RIS321186 Fast Fashion, snel eruit! bijlage 6

Uniqlo’s parent group Fast Retailing communicated that its use of synthetics has Fast Retailing Co

Did not disclose, not available on website.

Did not disclose, not available on website.

remained at “similar levels” over the last three years and it does not “foresee any need” to increase this volume in the future.

VF Corporation

Did not engage, not available on website.

Did not engage, not available on website.

Did not disclose, not available on website.

Walmart

Did not engage, not available on website.

Did not engage, not available on website.

Did not engage, not available on website.

Did not disclose, not available on website.

Did not disclose, not available on website.

(group level only)**

Did not disclose, not available on website. However, parent group Kontoor Brands commuKontoor Brands

nicated that it is currently working to build out its data infrastructure to report absolute numbers of material content. Its Sustainability Report: 2019 similarly says it plans to report on its materials goal as it develops its tracking systems.

Synthetics Anonymous: Fashion Brands’ addiction to fossil fuels | Annexes

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Where do brands stand on their commitments to recycled synthetics?

YES

DIDN‘T ENGAGE

SEE PARENT GROUP

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* Changing Markets does not consider an email response without answers as engagement. ** Parent groups VF Corporation, PVH Corporation and Kering are included for references purposes only, because they replied on behlf of their brands or policies are set at the group level. Only their

DIDN‘T DISCLOSE

NO

individual brands, such as Gucci, Calvin Klein or Timberland, are counted among the 46 brands contacted for analysis purposes.

RECYCLED SYNTHETICS BRAND/RETAILER

ENGAGED 2021

POLICY/GOAL

Adidas has a goal on its website to replace all virgin polyester with recycled polyester “where a solution exists” in all Adidas and Reebok products by 2024. It communicated that it sets clear internal milestones for product creation teams and has already seen progress in recent seasons.

(from Balenciaga but largely same as Kering)

% OF RECYCLED SYNTHETICS

71% polyester in apparel and footwear ranges was recycled polyester in 2020, Adidas communicated (not public). Its website says this was 50% for apparel and footwear in 2019 and almost 2/3 for apparel in spring/summer season 2020.

% OF CLOTHING RECYCLED TO NEW CLOTHING

FEEDSTOCK AND PRODUCTION METHOD

INVESTMENT IN FIBRE-TO-FIBRE RECYCLING TECHNOLOGIES

Did not disclose.

Adidas communicated that PET bottles are the predominant feedstock for recycled polyester and it tracks third party certificates confirming the source of recycled material. It also uses Parley Ocean Plastic (from marine plastic campaign group Parley for the Oceans) as an “eco-innovative replacement” for virgin plastic across “key categories” and in an own label launched in 2020, it said. Adidas produced 11 million pairs of shoes with Parley Ocean Plastic in 2019 and was planning for around 15 million in 2020, the Parley website says. Adidas did not disclose its production method.

Adidas communicated that it has fibre-to-fibre recycling technology pilot projects. Its website says it is working on making products easy to recycle with the goal of completely eliminating waste. In 2019 it trailed its Futurecraft Loop/ Made to be Remade, running shoes made from a single material fused together without glue, recycled to components for new shoes. In 2020, it gave out 1,500 pairs of its UltraBOOST DNA LOOP as a second pilot. The market launch for successor in larger volumes is planned for spring 2021, and Adidas considers this the “first steps toward creating a closed-loop product”.

Asda said it does not currently recycle any of its own clothing into new clothing, but is exploring this with its recycling partners. It hopes the launch of the new George Take back scheme will help facilitate this further.

Asda communicated that 12% (of total 16.5% recycled synthetics) is made from PET bottles, 3% from pre consumer fabric waste and 1.5% from fishing nets. Overall, this is a mix of post and pre-consumer waste, it said, and it outlined the mechanical method it uses to develop these fibres. Asda’s website does not give these figures but mentions that recycled content is generally made of PET bottles.

Communicated that it is currently working with a number of partners to explore fibre-to-fibre technologies and is in the process of becoming a signatory of WRAP’s Textile 2030 initiative to support this.

Did not disclose.

ASICS communicated that most of its recycled polyesters are made from PET bottles using mechanical recycling, but that it also uses some made from textile waste and pre-owned clothing which uses chemical recycling, and it is trying to do use more of this.

ASICS communicated that it has invested in fibre-to-fibre recycling technologies and is a “pioneer member” of Worn Again Technologies, which is developing a way to convert polyester and polycotton blended textiles and PET plastic into circular raw materials.

ASOS communicated that it does not currently invest in fibre-to-fibre recycling technologies, but that this forms part of its long term roadmap and it will be reviewing where investment will be best placed.

See parent group Kering.

Asda has a commitment on its website that all polyester will have a minimum of 30% (post consumer) recycled content by 2025. Its (non public) polyester sourcing policy says that its suppliers should be working towards 100% recycled fibres in their products “where appropriate”.

17% of overall textiles are made from recycled synthetics over year to April 2021, it said.

ASICS has a public goal, set out in its Sustainability Report 2019, to replace all polyester materials in shoe uppers and sportswear products with 100% recycled polyester by 2030. The report says it developed a recycled polyester roadmap for each product category in 2019, meaning more items will be manufactured using recycled polyester from 2020. It communicated that it is “actively increasing” the use of recycled polyester for all its products.

Over 95% of ASICS new running shoe items use recycled polyester, it said. It did not say whether these items also contain virgin polyester, and did not disclose an overall percentage of recycled synthetics.

ASOS aims to increase uptake of recycled materials and reduce use of materials that cannot be recycled, as set out in its Exploring Circular Business Models Wrap-Up Report. It said it will track progress on this aim annually, but did not mention a numerical goal. It has an ambition to source as many “more sustainable” fibres as it can and is working to increase its recycled synthetics “significantly” in the future, it said.

2% of textiles are made from recycled synthetics , composed of 1% recycled polyester and <1% recycled nylon, ASOS communicated. In 2020, 3% of polyester was recycled, down from 5% in 2019, with the decrease due to changing availability in the market and new departments included in 2020 reporting, it said. In 2020, 19% of nylon was recycled, up from 7% in 2019 (information not public).

Did not disclose.

ASOS said it uses pre and post-consumer waste as feedstock, including pre consumer waste at mill level, fabric offcuts from facility level, PET bottles and fishing nets through branded fibres such as Econyl. It did not disclose its production method.

See parent group Kering.

See parent group Kering.

