SUSTAINABILITY
OUR PHILOSOPHY
Since our founding in 1984, delivering Everyday Luxury to our customers has been at the
heart of what we do. Quality product that endures well beyond one or two seasons is central
to our business model and the right choice for our planet.
Yet we know this is no
longer enough. Environmental and social issues are at a critical turning point. We all have
to come together to do what we can to make a meaningful impact.
As a leader in an
industry we know can make a difference, we have a responsibility to do right by people and
the planet. So we’re working to extend our sustainability programs and accelerate our
progress.
The challenge is that sustainability issues are complicated. It’s not
always clear what the right thing to do is, and far too often we find companies greenwashing
without making any real progress, or making matters worse. We feel that our community
deserves better from us. So we’re doing our best to really understand the issues and share
the facts with you, as transparently as possible, as we continue on this journey.
Our commitment is that we won’t do anything we don’t believe
in.
OUR APPROACH
We have taken an evidence-based approach to sustainability, with a focus on driving long term impact over short term trends. The steps are simple:
- UNDERSTAND our Social and Environmental impact
- IDENTIFY opportunities for improvement both short and long term
- ACTION positive and meaningful change
- BUILD a roadmap for the future
- A materiality assessment of our operations, including supply chain partners.
- A labour and human rights assessment of our global supply chain.
- An Environmental Organizational Lifecycle Assessment (O-LCA) for emissions, water use and waste generation.
THE LATEST
Here are a few of the things we've been working on:
The United Nations Global Compact
In March 2021, Aritzia joined the United Nations (UN)
Global Compact ― an initiative that works to implement universal principles
on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. As a leading
global corporate sustainability resource, the UN Global Compact actively
engages with businesses in cooperation with civil society and
representatives of organized labour. Aritzia’s membership signals our
commitment to these values and provides a platform to enhance our
transparency on actions taken to support their advancement.
Binners’ Project
Binners’ Project is a group of informal recycling
collectors dedicated to social inclusion, economic development and waste
diversion. Since August 2020, we’ve proudly partnered with Binners’ Project
with the goal of increasing our waste diversion rate at our Vancouver
Support Office to keep items out of landfills. We are committed to embedding
responsible practices in everything we do — our work with Binners’ Project
supports our Zero Waste efforts, engages our people on our sustainability
journey and supports positive change in the communities where we
work.
The Super (Re)Puff™
(RE)CYCLED DOWN FILL, (RE)GENERATED NYLON, (RE)ALLY
GOOD ON YOU. MEET THE SUPER (RE)PUFF™, OUR MOST SUSTAINABLE PUFFER
YET.
The Super (Re)Puff™ is the newest member of The
Super Puff™ family. It’s crafted with ECONYL®
— a regenerated nylon made from reclaimed fishing nets, fabric scraps and
post-consumer waste. This puffer is part of Aritzia’s ongoing sustainability
journey and one way of increasing circular production processes across our
product range. Replacing virgin nylon with ECONYL® isn’t the only
sustainable attribute to this puffer; beyond the shell and lining, The Super
(Re)Puff™ is trimmed with recycled materials and filled with
RE:DOWN® — a recycled, regenerated down fill that uses no new
animal-based materials. It’s our most sustainable puffer yet and we’re just
getting started.
CARBON NEUTRAL
As of 2019, Aritzia-managed offices, stores and
distribution centres are carbon neutral. This means that all carbon emitted
through our operations in these spaces is offset with 100% renewable energy
and VSC (Verified Carbon Standard) certified carbon offsets.
In order to achieve carbon neutrality, we’ve taken a dual approach:
In order to achieve carbon neutrality, we’ve taken a dual approach:
- To compensate for the carbon emitted through our use of electricity, we’re purchasing Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) that go towards wind energy projects in Oklahoma and Manitoba.
- To offset the carbon emitted through our use of natural gas, we’re partnering with EcoAct to invest in Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) certified Carbon Offsets.
