Bluesign’s Decade of Impact: For the first time, Bluesign is ready to share a decade of impact data with its clients.
As a sustainability solutions provider, Bluesign has been working with fashion partners for decades to help reduce the use of hazardous chemicals, water, energy and carbon dioxide emissions.
The impact data comes from Bluesign’s deep partner network (including the likes of Adidas, Nike, Everlane, Patagonia, Eileen Fisher and more) spanning 2010 to 2020.
To start, Bluesign’s impact reductions reveal a 5 percent reduction in energy consumption, 12 percent reduction in carbon equivalent emissions, 18 percent reduction in water consumption, 17 percent reduction in chemical consumption and 76 percent adoption increase in Bluesign-approved chemistry.
Related Articles
As voluntary sustainability commitments become shrouded by regulatory changes, the need for proven impact reductions is becoming a clearer need. The pandemic exacerbated that priority, according to Kutay Saritosun, head of marketing and communications at Bluesign.
You May Also Like
Saritosun told WWD that the company saw a significant increase in both the inquiries about joining Bluesign and the number of companies becoming system partners. Through this he maintains that the partnership is for the long term.
“One important aspect to mention is that the Bluesign system partnership is a true partnership where we work with the manufacturers for continuous improvement,” he said. “With verified data through on-site facility reassessments, we are able to see where they have started, regarding environmental impact, and how they have been progressing as they implement a systematic road map through the Bluesign System. So it is not a project, but an ongoing process to reduce impact on people and the planet. Bluesign System as a process is a holistic way of creating a more sustainable product and goes beyond just environmental measurements; the system works with strict criteria the manufacturers are required to meet for worker health and safety, as well as consumer safety.”
C&A Eyes Recycled Cotton: In another stride, European multinational retailer C&A is next to form alliances with material sciences, announcing a four-year partnership with Recover (a recycled cotton maker).
The partnership will materialize this spring, with a collection made with Recover fibers set to hit stores in April under C&A’s Clockhouse ungendered range for teens.
“More sustainable fashion must not be a niche product,” Aleix Busquets Gonzalez, director of global sustainability at C&A, said in a statement. “Our collaboration with Recover is a milestone on our way toward a more sustainable future characterized by quality fashion available at affordable prices.”
Along with the collection, C&A will help fund technology for optimized spinners and weavers and promote the development of a “strong and scalable” circularity ecosystem in Europe. Recover fiber is made through a proprietary process of mechanical recycling that strips down cotton feedstock and shreds textiles back into maximum quality fiber. The business has a 70 year-old textile history starting with its first mill near Alicante, Spain.
C&A has been investing in innovation for some time.
The Laudes Foundation (formerly C&A Foundation) helps finance the Fashion for Good accelerator, which identifies start-ups driving innovation in sustainability, circularity and transparency. In more news on Tuesday, Fashion for Good announced the launch of its “Untapped Agricultural Waste Project” to validate and scale technologies that can successfully transform agricultural waste into sustainable textile fibers.
C&A is also a participant in Global Fashion Agenda’s “Circular Fashion Partnership” announced last year and underway in Bangladesh.
Brands have been striking fiber deals over the past several months as availability and capacity for sustainable fibers narrows.
“In alignment with our act-as-one philosophy, we are delighted to bring Recover’s expertise and tech support to our partnership with C&A through the integration of our fiber within their supply chain,” said Alejandro Raña, chief business development officer at Recover. “By combining a long-term commitment with high production volumes, we are ensuring a real lasting impact on the industry.”