See parent group Kering.

See parent group Kering.

Synthetics Anonymous: Fashion Brands’ addiction to fossil fuels | Annexes

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RECYCLED SYNTHETICS BRAND/RETAILER

ENGAGED 2021

(from Bottega Veneta but

POLICY/GOAL

% OF RECYCLED SYNTHETICS

Bonprix has a goal on its website to source 70% “sustainable fibres” in all textile collections by 2025. Its definition of sustainable fibres includes recycled fibres such as recycled polyester. Its website says it uses REPREVE and ECONYL, and it communicated that it also uses Reborn and recycled fibres certified through the supply chain.

0.8% of polyester and 0.8% of polyamide were recycled in 2020, Bonprix communicated.

See parent group Kering.

See parent group Kering.

Burberry has a commitment to source 100% certified recycled nylon and recycled polyester, where it is the main material, by 2025, it said. Its website does not inlude this goal but will be made public later this year, it said. No policy on synthetics on website. In 2020, it launched the ReBurberry edit collection of products made from “sustainable materials” such as recycled nylon and polyester materials.

Did not disclose but said it uses recycled synthetics in “a number of products”.

% OF CLOTHING RECYCLED TO NEW CLOTHING

FEEDSTOCK AND PRODUCTION METHOD

INVESTMENT IN FIBRE-TO-FIBRE RECYCLING TECHNOLOGIES

Did not disclose.

Bonprix communicated that it uses recycled PET bottles for recycled polyester, and pre-consumer production waste or fishing nets/old carpets for recycled polyamide. It said it could not say the exact percentages of each feedstock. The production methods are mechanical, such as for recycled polyester from REPREVE, and chemical, such as for recycled polyamide from Econyl, it said.

Bonprix communicated that it invests in fibre-to-fibre recycling technologies within its partnership with Fashion for Good.

See parent group Kering.

See parent group Kering.

See parent group Kering.

Did not disclose.

Burberry communicated that PET bottles and fishing nets are its main feedstocks for recycled synthetics. It uses both chemically and mechanically recycled nylon and polyester, it said.

Burberry communicated that it is assessing different materials and working closely with recyclers to advance fibre-to-fibre recycling.

C&A said it is working with Fashion For Good (FFG) to identify new sustainable innovators of fibre-to-fibre recycling of polyester garments via its participation in a FFG rPET recycling project,and participating in FFG’s chemical recycling working group, which is identifying innovators for chemical recycling of post-consumer waste.

largely same as Kering)

C&A communicated that its upcoming sustainability strategy will have a “renewed focus” on converting virgin polyester and nylon to their recycled equivalents. Its Sustainability Report 2019 sets out a goal for 67% of all raw materials, such as cotton, viscose and polyester, to come from “more sustainable sources” by 2020. The report defines “more sustainable raw materials” as the proportion of raw materials sourced under a third-party certification.

Did not disclose, but communicated that it currently uses recycled acrylic, polyester and nylon.

Did not disclose.

C&A’s recycled polyester is made mostly from PET bottles and its recycled nylon is made with ocean waste, fishing nets and post industrial waste, it communicated. It did not disclose its production method.

See parent group PVH Corp

See parent group PVH Corp

See parent group PVH Corp

See parent group PVH Corp

See parent group PVH Corp

Dressmann communicated that it is not investing in fibre-to-fibre recycling technology.

Esprit communicated that fibre-to-fibre recycling is “definitely something we want to look into”, but added that “from a financial aspect this is not something applicable for the near future”.

(PVH only) Dressmann communicated that it has a policy of using “100% preferred synthetic” in 2025. This aligns with parent group Varner’s Sustainability Report 2020 which outlines a goal to use “100% preferred fibres” by the end of 2025 and says that 65% was achieved in 2020. This report says that Varner’s definition of preferred fibres is guided by the lead of Textile Exchange, third-party verified lifecycle assessment (LCA) data and the Sustainable Apparel Coalition’s Material Sustainability Index.

7% of synthetic fibres were recycled in 2020, Dressmann communicated, all of which was recycled polyester. This figure is not on its website.

0% of clothing is recycled into new clothing, Dressmann communicated.

Dressmann said it uses mainly PET bottles as feedstock, made up of 10% branded Repreve fibres and 90% non-branded fibres. Its website notes these two sources alongside old fishing nets, rugs and other consumer or industrial waste products for recycled polyamide and its use of ECONYL. Its website mentions both mechanical and chemical recycling.

Esprit has a target for 100% sustainable apparel by 2023, set out in its Sustainability Report 2020. It communicated this goal means that all synthetic fibres must come from recycled or biobased feedstock. The report also has goals for 30% of its synthetic fibres to be “more sustainable” and 100% of its synthetic down to be made from recycled or bio degradable materials by July 2021.

33% of synthetic fibres were recycled in July-December 2020, made up of 30% recycled polyester and 3% recycled polyamide, according Esprit’s 2020 Annual Report. The figures provided for polyester and recycled polyester indicate that 46% of polyester comes from recycled sources.

Did not disclose, saying it does not have this data as it can’t track the garments once they are sold.

Esprit said it uses old PET bottles for polyester and old carpets/old textile fibre sand fishnet for polyamide. It uses mechanical recycling, it added.

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RECYCLED SYNTHETICS BRAND/RETAILER

ENGAGED 2021

POLICY/GOAL

G-Star RAW has a goal for 75% of its collection to be made with recycled and/or organic, bio-based or compostable materials by 2025, moving to 100% by 2030. These goals will soon be published on its new sustainability website, it communicated. It also aims to use Cradle to Cradle Certified fabrics in 20% of its collection by 2025.

*

(from Gucci but largely same as Kering)

Gap does not have a public goal to increase the amount of recycled synthetics. It communicated that it is “working diligently” to improve the global marketplace for synthetic performance fibres, including investigations into bio-based and biodegradable alternatives. Its website says it has been increasing its use of recycled polyester and nylon where possible. Gap brand Athleta, which uses large amounts of synthetics, had a goal to make 80% of materials made with sustainable fibres by 2020, according to GAP’s 2019 Global Sustainability Report.

% OF RECYCLED SYNTHETICS 91% of polyester is recycled; 0.3% of nylon is recycled nylon and 53% of elastane are “sustainable types” of elastane, based on figures it provided. G-Star’s website says 93% of all its materials are currently “sustainably sourced”. It includes recycled polyester, recycled nylon, sustainable types of elastanes (ROICA™ V550, ROICA™ EF, Lycra® 166L, Lycra®T400® EcoMade) in this term, as well as other non-synthetic materials.

