MAKING FASHION A FORCE FOR GOOD
Planet
Do good...
for the planet. That thing about us only having one? It’s true! We love fashion and we want to make sure we are part of the solution. From climate change to sustainable materials and recycling, we’re on a journey to address the impact our business has on the environment.
Commitment 5 : Materials
Enhancing quality through sustainability
We are committed to improving the sustainable credentials of our clothing and accessories - our goal is to make at least 50% of our garments using sustainable materials by 2023. This means building on innovative designs, supporting responsible production practices and improving new and current products to reduce waste. This is a huge area for us that continues to grow.
Our Successes
- Over 1 in 4 of our products are currently sustainably attributed.
- Proudly engaged with The Microfibre 2030 Commitment.
- 40% of our cotton usage is from Responsibly Sourced Cotton.
- 100% of Jeans from Responsibly Sourced Cotton.
- Banned the use of fur, mohair & angora.
Our Targets
- At least 50% of our garments will be sustainably attributed by 2023.
- 100% Responsibly Sourced Cotton by the end of 2023.
- 50% of our synthetics will be from recycled sources by 2024.
- 100% of our viscose will be FSC certified by the end of 2022.
- Work towards a significant reduction in fibre fragmentation from textiles by 2030 with The Microfibre Consortium (TMC).
Our Partners
View our...
Read Less
Commitment 6 : Chemicals
Eliminating the baddies
We are committed to removing all hazardous chemicals from our products and meet the highest industry standard. This means ensuring that our products (including fabrics, dyes, prints, components and trims etc) are manufactured in safe working conditions and that workers are not exposed to any chemicals that are classified as hazardous or harmful, or detrimental to the environment.
Our Successes
- Introduced a Restricted Substance List (RSL) to all suppliers in 2020.
- Annual training provided to suppliers to ensure that standards are maintained.
- This year we collected Higg Facility Environmental Module’s (FEM) from 40% of our Tier 1 Suppliers.
- Became contributing members of the multi-stakeholder organisation Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC).
Our Targets
- Adoption of an MRSL (Manufacturing Restricted Substances List) by our top 50 suppliers by 2023 which will apply to 80% of our products.
- 100% of suppliers to respond to Higg Facility Environmental Module (FEM) by 2023.
View Our..
Read Less
Commitment 7 : Water
Building our stewardship
Water is one of the key natural resources impacted by the fashion industry and it’s a basic human right that everyone should have access to it. We are helping to reduce water consumption at the farm level through our work with BCI farmers and we are harvesting rainwater at our Distribution Centre. But our water programme is still in its infancy with a lot more to do - we aim to have our water stewardship programme in place by 2025.
Our Successes
- Joined ZDHC (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals) to use their Water Stewardship programme.
- Working to reduce water impact of our Denim via the laundry process.
Our Targets
- Reduce water use in our products’ manufacturing process by 50% by 2030
- Integrate a water stewardship and conservation programme by 2023.
Read Less
Commitment 8 : Waste
& Recycling
Saying goodbye to landfill
Waste is such a waste! From April 2022 we are pleased to offer our customers the opportunity to return their old and unwanted clothes to us in-store and online. The Take Back scheme will start in selected stores and for some online customers and then expand to all our stores by the end of the year.
Our Successes
- The launch of our Take Back scheme, rolling out to 25 stores initially, in partnership with Re-Skinned.
- Over 858,660 garments were reused or recycled through Newlife partnership in 2020 saving over 2000 tonnes of CO2.
- Zero Waste to Landfill at our DC - 1223 tonnes of cardboard and 20 tonnes of plastic saved in 2020.
- All of our carrier bags & ecom shipping bags are made from recyclable materials and are recyclable.
- All care labels now produced using recycled plastic and all core swing tickets now produced using FSC board.
- All RFID labels now produced using RPET plastic, meaning they can now be recycled.
- All adult garments hangers produced in a closed loop system using recycled plastic.
- Switched to compostable Gift Cards from plastic cards, saving 3750kgs of PVC plastic and 15,000 kgs of CO2.
Our Targets
- Zero waste to landfill from all UK operations by 2023.
- Zero waste to landfill from our products’ manufacturing process by 2025.
Our Partners
Read Less
Commitment 9 : Climate Change
Net Zero here we come
The signing of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change in 2015 saw an international commitment to limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared with pre-industrialised levels. Aligned to the same goals as the Paris Agreement, River Island has committed to the British Retail Consortium’s Climate Roadmap to net-zero emissions by 2040, along with many of our friends on the high street. We have also signed an agreement with The Carbon Trust to help collate our scopes 1 & 2 footprint and build a roadmap for mapping scope 3 in 2022 along with the setting of Science Based Targets which will be submitted with the SBT initiative for certification by the end of 2022.
Our Successes
- 100% Green Energy in UK operations.
- 10% of UK operations energy generated by our own solar panels at DC and HO.
- LEDs throughout most of the store estate.
- Successfully mapped Scopes 1 & 2 as part of establishing Science Based Targets to achieve Net Zero by 2040.
Our Targets
- 100% renewable energy in all our UK operations (stores, head office and distribution centre) by 2023.
- Map our CO2 emissions and develop Science Based Targets (SBT) to help reduce our footprint by 2023.
- Net-Zero carbon Emissions by end 2040.
