Global Sustainability Report 2016Popular search terms:
Sustainable Cotton, Workers, Farmers,
China
C&A China, which began operations in 2007, has 84 stores across 21 cities. Internet shopping is growing fast in China. C&A China launched its online platform on 3 March 2014 with good results. Sales revenue has increased fourfold after only three years. E-commerce represents 15% of our retail business in China, achieving a record 300,000 visitors to our online channel every day.
Sustainable Products
- We have expanded our work on organic cotton to China, where only around 0.2% of cotton produced is currently organic. Working with C&A Foundation and conservation partner Rare, we have created both supply and demand for organic cotton in a market that has been behind the rest of the world.
Read more about organic cotton in China - Man-made cellulosics such as viscose form 10% of the fabric we use and are derived from dissolving wood pulp made from trees. After announcing a global commitment to the Canopy Style Initiative in 2016 and setting up a programme to source only verified fibres in China, we are rolling out the programme globally in 2017.
Read more about our work on man-made cellulosics - To strengthen our supply network and improve our implementation of the Responsible Down Standard (RDS), our down supply chains in China are subject to careful scrutiny. From June 2017, the aim is to find out how much difference the standard makes, how it could be improved, and if and how traceability to parent farms could be secured.
Read more about RDS - China led the way in using recycled polyester in denim in the latter part of 2016. A total of 30,000 garments – a blend of 80% Better Cotton and 20% Global Recycled Standard (GRS)-certified polyester – were sold across the region. Most of the recycled polyester in our products is made of recycled PET bottles.
Read more about circular fashion
Sustainable Supply
- Half of the suppliers we work with in C&A China we share with C&A Europe. 15 of these suppliers provide more than half of our products in China. We have been working to raise the standards across all our suppliers.
- Through our Better Mill Initiative, we’re helping six key suppliers on the Yangtze and Pearl River Deltas to conserve water and energy, improve their chemicals management expertise, cut pollution and reduce waste.
Sustainable Lives
- Our sustainability consumer insights survey ran for the second year and we strengthened our scores in China, making gains against the competition.
- C&A China is using WeChat, a popular instant messaging app, to communicate with all 1,500 employees – including store staff. Through this app, C&A China raised awareness and understanding of the story of Better Cotton and the C&A China Sustainability Commitment.
- Our new employee Code of Ethics was launched.
- To grow consumer demand for organic cotton, C&A China launched its ‘For the Planet’ range of T-shirts in June 2016 to pique interest in its home-grown more sustainable products. Early signs have been good: 89% of shoppers said the campaign gave them a more positive view of C&A [Source: GlobeScan survey].
Read more about organic cotton in China - In 2017, China will join our flagship employee engagement campaign: Inspiring Women.