% OF CLOTHING RECYCLED TO NEW CLOTHING

Did not disclose.

FEEDSTOCK AND PRODUCTION METHOD

INVESTMENT IN FIBRE-TO-FIBRE RECYCLING TECHNOLOGIES

G-Star communicated that its feedstock is primarily PET bottles and it uses mechanical recycling.

G-Star communicated that it is looking to upcycling post-consumer waste into new G-Star garments and is currently in the research phase of this.

0.5% of nylon and 0.7% of polyester came from recycled material in 2019, according to GAP’s 2019 Global Sustainability Report.

Did not disclose.

Did not disclose feedstock or production method.

Gap’s website says it is collaborating with the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA) and its supplier Artistic Milliners to make a process to separate spandex from other fibres in used garments, in order to increase its recycling opportunities.

Did not engage. Gildan does not have a public goal to increase the use of recycled fibres. Its website says it uses the recycled fibre Repreve in a number of its brands and indicates it uses recycled polyester from plastic bottles.

Did not engage, does not disclose on website.

Did not engage. Gildan’s website says that 100% of its textile clippings from its cutting and sewing operations are recycled, and that it recycles process waste from some products into partial inputs for other products.

Did not engage. Gildan’s website says it uses Repreve (which comes from PET bottles) and that it recycles all textile clippings. It does not disclose a production method.

Did not engage, no mention on website.

Gucci communicated that it is replacing virgin fossil fuel plastics and synthetic textiles with more sustainable alternatives in its products, packaging and visual merchandising. Its Gucci Off The Grid collection, launched in June 2020, uses recycled, organic, bio-based and sustainably sourced materials, including ECONYL and recycled polyester thread and linings. See also parent group Kering.

See parent group Kering.

See parent group Kering.

Gucci specified that it uses ECONYL, a regenerated nylon made using fishing nets and carpets. See also parent group Kering.

See parent group Kering.

>16% in 2020, up from 1% in 2018, H&M communicated. Around 21% of polyester is recycled polyester, it added, while around 3% of polyamide is recycled polyamide. H&M’s Sustainability Performance Report 2020, notes that recycled materials overall doubled to 5.8% in 2020, but does not give breakdown for recycled synthetics.

~10% of recycled polyester is made from pre- and post-consumer recycled textile waste, H&M said. 35-45% of the 18,800 tonnes garments it collected in 2020 were recycled to products for other industries or into new fibres, but it does not specify the individual percentage made to new fibres. Its Sustainability Performance Report 2020 outlines its use of Renu polyester, a recycled polyester fibre made from textile waste. It plans to increase the use of fibre-to-fibre recycled polyester in H&M Group brands, it said.

H&M communicated that its recycled polyester is made from around 90% certified post-consumer PET bottles and 10% pre- and post-consumer recycled textile waste. Around 99% of recycled polyamide came from pre-consumer sources, largely in-house wasted yarn, H&M said, with a smaller share came from fishing nets, fabric scraps and carpet floorings. It uses both mechanical and chemical recycling, it said.

H&M communicated that it has been investing in the development and commercialisation of technologies for fibre-to-fibre recycling for several years, including investments in Worn Again technologies and Ambercycle. In 2020, H&M brand Monki launched a collection using the Green Machine system, using a hydrothermal method to separate cotton and polyester blends, it said. H&M’s new RENU recycled polyester fibre is made from chemically recycled textile waste. It has an in-store ‘Looop’ garment-to-garment recycling system in one shop in Sweden. In a partnership with Textile Genesis it is working on scaled pilots, focusing on recycled polyester as a start, it said.

H&M has a public commitment to use 30% recycled materials by 2025 and only 100% recycled or other “sustainably-sourced” materials by 2030. It has so far reached, 64.5%, its Sustainability Performance Report 2020 says. H&M communicated that synthetics fabrics will play a big role in helping it reach this recycled goal, adding that it has reduced its dependency on conventional synthetic fibres over the past years and has “aggressive plans” to further reduce this.

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RECYCLED SYNTHETICS BRAND/RETAILER

ENGAGED 2021

POLICY/GOAL

Hugo Boss has a public goal to use at least 50% recycled materials in synthetic fibres by 2025. Its website says it avoids synthetic fibres wherever possible and is always looking for sustainable materials to replace synthetics. Hugo Boss communicated that it has implemented various measures to keep synthetic fibres as low as possible.

Inditex has a public commitment to ensuring 100% of the cotton, polyester and linen used in its products is recycled or comes from “more sustainable sources” by 2025. Specifically on polyester, its aims to “ensure a supply of rPET that is aligned” with this 100% target, its website says. Inditex communicated that this means it will not use virgin polyester in 2025, instead using recycled polyester and/or polyester that has a life cycle analysis showing a significant low environmental impact, such as polyester coming from mono-ethylene glycol manufactured from waste.

(group level only)

Kering has a public commitment to align 100% of raw materials with its Kering Standards by 2025, with current alignment reported as 74%. Suppliers must already meet minimum requirements on these standards, and are required to meet more demanding requirements by 2025, it said. These standards do not set out clear goals for an increase recycled content. The Standard for Synthetics requires suppliers to “prioritise the use” of recycled content and bio-based materials, “preferably source” certified synthetics and “address” the end-of-life for synthetic fibre. The Standard for Textile Processing focuses on minimising hazardous chemicals in production and wastewater. Kering said that it is “aware that synthetic feedstocks and chemicals used to turn those feedstocks into fabrics must be addressed to improve the total sustainability of its synthetic fabrics”.

% OF RECYCLED SYNTHETICS

10% of synthetic fibres come from recycled sources, Hugo Boss communicated.

Inditex communicated that it used 9,594 tonnes of recycled polyester in 2020. Based on the figure it disclosed for total polyester use, this means it uses 8.6% recycled polyester. Inditex added that 21.3% of its total raw material consumption came from “more sustainable” raw materials in 2020.

Did not disclose, but communicated that the percentage has doubled in the last three years at the group level.

% OF CLOTHING RECYCLED TO NEW CLOTHING

Did not disclose.

FEEDSTOCK AND PRODUCTION METHOD

Hugo Boss gave PET bottles for polyester fibre as an example of one of its feedstocks. It also made a collection from recycled polyester in cooperation with Plastic Bank (which uses “ocean bound plastic waste”), it said. It did not disclose further recycled inputs or production methods.

