C&A displays progress in first sustainability report

Store chain C&A has just released its first Global Sustainability Report, writing down several of its sustainability efforts. One of those achievements is that the company has been named the world’s largest user of organic cotton.

A specific management team and measurements

This is the first time C&A has publicly revealed its progress regarding its sustainability goals, after revealing them last year. The goal is to reach all targets by 2020.

“In 2015, we focused on strong management and a strong responsibility to support our new strategy, focused on sustainability. To integrate that into our business management system has been crucial in order to enforce our ambition – which is to create fashion with a positive impact”, C&A Global Chief Sustainability Officer Jeffrey Hogue said.

C&A created a new management team in 2015, one for Sustainable Chemicals, in order to reach its goals. Also, for the first time ever, it executed complete measurements on C&A’s global footprint for both carbon and water. 

New code of ethics for factories

Textile Exchange named C&A the world’s largest organic cotton user in 2015, when 40 % of its overall cotton consumption proved to be organic. The goal is to be fully organic by 2020.

On top of that, 90 % of its clothing came from its most valued suppliers, those that ranked the highest when it comes to sustainability. The company also introduced a new code of ethics and a new audit procedure for its factories in Asia and Europe.

Finally, C&A signed the UN Global Compact, which is the world’s largest initiative to help stimulate companies’ sustainability efforts, and engaged more than 23,000 employees in its first sustainability campaign.