OshKosh B’Gosh, the 130-year-old children’s denim brand, is embracing sustainable technology.
Last week, Carter’s Inc, the American heritage company behind Carter’s, OshKosh B’gosh, Little Planet, and Skip Hop brands released its 2024 Impact Report, offering key insights into its sustainable initiatives and progress.
The company’s “Raise the Future” sustainability strategy includes commitments to provide more sustainable product offerings, reduce the company’s carbon footprint, and support workers and communities. Developing apparel made from more sustainable materials, setting company-wide climate targets verified by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), and enhancing traceability and social compliance programs are central to this strategy.
Related Stories
Ozone washing is helping OskKosh reduce its water usage. In late 2024, the company introduced ozone washing technology for the iconic denim brand’s “World’s Best Overalls.” The company said it plans to implement the technology across denim production for playwear products and Little Planet in 2025. “This innovative wash approach marks a significant shift from conventional washing methods,” Carter’s Inc. stated in the report.
To track progress and gain visibility into washing processes, the company has implemented Jeanologia’s Environmental Impact Measuring (EIM) software. “We expect EIM to complement our goal to utilize the Higg Index and further reduce water usage in the manufacturing and washing of our products in 2025 and beyond,” Carter’s stated in the report.
The company’s efforts to reduce water usage extend beyond denim. Though the number of styles needing additional garment washing increased slightly from 2023 to 2024, the company reports that it has reduced this number by 59 percent since 2019.
Sustainably sourced cotton continues to be a challenge for the Atlanta-based children’s apparel stalwart.
Cotton is Carter’s Inc.’s primary fiber, accounting for 70 percent of the company’s fabrics in FY 2024. However, its use of sustainably sourced cotton (Better Cotton and certified organic cotton) declined to 28 percent. In 2023, the company reported that more than 40 percent of Carter’s cotton was from either sustainable or recycled fibers.
Carter’s said the decline was largely due to the “lag time” in the transfer of Better Cotton credits from its suppliers and an updated accounting methodology. The firm pointed out that the process is expected to be more consistent and accurate going forward as it works toward achieving 100 percent sustainably sourced cotton by 2030.
During FY 2024, approximately 75 percent of the company’s products were sourced from Vietnam, Cambodia, Bangladesh and India. Roughly 81 percent of the cotton fiber used in production was sourced from the U.S., Brazil, India and Australia.
Expansion into new markets and dedicated collections are driving sales of sustainable apparel. The company, which reported $2.8 billion in sales for FY 2024, said sustainable products accounted for 4 percent of its overall sales.
Traceability is gaining importance across Carter’s Inc., particularly as the E.U.’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) includes a key requirement for Digital Product Passports (DPP) with product sustainability information. The company said the implementation of the DPP presents an opportunity “to streamline our documentation process and enhance transparency.”
To prepare for DPP, the company is providing suppliers with technical guidance and clear communication during manufacturing transitions, improving documentation systems including access to reports and chemical management verification, and relying on third-party safety certifications.
Chemical management and reporting play an important role in this process. The company is working toward the goal of 80 percent of its supply chain follows ZDHC MRSL (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals Manufacturing Restricted Substances List) standards by 2025. Progress is being made—80 percent of fabric yards from Tier 2 suppliers and 73 percent of the firm’s wash and laundry facilities engage with ZDHC MRSL—but Carter’s said supplier location changes have caused minor fluctuations in adoption rates.
The report describes how Carter’s Inc. collaborates with supply chain partners to reduce the risk of forced labor in raw materials sourcing and production and other regulations by requiring documentation showing material origin providing training and education to suppliers and validating material tracing capabilities through mock audits.
In 2024, Carter’s Inc. completed in-person training with a new online traceability course that is mandatory for all Tier 2 suppliers. The company also implemented the Labor Line worker helpline program across 35 facilities.
The company said it terminated relationships with four Tier 1 suppliers and one Tier 2 supplier due to their inability to demonstrate improvement.