Inditex communicated that it uses mainly PET bottles for recycled polyester but is doing some testing with textiles. For recycled polyamide, it uses mainly Did not disclose.

Did not disclose.

pre-consumer waste from the textile industry it said, but also some post-consumer fishing nets. It said it mainly uses mechanical recycling for recycled polyester and polyamide, adding that chemical recycling technologies need to be assessed to make sure that their life cycle analysis is positive against conventional polyester.

Kering did not indicate how much of different feedstocks it uses for its recycled synthetics and said this is “confidential information” related to its suppliers. It said it encourages its houses to preferentially choose recycled polyester from internal recycling processes of suppliers fabric scraps, and to use PET packaging only as a second choice. For polyamide/ nylon, recycled content comes from textiles such as post-consumer carpets, overstock fabrics and fabrics scraps related to specific take back programmes; fishing nets from aquaculture, the fishing industry and ghost nets; and pre-consumer waste from industrial processes such as plastic components. It uses mainly mechanical recycling for polyester and mainly chemical for polyamide/nylon, it said. It noted that the upcycling of polyamide waste happens through a process based on pressure and heat which does not use any chemicals.

INVESTMENT IN FIBRE-TO-FIBRE RECYCLING TECHNOLOGIES

Hugo Boss communicated that it is “increasingly focusing” on the improved recyclability of its products and less on the use of secondary raw materials but gave no concrete details of how it is doing this.

Inditex has invested €3m to fund textile-recycling-related activities, it communicated, adding that these technology developments will be key to achieving its polyester goal. Its investments include the MIT-Spain Inditex Circularity Seed Fund, which aims to develop new textile recycling techniques among other things, it said. A current pilot aims to chemically recycle PET textile waste to manufacture recycled PET yarn. Another technology which Inditex said it coming into its Sustainable Innovation Hub aims to manufacture ethanol from captured CO2 and use it to make polyester yarn. Other programs include t2tCR_textile, a textile chemical recycling pilot project to eliminate the limitations on recycling of textile waste from blends, and t2tCR_chemical recycling by ionic solution, research by MIT and the University of Vigo and backed by Inditex on ionic solutions to separate natural and synthetic components in textile blends, such as cotton and polyester. It said it supports a variety of initiatives developing textile-to-textile recycling technology, including start-up Worn Again, which is developing technology to chemically separate blended fibre garments and separate dyes and other contaminants from polyester and cellulose.

Kering said it is also investigating a new textile-to-textile technology which is close to industrial scale, and will chemically recycle polyester via glycolysis, offering several advantages over mechanical recycling including the ability to process “unrecyclable” materials such as polyurethane-coated textile not handled by mechanical recycling. Its Standard for Synthetics says that “in the future, when there are viable options and technology to recycle synthetics back into synthetics, suppliers should prefer synthetics that are able to be recycled”.

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RECYCLED SYNTHETICS BRAND/RETAILER

ENGAGED 2021

Yes

POLICY/GOAL

% OF RECYCLED SYNTHETICS

LS&Co does not have a specific goal for synthetic fibres. It noted that its percentage of synthetics is lower than the industry average, but that it is still focused on addressing the environmental impacts of synthetic fibres. It said it has a commitment to creating products that “minimise their environmental footprint and the use of virgin synthetic raw materials” without sacrificing quality.

Did not disclose. LS&Co communicated that it is “making progress” on incorporating alternatives to virgin synthetics, flagging its Levi’s L-pack backpacks with 100% recycled polyester and the use of recycled polyester in its outerwear for years.

Lindex has a public goal to use “100% preferred fibres” by 2025 at the latest. This means all synthetics need to be recycled by this time, it communicated.

32% of polyester and 23% of polyamide come from recycled materials, Lindex communicated. Its Sustainability Report 2020 puts these figures at 32% for polyester, 22% for polyamide and 0% for acrylic in 2020.

Lululemon has a goal for at least 75% of its sourced polyester to be recycled content by 2025, with a “stretch goal” of reaching 100%. It also aims for all its sourced nylon to be renewable or recycled content by 2030, and to have “more sustainable” nylon solutions by 2025. A further goal is to make all products with “sustainable materials” and end of use solutions by 2030. All these goals are set out in its 2020 Impact Agenda. M&S has committed to sourcing its priority textile materials, including polyester, from more sustainable sources by 2025, it said. For polyester, it currently recognises the only more sustainable source as Recycled Polyester, either through the Recycled Content Standard, Global Recycled Standard or Unifi by Reprieve, and only recognises recycled input material that were originally destined for disposal; either to landfill or incineration without energy recovery. The textile goal is not on M&S’s website, but it has a public “Plan A” goal to source its fifty key raw materials, which cover 80% of its raw material usage, from sources “verified as respecting the integrity of ecosystems, the welfare of animals and the wellbeing of people and communities.” The public goal does not specifically mention synthetics.

% OF CLOTHING RECYCLED TO NEW CLOTHING

FEEDSTOCK AND PRODUCTION METHOD

INVESTMENT IN FIBRE-TO-FIBRE RECYCLING TECHNOLOGIES

Did not disclose.

Did not disclose feedstock or production method.

Did not disclose.

Did not disclose.

Mainly pre industrial, Lindex communicated. The most common raw material source for recycled polyester is old PET bottles, while recycled polyamide is mainly made from manufacturing industry waste, its Sustainability Report 2020 says. Lindex did not disclose a production method

Lindex communicated that it is looking at recycling programs for its lingerie and hosiery.

>30% of polyester comes from recycled content, Lululemon communicated. This is not currently on its website, but Lululemon it said it will be publishing progress on its recycling target in the future.

Did not disclose.

Lululemon’s website mentions discarded water bottles as an example feedstock for recycled polyester. It did not disclose other feedstocks or production methods.

Lululemon’s 2020 Impact Agenda says it will invest in industry development of fibre-to-fibre recycling, but gives no further details.

22% of polyester was from recycled sources in 2020, M&S communicated, but it did not give values for other synthetics. It has begun to introduce recycled nylon and will be measuring uptake for 2021, it added. This information is not on its website.

Did not disclose.

M&S communicated that a “large majority” of its recycled polyester comes from plastic bottles. It did not disclose a production method.

M&S is not currently investing in any fibre-to-fibre recycling technologies, it said, adding that it is “committed” to improving these technologies.