RESPONSIBLE DOWN
RANKED BY THE TEXTILE EXCHANGE AS AN INDUSTRY LEADER IN
RESPONSIBLE DOWN USE
The Textile Exchange is a global non-profit that works closely with textile industry members to drive transformation through sustainable fibres, integrity standards and responsible supply chains. Aritzia — along with 173 other brands — participated in the Textile Exchange Corporate Fiber & Material Benchmark survey. We provided information on our policies, strategies and performance regarding the use of sustainable raw materials. Our survey results landed us on Textile Exchange leadership boards, ranked amongst the top brands in the industry, for our use of 100% Responsible Down Standard (RDS) certified down.
The Textile Exchange is a global non-profit that works closely with textile industry members to drive transformation through sustainable fibres, integrity standards and responsible supply chains. Aritzia — along with 173 other brands — participated in the Textile Exchange Corporate Fiber & Material Benchmark survey. We provided information on our policies, strategies and performance regarding the use of sustainable raw materials. Our survey results landed us on Textile Exchange leadership boards, ranked amongst the top brands in the industry, for our use of 100% Responsible Down Standard (RDS) certified down.
GLOBAL GARMENT INDUSTRY ACTION
OUR SUPPLIERS ARE IMMENSELY IMPORTANT TO US — WE’VE
PARTNERED WITH THE INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION (ILO) TO PROTECT
WORKER’S RIGHTS, HEALTH AND INCOME.
COVID-19 has had a massive impact on millions of garment workers living in countries dependent on the textile industry. The ILO has issued a global call to action to protect workers’ income, health and employment as well as suppliers’ survival. Already aligned with the principles and actions outlined in the Statement — which includes paying for finished goods, not cancelling any orders already in production, promoting health and safety standards and emphasizing social protection for workers — we formally endorsed it. Together, we’ll continue to progress towards a more sustainable clothing industry.
COVID-19 has had a massive impact on millions of garment workers living in countries dependent on the textile industry. The ILO has issued a global call to action to protect workers’ income, health and employment as well as suppliers’ survival. Already aligned with the principles and actions outlined in the Statement — which includes paying for finished goods, not cancelling any orders already in production, promoting health and safety standards and emphasizing social protection for workers — we formally endorsed it. Together, we’ll continue to progress towards a more sustainable clothing industry.
MORE SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING
PACKAGING IS RESOURCE HEAVY. WE’RE MAKING IT AS
SUSTAINABLE AS POSSIBLE.
Since 2017, we’ve been working to improve our packaging. To date, we’ve eliminated all plastic from our e-Comm packaging, and made it 100% recyclable. And our mailers include up to 70% recycled material. We’ll continue to increase the percentage of packaging made from recycled content and FSC paper. We’ve recently signed Canopy’s Pack4Good Commitment, a pledge to never source from ancient or endangered forest and to make all of our packaging as sustainable as possible by 2022.
Since 2017, we’ve been working to improve our packaging. To date, we’ve eliminated all plastic from our e-Comm packaging, and made it 100% recyclable. And our mailers include up to 70% recycled material. We’ll continue to increase the percentage of packaging made from recycled content and FSC paper. We’ve recently signed Canopy’s Pack4Good Commitment, a pledge to never source from ancient or endangered forest and to make all of our packaging as sustainable as possible by 2022.
DENIM FORUM
DENIM ISN’T GREAT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT — SO WE MADE IT
BETTER.
Denim typically has a significant environmental impact; producing it requires heavy water and chemical use. That’s why we set out to make better denim. We launched Denim Forum in 2018, and from the start it’s been made with organic cotton, environmentally friendly TENCEL™, and a bio-based softener that’s GreenScreen® certified. We work exclusively with an experienced Italian mill committed to sustainability, and we use processes such as e-Flow and laser technologies. As a result, we’ve reduced our water use and we’re using fewer chemicals.
Denim typically has a significant environmental impact; producing it requires heavy water and chemical use. That’s why we set out to make better denim. We launched Denim Forum in 2018, and from the start it’s been made with organic cotton, environmentally friendly TENCEL™, and a bio-based softener that’s GreenScreen® certified. We work exclusively with an experienced Italian mill committed to sustainability, and we use processes such as e-Flow and laser technologies. As a result, we’ve reduced our water use and we’re using fewer chemicals.