Baby and children’s apparel company Carter’s is growing its efforts to incorporate sustainable materials and traceability.
The company, which owns brands including Osh Kosh B’gosh, Skip Hop and sustainable kids wear label Little Planet, has achieved its goal of extending cotton traceability to its fabric mills ahead of schedule, according to its most recent Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) report. Carter’s this week announced that in 2022, 100 percent of its fabric mills were confirmed to use traceable cotton—three years ahead of its original commitment deadline.
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The company’s third CSR summary said it doubled sales on its Little Planet brand of responsibly produced children’s staples during 2022, integrating GOTS-certified organic cotton and BCI cotton as prime inputs. More than 70 percent of Carter’s apparel is certified by Oeko-Tex Standard 100, which means that every component of a garment is tested for harmful substances.
Carter’s chairman and CEO Michael D. Casey said that the company has recently focused on developing product offerings that incorporate more better-for-the-planet materials. “In 2022, we continued to transition to more sustainably grown cotton through the Better Cotton Initiative and introduced Lenzing Ecovero, a sustainable viscose fiber sourced from responsibly managed forests,” he wrote. “We also expanded the scope of our Little Planet product offerings, made largely with organic cotton.” Carter’s plans to expand the availability of sustainable materials across its other brands and product lines in the next few seasons.
Casey said that the children’s wear company has taken into account recent industry surveys that indicate that consumers view product durability as “a leading sustainability attribute.” The company has long designed its products to withstand the wear-and-tear that comes with “the everyday experiences of childhood,” which will help consumers participate in the circular economy.
“Our focus on quality and durability provides consumers with products that can be handed down, donated, or recycled, which benefits the environment by reducing waste and overconsumption,” he added.
The Atlanta company is also working to reduce its Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and reported that it has slashed its operational GHG output by 28 percent from a 2019 baseline. Carter’s has also engaged its value chain in GHG reduction efforts, and to date, suppliers representing 17 percent of its spending on goods and services have set science-based reduction goals.
“In addition to reducing our emissions, we have a goal of reducing the volume of waste generated by our business,” Casey said, noting that the company aims to divert 80 percent of its overall waste from landfills by 2025. Last year, 90 percent of distribution center waste was saved from that fate through reduction strategies and recycling and reuse initiatives. The CEO said a carton reuse program allowed the company to cut 1,300 tons of corrugated cardboard from its operations, resulting in cost savings and helping Carter’s reach 62 percent waste diversion.
Meanwhile, water-use reduction remains a priority at the factory level; since 2019, Carter’s has halved the number of apparel styles that require an additional wash during the manufacturing process. The company said it has developed a new goal surrounding water use in the production process and will report its progress next year.
“As the largest branded marketer in North America of apparel exclusively for babies and young children, Carter’s seeks to inspire the generations raising the future,” senior vice president, general counsel, corporate secretary and chief CSR and social compliance officer Antonio Robinson said. “Focused on our purpose and mission, we continue to make important advancements to further our progress surrounding our ESG objectives.”
Robinson said the annual report aims to “reaffirm our commitment to transparency and demonstrate our progress on our commitments to provide consumers with more sustainable products, reduce our carbon footprint, and uplift our workers and communities.”