Monsoon communicated that most of its recycled polyester is based on PET bottles and the rest is post-consumer polyester. It said it is currently looking into how it can measure and report on this. Its website says that recycled polyester is made from PET plastic bottles. It did not disclose a production method.

Monsoon reviews new technologies with its suppliers and trials new fabrics on a constant basis, it communicated, but tends to be a follower rather than investing in new concepts due to its size. It said it seen a large amount of new innovation around synthetic fibres, with closed loop process being used, and that it is continuously investigating and trialing new fibre technologies.

Morrisons commuicated that it uses post consumer waste as feedstock, namely PET bottles. It uses nechanical recycling, it said.

Morrisons communicated that it supported a Salvation Army grant application to invest in fibre sorting technology. “They are closely involved in developments in the textile recycling industry and we will continue to work with them on this,” it said.

Monsoon has a pledge on its website for 90% of its overall materials to be “sustainably made” by 2023. This includes recycled synthetics and new synthetics fibres made in a more sustainable way, Monsoon communicated. It added that it aims to get to 100% recycled based fossil feedstock synthetic fibres, but did not give a target date and this goal is not currently on its website. It is looking into using measurable KPI’s for its buying teams to accelerate uptake of recycled polyester, it said. Monsoon does not mention polyester or synthetics in its Sustainability & Responsible Sourcing requirements, unlike other materials such as cotton and cellulosic fibres.

21% of synthetic fibres were sustainable or recycled fossil based fabric, based on tonnage values provided by Monsoon. Monsoon added that it increased its recycled polyester use from 26% in AW20 to 35% in AW21.

Morrisons has a committment in its Sustainability Report 2020/21 that all polyester fabrics will “contain recycled sources” by 2025. This means all these fabrics will contain a portion of recycled polyester, rather than will be fully recycled, it communicated, adding that it is working to increase the quantity of recycled polyester in its ranges.

3% of polyester by weight is currently from recycled sources, Morrisons communicated. Its Sustainability Report 2020/21 also gives this 3% figure for 2020.

Did not disclose.

Did not disclose, saying it would not be possible to track what customers do with its products.

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RECYCLED SYNTHETICS BRAND/RETAILER

ENGAGED 2021

POLICY/GOAL

New Look has a goal for 25% of polyester to be recycled by the end of 2020, set out in its Annual Report 2019/2020. Its website acknowledges the impact that polyester and its production have on the environment, particularly on climate change and microplastics release. New Look communicated that it has is in the process of setting new targets on increasing its use of recycled materials.

% OF RECYCLED SYNTHETICS

5% of “total units” had recycled content in FY 2020/21, New Look communicated. Its Annual Report 2019/2020 says it reached 9.22% recycled polyester in 2020, up from 1.05% AW19.

% OF CLOTHING RECYCLED TO NEW CLOTHING

Did not disclose, saying it does not have visibility of this but would assume very little to none.

FEEDSTOCK AND PRODUCTION METHOD

INVESTMENT IN FIBRE-TO-FIBRE RECYCLING TECHNOLOGIES

New Look communicated that it does not have visibility of the feedstocks of its recycled materials or the recycling method.

New Look communicated that it is not currently directly investing in fibre-to-fibre recycling technologies, but is joining Textile 2030 at partner level. As part of this nine year programme, members will contribute financially and part take in piloting circularity initiatives including working with the UK recycling industry on developing technologies, it said.

Next set a goal in 2018 to source 100% of its main raw materials through “known, responsible or certified routes” by 2025. This goal is in its Corporate Responsibility Report to January 2021. It said that part of its approach is to source post consumer recycled synthetic fibres to reduce the reliance on fossil fuel extraction and for the recycled fibres to come from fibre-to-fibre recycling in the longer term.

9% of polyester used in 2020 was certified post-consumer recycled, Next said. This information is also published in Next’s Corporate Responsibility Report to January 2021.

“None to date”, Next communicated.

Next communicated that its feedstock is currently predominantly PET bottles, and it uses mechanical recycling.

Next communicated that it is not yet investing in fibre-to-fibre recycling technology but is “exploring the possibilities” around recycling clothing to new clothing as a signatory to WRAP’s SCAP and Textile 2030 initiatives. It plans for its recycled fibres to come from fibre-to-fibre recycling in the longer term, it said.

Did not engage. Nike has a public target to divert 100% of the waste in its supply chain from landfill, with at least 80% recycled back into NIKE products and other goods, by 2025. It also plans to use “environmentally preferred materials” in 50% of all key materials, which include polyester and rubber, by 2025. Its FY20 Impact Report says Nike’s strategy so far has been to focus on a smaller number of high volume products for recycled content, but meeting the 2025 goal will require converting the remaining key, high-volume fabric families to recycled polyester. New methods of recycling and new material types will be increasingly important, it says.

Did not engage. 26% of polyester came from recycled content in FY20 and 94% of rubber was “environmentall preferred” rubber (which excludes certain chemical formulations), according to Nike’s FY20 Impact Report. The report adds that NIKE’s use of “more sustainable material”s in apparel rose from 41% to 59% in FY20, driven by scaling recycled polyester and replacing conventional cotton with more sustainable alternatives.

Did not engage, no percentages given on website. Nike’s Grind programme recycles manufacturing scrap, unsellable products and worn-out sneakers back into Nike’s own products as well as for other purposes such as running tracks.

Did not engage. Nike’s FY20 Impact Report lists recycled polyester made from plastics bottles and recycled nylon made from a variety of materials, like carpet and used fish nets among the low-carbon materials it plans to focus on to meet its greenhouse gas reduction goals. It indicates it uses mechanical recycling for recycled polyester and chemical or mechanical recycling for nylon.

Did not engage. Nike’s FY20 Impact Report says it is working to identify new recycling technologies to turn what would be waste into feedstocks for manufacturing new materials and products, but gives no further details.

Did not engage, no mention on website. Patagonia’s website says its upcoming “Tee-Cycle T-Shirt”will be made out of old T-shirts from Patagonia and other brands.

Did not engage. Patagonia’s website shows it uses plastic bottles for recycled polyester. Elsewhere, Patagonia says it is looking “beyond plastic bottles” from commodity recyclers to the “next generation of potential recycled materials”, adding that one option could be recycled ocean plastics. Its website says it will use NetPlus Recycled Fishing Nets in its Spring 2021 season. Its recycled nylon is made from postindustrial waste fibre and discards from weaving mills and postconsumer fishing nets, its website says, adding that its nylon yarn is made from a 50/50 blend of postconsumer and pre-consumer nylon. Its recycled spandex uses pre-consumer waste. Its website implies mechanical recycling is used for nylon, and chemical recycling of fishing nets for NetPlus.

