OUR BUSINESS. TAKING ACTION
Running our business responsibly - strong governence, a great place to work, tackling climate change, responsible marketing, and a role in communities we can all be proud of.
The READY FOR THE FUTURE strapline and icons will be used on any garment that meets our guidelines.
WASH-WELL GUIDE
REWEAR, REUSE, RECYCLE
REGAIN APP
Washing clothes well helps to extend their life cycle, while also looking after the planet. Our Wash-Well Guide is full of handy pointers to help you reduce the release of fabric fibres and be kinder to Mother Nature.
- WASH LESS - Only wash your clothes when they need it. When most of us are guilty of over-washing, leaving longer between loads will ultimately prolong the life of your items.
- FILL IT UP - Washing a full load results in less friction between the clothes and saves on your electricity bills.
- KEEP IT LOW - Washing at low temperatures, will use less energy and reduce CO2 emissions.
- BIN IT - If you’re giving your dryer a clean, throw lint in the bin to never down drains.
- SPEED IT UP - Long periods of washing can cause more friction between fabrics, so it’s always best to avoid long washing cycles.
- LOOK FOR ECO-LABELS - Some of the chemicals used in washing detergent can have a negative environmental impact, so try and look out for eco-labels when you shop.
- AIR-DRY - Save energy and money by air-drying your clothes when you can.
- Re-wear your clothes and accessorise in different ways, for different seasons. For example, layer summer dresses over roll neck tops in the winter.
- Rework your old product into a new one! E.g. Cut jeans into denim shorts for the summer.
- Swap clothes with your friends when you fancy something new.
- Donate to charity shops when you’re finished with old pieces.
- Always recycle! Download the reGAIN app, bag up your old clothes and leave at a drop off point for collection.
- Show your clothes some love. Wash them less, keep temperatures low and air dry to save money on electricity and prolong the life of your garments.
ReGain is here to make repurposing your old clothes easy. Using ReGain gives unwanted clothes a new lease of life, plus unlocks exclusive discount off your next order.*
Follow these easy steps to use.
- Download and register on the app
- Put unwanted items in a box or bag, print your free shipping label and take to a drop off point
- Your old clothes will be donated to charity and you will receive exclusive discount codes
*Available on the Apple App Store or Google Play. You can send a maximum of 10 items. Codes will be activated after 30 minutes from drop off time.
CLOTHES.MADE SMARTER
- OUR SUSTAINABILITY PLAN
- CLOTHES.MADE SMARTER
We love fashion. Understanding that producing the latest trends has environmental and social factors, so we’re focusing our efforts on the main areas that have the biggest impact when it comes to creating clothes; materials, design, waste and packaging, plus necessary initiatives to help prolong the products you love.
Here’s our commitment to change:
all our polyester and cotton will be recycled or more sustainable
all our clothes will be made with more sustainable materials
We’re already beginning to produce more sustainable products. Our denim collection is crafted from at least 85% organic cotton and our core range of basics, like t-shirts and vest are being produced with organic cotton and recycled polyester.
We are committed to producing more sustainable clothing for you to love now and forever, with more ranges due to land throughout the year and seasons ahead.
Look out for our READY FOR THE FUTURE products across the site, coming soon. Discover more about our READY FOR THE FUTURE pieces in out helpful guidelines.
As well as our products, we’re dedicated to making sure we reduce the rest of our business’s eco impact.
Through trialling alternative materials and using more recycled content, we’re working to make our packaging more sustainable and eco-friendly. Currently, our dispatch bags are made with over 80% recycled material and are recyclable. We’ve also gone paperless with our returns.
Building on the work we’ve done in our own operations, we want to work with our UK supply chain to divert all textile waste from landfill by 2025. We donate over 100,000 samples a year to charities. Plus, we plan to work with our UK suppliers to make sure that direct off-cuts are upcycled, recycled and contribute to future products.
We buy our products in small quantities to help reduce overconsumption and waste. The percentage of stock that doesn’t sell through is, therefore, always low meaning we can sell outstanding items to third parties to be sold as seconds, or give items to charities or our recycling partners.
