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Sustainable Products Helping our customers make sustainable choices

We want to bring sustainable fashion to the mainstream. That’s why we strive to make our clothes responsibly and sustainably, and to make sustainability highly visible in our collections. This means we’re always looking to make the best choices we can for our customers, so they don’t have to choose between what’s sustainable and what’s not. We focus on a variety of sustainable and recycled fibre sources, pioneer new circular fashion products, and ensure that the workers in our supply chain are treated with dignity and respect. In 2019, 64% of the clothing offered in our stores was more sustainable and certified or verified to credible third-party standards.[1]

 

 

 

[1] We define more sustainable raw materials as the proportion of raw materials sourced under a third-party certification. This includes, but is not limited to, certified organic cotton (OCS or GOTS), cotton placed as orders sourced under BCI, viscose sourced under the Canopy Style Initiative, certified recycled polyester (GRS, RCS, or equivalent), down sourced under the Responsible Down Standard (RDS), etc. 

In 2019 we made a slight shift in our reconciliation methodology to better reflect our intentions and our efforts to source more Better Cotton. In previous years, we reported the volume of Better Cotton according to the Better Cotton Claim Units (BCCUs) received, not the volume of products we ordered. As a result, our tracking of Better Cotton did not represent our attempts to source more Better Cotton each year. Therefore, the 2019 Better Cotton share per placed orders sourced under BCI was 60%. This is part of our overall 64% more sustainable materials.

 

This year, we made good progress towards our 2020 goals by sourcing 94% of our cotton more sustainably, with significant movement in our uptake of Better Cotton.[1] We have also expanded our Cradle to Cradle CertifiedTM collection and collaborated with our supply chain to produce the world's first Platinum level Cradle to Cradle CertifiedTM denim fabric.

 

 

[1] Note that in 2019 we made a slight shift in our reconciliation methodology to better reflect our intentions and our efforts to source more Better Cotton. In previous years, we reported the volume of Better Cotton according to the Better Cotton Claim Units (BCCUs) received, not the volume of products we ordered. As a result, our tracking of Better Cotton did not represent our attempts to source more Better Cotton each year. Therefore, the 2019 Better Cotton share per placed orders sourced under BCI was 60%. Per BCCUs credited, it was 51%.

Sustainable materials

Circular fashion

Product quality and safety

Our ambition

Offering the most sustainable choices

C&A demonstrates our commitment to sustainable and circular products by providing our customers with a wide variety of choices. Our 2020 goals put us on the right track to achieving this ambition. We strive to:

  • Offer the most sustainable products we can, made with respect for those in our supply chain.
  • Always use credible, peer-reviewed third-party standards to manage the integrity of our claims.
  • Conduct due diligence on the ground.
  • Continue to drive supply and demand for certified organic cotton and Better Cotton.
  • Source sustainable raw materials and use fewer less sustainable raw materials where possible.
  • Always respect animal welfare.
  • Pioneer circular fashion solutions and continue to incorporate circular design principles into our design and production.
  • Collaborate with other leading brands, initiatives, and innovators to drive sustainable and scalable change.

Our 2020 goals for sustainable products

100%

of our cotton will be more sustainable by 2020.

67%

of all our raw materials, such as cotton, viscose and polyester, will be from more sustainable sources by 2020.

Continually increase Cradle to Cradle CertifiedTM products in our retail stores.

Partner with Fashion for Good to support circular innovations in our supply chain.

Our 2019 performance

Towards 100% more sustainable cotton

Cotton is the raw material we use the most worldwide, making up 57% of the materials we use. In 2019, we significantly increased our share of more sustainable cotton by accelerating our uptake and reconciliation of Better Cotton Claim Units (BCCUs). In 2019, the Better Cotton share per placed orders sourced under BCI was 60%. Our certified organic cotton share in 2019 was 34%, due to our continued focus on traceability, connections at the farm level, and placement of organic cotton in our collections. We intend to increase our share of certified organic cotton in the coming years as we strengthen our programme and approach. Note that in 2019 we made a slight shift in our reconciliation methodology to better reflect our intentions and our efforts to source more Better Cotton. In previous years, we reported the volume of Better Cotton according to the Better Cotton Claim Units (BCCUs) received, not the volume of products we ordered. As a result, our tracking of Better Cotton did not represent our attempts to source more Better Cotton each year. Therefore, the 2019 Better Cotton share per placed orders sourced under BCI was 60%. Per BCCUs credited, it was 51%.

Towards more traceable cotton

Another important step forward is the groundbreaking Fashion for Good-initiated Organic Cotton Traceability Pilot in which we participated with C&A Foundation, the Organic Cotton Accelerator (OCA), Bext360, Zalando, PVH Corp., and Kering. This collaborative, pioneering initiative uses new technology to trace organic cotton in textiles through the value chain, which is valuable to ensuring the integrity, quality, and purity of organic cotton — and can be used to make sure it is not blended with conventionally grown cotton at any stage, if so desired.

Because the apparel supply chain is fragmented and complex, it is challenging to trace garments to their origins. The pilot is evaluating blockchain technology to enable traceability. The approach allows for efficient integration of data from multiple sources in the supply chain and the use of machine vision, artificial intelligence, micro-biome sequencing, and on-product unique markers to guarantee integrity and quality.

At the farm, the solution’s digital trail creates transparency by verifying the material and ensuring the fair price brands are paying reach the farmers. The digital trail also simplifies transactions for farmers and enables banks to provide loans. At the consumer level, the technology sheds a light on the suppliers and manufacturers behind a final product, increasing transparency. So far, the pilot has focused on the cotton spinning process. The next step will trace through to dyeing and finishing, and finally to the consumer.

Read more about our work on certified organic cotton

Read more about our work on Better Cotton

100% responsibly sourced down

All of our down continues to be certified against the Responsible Down Standard (RDS).

Read more about our work on responsible down and feathers

Protecting natural resources

Viscose is our third largest fibre by volume and makes up 8% of the raw materials we use. This year we continued to source 100% of our viscose from suppliers that are considered low risk for sourcing from ancient and endangered forests identified in the 2019 CanopyStyle Initiative Hot Button Report,

On a global level, we have taken our commitment to responsible man-made cellulosics even further by committing to the Changing Markets Foundation Roadmap, released in 2018. The roadmap marks an important milestone towards responsible viscose and modal fibre manufacturing and outlines the steps needed to address these challenges.

Read more about our work on man-made cellulosics