Did not engage. Patagonia’s website says it is looking into chemical-recycling technologies that could allow reuse of recycled garments for a “circular” manufacturing process in the long-term.

Did not engage. Patagonia’s website says it will only use renewable or recycled materials in its products by 2025. Its polyester page says it is has “dramatically increased” its use of recycled polyester and aims to completely move away from using virgin polyester by 2025. Its recycled nylon page says it is using more postconsumer recycled nylon and exploring other options to replace nylon entirely such as materials made from plant-based alternatives. Its recycled spandex page says it started using recycled spandex in 2020 and is “moving away from using virgin petroleum sources for spandex”, noting that recycled spandex helps it achieve this goal. It is also testing new polymers that cause less environmental harm and looking at spandex alternatives that are easy to recycle, it says. Its rubber page says it replaced neoprene rubber with natural rubber in 2016 to reduce its use of petroleum-based materials. Its polyurethane page says it uses polyurethane to reduce PVC use and its goal is to use more recycled stretch yarns and biobased polyurethanes.

Did not engage. Patagonia’s website says that 84% of polyester fabrics were made with recycled polyester in the Spring 2021 season. 2% of whole material usage by weight includes virgin nylon, it says, and 90% of nylon fabric used to make clothing and gear contains recycled nylon for the Spring 2021 season. Overall, 64% of fabrics come from recycled materials overall, it says, noting that it used more recycled polyester than any other fibre.

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RECYCLED SYNTHETICS BRAND/RETAILER

(group level only)

ENGAGED 2021

POLICY/GOAL

% OF RECYCLED SYNTHETICS

Primark does not have a numerical goal to increase its use of recycled synthetics. It said that it made “good progress” in recent years in increasing its use of recycled materials, particularly for synthetic fibre, and made a committment in 2020 to more than double the number of Primark products made using recycled materials. This goal does not appear to be on its recycled materials page, although it notes that “this Autumn our products made using recycled materials will more than double to 40 million items”. It also says Primark will “significantly increase” the use of recycled materials across its products.

Did not disclose.

Puma has a target in its Annual Report 2020 to use 75% recycled polyester in apparel & accessories by 2025. Its previous target was to procure 100% of polyester from certified sources. Puma communicated that in 2019 it achieved use of over 90% bluesign or OEKO-TEX certified polyester.

19% of apparel polyester fabrics were made from recycled polyester in 2020, Puma communicated. This is reported in its Annual Report 2020. Puma said that it also uses recycled nylon, but on a small scale.

% OF CLOTHING RECYCLED TO NEW CLOTHING

FEEDSTOCK AND PRODUCTION METHOD

INVESTMENT IN FIBRE-TO-FIBRE RECYCLING TECHNOLOGIES

Primark communicated that it aims to use post-consumer textile waste as a resource and is “taking positive steps” to implement a circular approach. It recognises that recycling non-textile materials is “only one way” to reduce its use of virgin resources, it said.

Primark communicated that its recycled polyester is currently mostly made from post-consumer PET bottles. It described a mechaimcal production method.

Primark communicated that it will support innovations in textile-to-textile recycling as part of its Textiles 2030 commitment.

Did not disclose.

Recycled polyester, mainly from recycled PET bottles, regenerated nylon from mixed feedstocks, including carpet shavings, fishing nets and other fibre, Puma communicated. Puma said it uses mechanical recycling production.

Puma communicated that it is investigating the use of chemically recycled polyester from its own fabric waste and has already started using fibre-to-fibre recycling technologies with cotton cutting fabric waste.

PVH Corp has a public commitment to “sustainably source” 100% of its polyester by 2030 as part of its Forward Fashion strategy, although it does not clearly define what it includes in this term. It does not have a target for other synthetics.

8% of polyester and 2% of nylon came from recycled materials in FY2019, based on tonnage values provided by PVH Corp. These values will be published in its upcoming 2020 Corporate Responsibility Report, PVH Corp communicated. Its 2019 Corporate Responsibility Report says approximately 10% of polyester was “sustainably sourced” in fiscal year 2018.

Did not disclose.

PVH Corp communicated that it uses recycled plastic bottles through the use of REPREVE performance fibres. It did not specify other feedstocks and did not disclose a production method.

PVH Corp communicated that it is investing in fibre-to-fibre chemical recycling technology through its partnerships with Fashion for Good such as its Full Circle Textiles project, and a pilot project with Infinited Fiber Company.

Reebok has a goal on its website for 100% of its products to be “sustainable” by 2030, which among other categories includes recycled materials. The website implies that these products are made of only percentages of more sustainable matierials, such as “minimum of 30% of the upper is recycled materials” for [REE]CYCLED. Reebok’s REEGROW and REECYCLE strategy includes the launch of Floatride Energy GROW, a plantbased running shoe, although this appears to be only certified as 50% plant based material. See also parent group Adidas.

See parent group Adidas

See parent group Adidas

See parent group Adidas

See parent group Adidas

Reformation does not have a numerical recycled synthetics goal but communicated that synthetics do not as a general rule meet its fibre standards as they are fossil-fuel based and can lead to issues such as microplastic shedding. For main apparel items, it therefore uses them only “when it is needed for fabric performance and stretch” and only in a <10% blend with other fibres. Majority content synthetics are only allowed in its swim and activewear products, in which natural fibre don’t have the same performance, it says. Where these are over 10% of the material, the synthetic must come from recycled sources, it added. Reformation is also participating in Textile Exchange’s 2025 Recycled Polyester Challenge, which asks industry to bring the overall percentage of recycled polyester up from 14% to 45% in 2025.

Reformation communicated that ~60% of its synthetic use comes from recycled polyester/nylon. It noted that all fabrics that are majority-content synthetic are recycled, but the synthetic fibres used in small amounts (<10%) in blended fabrics are typically virgin.

Did not disclose.

Reformation’s focus is on post-consumer recycled products, it said. For majority content synthetic fabrics, it said it sources exclusively from Repreve Polyester and Econyl Nylon. Econyl’s website shows is it made from a variety of waste such as fishing nets, old carpets, while Repreve is made from recycled plastic bottles.

Reformation communicated that it is currently investing in direct take-back and upcycling programs from its athleisure and swim but did not outline whether this would use fibre-to-fibre technologies.