Our Partners
Read Less
Do good...
for the planet. That thing about us only having one? It’s true! We love fashion and we want to make sure we are part of the solution. From climate change to sustainable materials and recycling, we’re on a journey to address the impact our business has on the environment.
Commitment 5 : Materials
Enhancing quality through sustainability
We are committed to improving the sustainable credentials of our clothing and accessories - over 1 in 4 of our products are currently sustainably attributed and all of our jeans are made using Responsibly Sourced Cotton, but our goal is to make at least 50% of our garments using sustainable materials by 2023. This means building on innovative designs, supporting responsible production practices and improving new and current products to reduce waste. Our sustainable collections RI One, Nushu and Kind Society are committed to using sustainable materials, leading the way for the rest of our products. This is a huge area for us that continues to grow.
Our Successes
- Over 1 in 4 of our products are currently sustainably attributed.
- Proudly engaged with The Microfibre 2030 Commitment.
- 40% of our cotton usage is from Responsibly Sourced Cotton.
- 100% of Jeans from Responsibly Sourced Cotton.
- Banned the use of fur, mohair & angora.
Our Targets
- At least 50% of our garments will be sustainably attributed by 2023.
- 100% Responsibly Sourced Cotton by the end of 2023.
- 50% of our synthetics will be from recycled sources by 2024.
- 100% of our viscose will be FSC certified by the end of 2022.
- Work towards a significant reduction in fibre fragmentation from textiles by 2030 with The Microfibre Consortium (TMC).
Our Partners
View our...
Read Less
Commitment 6 : Chemicals
Eliminating the baddies
We are committed to removing all hazardous chemicals from our products and meet the highest industry standard. This means ensuring that our products (including fabrics, dyes, prints, components and trims etc) are manufactured in safe working conditions and that workers are not exposed to any chemicals that are classified as hazardous or harmful, or detrimental to the environment.
Our Successes
- Introduced a Restricted Substance List (RSL) to all suppliers in 2020.
- Annual training provided to suppliers to ensure that standards are maintained.
- This year we collected Higg Facility Environmental Module’s (FEM) from 40% of our Tier 1 Suppliers.
- Became contributing members of the multi-stakeholder organisation Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC).
Our Targets
- Adoption of an MRSL (Manufacturing Restricted Substances List) by our top 50 suppliers by 2023 which will apply to 80% of our products.
- 100% of suppliers to respond to Higg Facility Environmental Module (FEM) by 2023.
View Our..
Read Less
Commitment 7 : Water
Building our stewardship
Water is one of the key natural resources impacted by the fashion industry and it’s a basic human right that everyone should have access to it. We are helping to reduce water consumption at the farm level through our work with BCI farmers and we are harvesting rainwater at our Distribution Centre. But our water programme is still in its infancy with a lot more to do - we aim to have our water stewardship programme in place by 2025.
Our Successes
- Joined ZDHC (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals) to use their Water Stewardship programme.
- Working to reduce water impact of our Denim via the laundry process.
Our Targets
- Reduce water use in our products’ manufacturing process by 50% by 2030
- Integrate a water stewardship and conservation programme by 2023.
Read Less
Commitment 8 : Waste
& Recycling
Saying goodbye to landfill
Waste is such a waste! From April 2022 we are pleased to offer our customers the opportunity to return their old and unwanted clothes to us in-store and online. The Take Back scheme will start in selected stores and for some online customers and then expand to all our stores by the end of the year.
Our Successes
- The launch of our Take Back scheme, rolling out to 25 stores initially, in partnership with Re-Skinned.
- Over 858,660 garments were reused or recycled through Newlife partnership in 2020 saving over 2000 tonnes of CO2.
- Zero Waste to Landfill at our DC - 1223 tonnes of cardboard and 20 tonnes of plastic saved in 2020.
- All of our carrier bags & ecom shipping bags are made from recyclable materials and are recyclable.
- All care labels now produced using recycled plastic and all core swing tickets now produced using FSC board.
- All RFID labels now produced using RPET plastic, meaning they can now be recycled.
- All adult garments hangers produced in a closed loop system using recycled plastic.
- Switched to compostable Gift Cards from plastic cards, saving 3750kgs of PVC plastic and 15,000 kgs of CO2.
Our Targets
- Zero waste to landfill from all UK operations by 2023.
- Zero waste to landfill from our products’ manufacturing process by 2025.
Our Partners
Read Less
Commitment 9 : Climate Change
Net Zero here we come
The signing of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change in 2015 saw an international commitment to limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared with pre-industrialised levels. Aligned to the same goals as the Paris Agreement, River Island has committed to the British Retail Consortium’s Climate Roadmap to net-zero emissions by 2040, along with many of our friends on the high street. We have also signed an agreement with The Carbon Trust to help collate our scopes 1 & 2 footprint and build a roadmap for mapping scope 3 in 2022 along with the setting of Science Based Targets which will be submitted with the SBT initiative for certification by the end of 2022.
Our Successes
- 100% Green Energy in UK operations.
- 10% of UK operations energy generated by our own solar panels at DC and HO.
- LEDs throughout most of the store estate.
- Successfully mapped Scopes 1 & 2 as part of establishing Science Based Targets to achieve Net Zero by 2040.
Our Targets
- 100% renewable energy in all our UK operations (stores, head office and distribution centre) by 2023.
- Map our CO2 emissions and develop Science Based Targets (SBT) to help reduce our footprint by 2023.
- Net-Zero carbon Emissions by end 2040.
Our Partners
Read Less