We endeavour to tackle textile waste by looking at our resale and recycling offers which extends the life of our products. Check out our REWEAR, REUSE, RECYCLE guidelines for easy changes you can make to prolong the life of your garments.
Plus, download the ReGAIN app to donate unwanted clothes you’ve finished with.
To provide you with accurate information about the materials we’re using and their credentials, here’s a handy guide.
More sustainable alternatives
Recycled Fibres
Recycled fibres can be used for a number of materials including polyester, cotton and acylic. They are a more sustainable alternative as they are not using virgin fibres and are often made of materials that would otherwise have gone to waste.
Organic Cotton
Organic cotton is grown using less water, with greater care for the soil and biodiversity, and without chemical fertilisers and pesticides, creating lower environmental impact than conventional cotton. We are also investigating other more sustainable cotton options which we will announce and introduce in 2021.
Responsibly Sourced Viscose
Viscose sourced from responsibly managed forests and using responsible production practices.
Leather, Wool, Feather & Down
We are working towards sourcing our animal derived products from industry best practice. Wool and feather and down certified to high animal welfare standards and leather from tanneries that are working to reduce their environmental impact.
Surplus Textiles
Tackling textile waste is a priority and so we will be looking for ways to use textiles that could otherwise have gone to waste including vintage, surplus and rescued fabrics.
By 2030, we aim for all of our garments to be produced using more sustainable materials plus, by 2025 the goal is for all our most used fabrics (polyester and cotton) to be of recycled origin or more sustainable. In addition, we’re members of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Sustainable Clothing Action Plan and the Microfiber Consortium to help work towards making our products better for the planet.
Any item with at least 20% ‘better materials’ (outlined in the table below), will make up part of our READY FOR THE FUTURE collection, this being the absolute minimum with the majority of our clothes being 50% or more.
To begin with, our threshold is low to support our suppliers who are new to working with sustainable materials, but will be increasing each year towards our targets. A goal that we endeavour to keep you updated on.
SUPPLIERS.ON BETTER TERMS
- OUR SUSTAINABILITY PLAN
- SUPPLIERS.ON BETTER TERMS
It’s important to us that strong relationships are built with suppliers who align with our sustainable targets and core working principles. Our business is growing rapidly and we are dedicated to bringing you the latest trends at great prices. We want to protect our suppliers and those working for us, so we are producing a clear map of our factories and the products they produce championed by a dedicated team in the UK.
Here’s our commitment to change:
we are going to disclose factory lists and purchasing practices
we are going to set up and donate £1million to an independent Garment Workers Trust in Leicester. Providing any work advice and access to grants
we are going to launch a centre of excellence in Leicester, to showcase how products are produced and share best practice within the industry
we are going to map our supply chain to the raw material source for key fibres e.g. cotton fields
OUR BUSINESS.TAKING ACTION
- OUR SUSTAINABILITY PLAN
- OUR BUSINESS.TAKING ACTION
Fashion is at the forefront of everything we do, but we are dedicated to taking responsibility for the impact our business can have.
We are going to play our part in tackling climate change by achieving science based carbon reduction targets, providing excellent jobs, looking after our employees and above all, allowing you to make more sustainable choices.
Here’s our commitment to change:
Aspire to be independently recognised as the best online retailer to work for
Achieve carbon reductions across our value chain aligned with science based targets equivalent to 52% reduction in emissions relative to our growth*
*Achieve a 4.2% absolute reduction in operational emissions each year, and 7% reduction in value chain emissions each year relative to our growth
Sustainability is now part of our business decision-making, contributing to creating a more conscious company while continuing to make a difference in communities both in the UK and beyond. We want you to feel confident and comfortable with the choices you’re making, so look out for READY FOR THE FUTURE products on site to help work towards a more sustainable lifestyle.
We are going to make it easier for our customers to make sustainable choices with us. Look out for our READY FOR THE FUTURE clothes across the site.