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RECYCLED SYNTHETICS BRAND/RETAILER

ENGAGED 2021

(from Saint Laurent but

POLICY/GOAL

% OF RECYCLED SYNTHETICS

% OF CLOTHING RECYCLED TO NEW CLOTHING

FEEDSTOCK AND PRODUCTION METHOD

INVESTMENT IN FIBRE-TO-FIBRE RECYCLING TECHNOLOGIES

Sainsbury’s does not have a public recycled synthetics goal but communicated that it is “continually looking at different ways” to increase the use of recycled materials. It said it is “working proactively” with WRAP/SCAP tools to develop its synthetic fibre products and monitor the full impact of synthetic fibres. Its website says it is committed to driving the ongoing use of recycled polyester throughout its clothing ranges.

5% of textile products in 2020 were made from recycled polyester, Sainsbury’s communicated.

Did not disclose, saying it is working towards greater understanding of this area with suppliers.

Sainsbury’s communicated that it uses PET bottles for recycled polyester, using a mechnical production method.

Sainsbury’s communicated that it is “continually looking at new technologies” and working closely with suppliers to explore these, but gave no further details.

See parent group Kering.

See parent group Kering.

See parent group Kering.

See parent group Kering.

See parent group Kering.

Did not engage, no mention on website.

Did not engage, no mention on website further than “recycled plastic”.

Target’s 2020 Corporate Responsibility Report says it has invested $1m into textile-recycling technologies. The report says much is “funding early-stage innovators or pilot projects”. It does not specifically say this is textile-to-textile recycling, but gives Evrnu as an example, whose materials include regenerated polyester from discarded clothing via chemical recycling. It adds that Target funds and supports the Fashion for Good Advanced Recycling project to test and scale chemical recycling options.

Did not disclose.

Tesco communicated that all its recycled polyester comes from PET bottles and its recycled nylon comes from pre-consumer waste. It uses mechanical production for both polyester and nylon, it said.

Did not disclose, no mention on website.

Did not engage. See also parent group VF Corporation

Did not engage. The North Face’s website does not mention fibre-to-fibre technologies but says that “ultimately, our goal is to develop circular systems to recycle previously-owned gear and reuse the raw materials”, and that its first products intentionally designed for circularity will launch in 2022.

largely same as Kering)

Did not engage. Target’s 2020 Corporate Responsibility Report says it has an ongoing commitment to “replace conventional polyester with polyester made from recycled plastic” in owned- and exclusive-brand apparel, accessories and home products, but does not give a date for achieving this. Its new brand, All in Motion, was developed with “the intent of using recycled polyester” it says, although this brand’s website shows it allocates the recycled polyester label to products with just 20% of recycled polyester.

Did not engage. Target used 20,300 metric tonnes of recycled polyester in 2019 in its apparel and accessories, according to its 2020 Corporate Responsibility Report, up from 7,000 tonnes in 2018 and 6,400 in 2017. It does not disclose the percentage this represents.

Tesco has a commitment on its website to use 45% recycled polyester by 2025, as part of its recent commitment to the 2025 Recycled Polyester Challenge. It has an internal target to achieve 100% by 2030, it communicated.

20% of polyester and 10% of nylon is currently recycled, Tesco communicated.

The North Face has a goal on its website to achieve 100% “responsibly-sourced” fabrics for apparel by 2025 and for footwear and equipment by 2030. It defines responsibly-sourced as “recycled, regenerative, or responsibly-sourced renewable”. See also parent group VF Corporation.

Did not engage, not available on website. See also parent group VF Corporation.

Did not engage, no mention on website.

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RECYCLED SYNTHETICS BRAND/RETAILER

ENGAGED 2021

POLICY/GOAL

% OF RECYCLED SYNTHETICS

Did not engage. Timberland’s Fourth Quarter 2020 CSR report sets out its goal for all footwear to have “at least one major component” made with 10% or more recycled, organic, and renewable content by 2020. It reported that it reached 75% in 2020. See also parent group VF Corporation.

Did not engage. Timberland produced 68% “recycled, organic, or renewable products” during 2019, according to VF Corporation’s Annual report, but this does not give specific figures for recycled synthetics. Timberland’s Q4 2020 CSR report says its largest use of recycled, organic or renewable material in footwear is recycled polyester and recycled rubber. See also parent group VF Corporation.

See parent group PVH Corp

See parent group PVH Corp

% OF CLOTHING RECYCLED TO NEW CLOTHING

FEEDSTOCK AND PRODUCTION METHOD

INVESTMENT IN FIBRE-TO-FIBRE RECYCLING TECHNOLOGIES

Did not engage, no mention on website.

Did not engage. Timberland’s website says it uses recycled plastic bottles in its footwear and backpacks and recycled rubber in its footwear. It does not outline a production method.

Did not engage, no mention on website.

See parent group PVH Corp

See parent group PVH Corp

See parent group PVH Corp

Uniqlo’s parent group Fast Retailing said it is currently investing in technologies to enable an increase in the use of recycled materials such as cotton, cellulosic fibers, polyester, nylon and wool. Uniqlo’s website says it has recently been recycling clothes into clothes, starting with down products, but does not outline recycling of synthetic clothes to new clothes.

(PVH only)

(PVH only)

(group level only)

Uniqlo’s parent group Fast Retailing communicated that it is “actively increasing” its use of recycled polyester and other recycled materials but did not outline a clear cut goal. Uniqlo has a page about clothing made from recycled PET bottles on its website, and its Sustainability Report 2021 says it uses recycled polyester made from post-consumer PET bottles in several products.

Did not disclose.

Did not disclose.

Parent group Fast Retailing communicated that its recycled products currently incorporate PET bottles, collected used polyester clothing and scraps, and that it uses chemical recycling as a production method.

Benetton has a goal on its website for 50% of its synthetic materials to come from recycled fibres by 2030. The page also says that 80% of the fibres in Benetton’s garments are “of natural origin and therefore have a lower impact on the environment”.

Did not disclose, saying only that “quantities produced are not so high in terms of percentage”. Benetton began some projects based on recycled materials in 2020, it said.

Did not disclose, saying this was non-applicable.

Benetton uses PET, fishing nets and carpets as feedstocks, it communicated, and a mechanical production method.

Benetton communicated that it is not investing in fibre-to-fibre technologies.

Van Heusen has a goal on its website to use only 100% sustainable cotton, polyester and nylon by 2025. See also parent group PVH Corp.

See parent group PVH Corp

See parent group PVH Corp

See parent group PVH Corp

See parent group PVH Corp

Did not engage. VF Corporation has a goal on its website to source 50% of nylon and polyester from recycled materials by 2025. Further goals target a transition of its top nine materials (by spend and impact) to regenerative, renewable, or recycled materials by 2030, and a reduction in the average impact of its key materials by 35% by 2025. Its website says it seeks to source “the most sustainable materials available”, which means using responsibly sourced natural materials, identifying innovative ways to recycle and reuse synthetics and exploring innovative crossover solutions, “such as natural alternatives to traditional synthetics or recycled natural materials”.

Did not engage. 11% of nylon and polyester were recycled in 2018, according to VF Corporation’s Sustainability & Responsibility Report 2018. A figure for a later year is not reported on VF Corporation’s website.

Did not engage, no mention on website.

Did not engage. VF Corporation’s Sustainability & Responsibility Report 2018 mentions using recycled plastic bottles for clothing, but does not say whether this is a major feedstock or the production method used.

Did not engage, no mention on website.

Did not engage, no mention on website.

Did not engage, feedstock and production methods are not clearly set out on Walmart’s website. The website does say Walmart it will work with private brand suppliers to source “verifiable sources of recycled polyester (rPET)” and that “it is becoming more feasible to create recycled polyester fibre from pre- or post-consumer plastic waste such as PET bottles”, implying this may be a major feedstock.

Did not engage, no mention on website.

Did not engage. Walmart has a target on its website to source 50% recycled polyester for Walmart US stores Private Brand apparel and soft home textile products by 2025. It says it “aspires” to reach 100% but does not set a date for this.

Did not engage, no mention on website.

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RECYCLED SYNTHETICS BRAND/RETAILER

ENGAGED 2021

POLICY/GOAL

Wrangler’s parent company, Kontoor Brands, has a public goal to source 100% sustainable synthetic fibre by 2030. It defines sustainable synthetics as “the use of recycled content, biobased feedstocks, or additives to enhance biodegradability in polyester, nylon or spandex”, it communicated. It will report on its materials goal as it develops its tracking system, it added.

Zalando has a public goal to increase its share of recycled polyester to 50% by 2023. It has committed to generating 25% of gross merchandise volume with “more sustainable products” and applying the “principles of circularity” to extend the life of at least 50 million fashion products by 2023. Its Annual Report 2019 says it more than doubled its assortment carrying the sustainability flag in 2019, but adds that products require only 20% recycled material to be labelled recycled under this flag. It communicated that it will continue to raise its standards over time, and as of May 2021 has raised the minimum content percentage for the “recycled content” claim in combination with its Sustainability Flag from 20% to 30%.

% OF RECYCLED SYNTHETICS

Did not disclose.

16.3% of total polyester use in apparel and soft accessories is pre- and post-consumer recycled polyester, Zalando communicated, as disclosed in its Sustainability Progress Report 2020.

% OF CLOTHING RECYCLED TO NEW CLOTHING

FEEDSTOCK AND PRODUCTION METHOD

INVESTMENT IN FIBRE-TO-FIBRE RECYCLING TECHNOLOGIES

Did not disclose.

Did not disclose a feedstock or production method.

Wrangler’s website says its “The Jeans Redesign” partnership with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and its use of recycled fibre is “the start of its commitment to circularity” and finding new ways to textile-to-textile recycling. Its website adds that it is investing in new ways to use recycled cotton, polyester and other fibres in its clothes but does not give further details.

Did not disclose.

Did not disclose a feedstock or production method. Zalando communicated that it aims to increase traceability of the feedstocks for its recycled material but faces challenges in this due to limitations of the certification system for recycled content, which it said does not include specific feedstock information beyond pre- or post-consumer waste.

Zalando communicated that it is exploring partnerships with recycling innovators to accelerate the technology needed to turn old products into new ones in its circularity strategy and in collaboration with Fashion for Good.

Changing Markets © 2023 all right reserved

Annex III: Brand questionnaire An example of a letter and questionnaire that was sent to 46 brands in April 2021

Synthetics Anonymous: Fashion Brands’ addiction to fossil fuels | Annex III: Brand questionnaire

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Synthetics Anonymous: Fashion Brands’ addiction to fossil fuels | Annex IV: Methodology for the brand analysis of Spring/Summer 2021 clothing collections |

Annex IV: Methodology for the brand analysis of Spring/ Summer 2021 clothing collections

81

garment contained. While some indicators were binary (yes/no options), others – such as the volume of polyester – required specific data entry. It was recorded whether the product page had a sustainability claim and whether there was a certification or standard to support it. For this research, it is important to note that, where a brand has tagged the garment as ‘conscious’ (H&M), ‘Sustainability’ (Zalando) or ‘Join Life’ (Zara), or placed the garment in its ‘Responsible Edit’ (ASOS), it is assumed that the retailer is making a sustainability claim about that product. Alongside URL links, the date and location of the website accessed was logged, due to the fact that product pages are constantly being updated. This was to ensure any ambiguous or unsubstantiated claims that brands may later remove were captured.

The analysis was conducted between 29 March and 20 April 2021, and included a

For consistency, all websites were accessed from the UK.

total of 12 different fashion brands. The research objective was to analyse a broad spectrum of the international fashion market – from luxury houses to supermarket

For the analysis of the main collections, up to 30 items were analysed for each

retailers, ultra-fast-fashion brands and high-street names.

brand across the following male and female categories: shirts/tops, non-jeans-based trousers, jackets/coats, dresses, kidswear and hoodies/sweatshirts. A maximum of

The analysis covered 4,028 apparel products, and was based on publicly available

20 items were analysed per category for the sustainable collections reviewed on

information each brand displayed on individual online product pages. The meth-

ASOS, H&M, Zara and Zalando. This slightly smaller sample size was chosen due to

odology used a combination of quantitative data collection (for example, numerical

the limited number of stock-keeping units (SKUs) available to review; across both

volumes outlined in garment material composition) and qualitative data collection

main and sustainable ranges, some categories only contained a handful of SKUs to

(for example, to analyse written statements and claims).

analyse, which explains the variance in total garments collected per retailer.

The data collected was based on a robust set of indicators on material composition,

Lining and secondary fabrics were incorporated into the analysis. This includes

sustainability claims and certifications to support such claims. These indicators

fillings, coating, ribbing, embellishments and decorations stated on the product

included the presence of synthetics such as polyester, nylon, acrylic, elastane and