70% of KappAhl’s range is made of more sustainable materials
KappAhl’s efforts to contribute to a circular fashion industry are showing good results. At present, 70 per cent of the fashion chain’s range is comprised of more sustainable materials. Five years ago, this figure was 19 per cent, and the target of 100 per cent by 2025 is within reach.
“The percentage of more sustainable materials in our range is increasing and each year sees us moving measurably closer to our goal of creating a circular business,” says KappAhl’s CEO Elisabeth Peregi.
Year by year, KappAhl is making measurable progress in its sustainability agenda. Its commitment to promoting a circular fashion industry is founded on the sustainability strategy Responsible Fashion. One of many examples is the increase in more sustainable materials in its range from 19 per cent in 2015 to 70 per cent today. This figure will be 100 per cent by 2025.
Using sustainability as a compass in its product development process enables KappAhl to transition towards a more circular business model and more sustainable utilisation of materials, chemicals, water and energy. Choosing more sustainable materials and processes helps to bring about improvements in the working conditions in the supplier chain and also to extend the life span of garments.
“Clear goals and guidelines, our sustainability scorecard, dedicated designers and good working relationships between purchasers and production are key factors in this process,” says Sandra Roos, Head of Sustainability at KappAhl.
What does more sustainable mean?
KappAhl is often asked why it calls its range more sustainable.
Sandra Roos answers with a rhetorical question: “Is organic cotton a sustainable material? No, it’s simply more sustainable than conventional cotton. So until we can say with certainty that a material or process is actually sustainable, we have decided that KappAhl will use the term more sustainable. We only make promises we can keep.”
“We are continuously looking for more ways to improve KappAhl’s sustainability performance in line with our goals. More sustainable fashion is not a utopia – provided we all pull together in bringing about change,” says Elisabeth Peregi in closing.
More detailed information about the different areas of KappAhl’s sustainability agenda can be found at www.kappahl.com/sustainability.
More sustainable materials in KappAhl’s products include:
VISCOSE: 50% of KappAhl’s viscose is made of Lenzing™ Ecovero™, a more sustainable alternative to normal viscose. Derived from wood cellulose from sustainably managed forests, in a process with a smaller environmental impact.
COTTON: All essentials for women, children and men are made of organic cotton, grown entirely without the use of chemical pesticides and artificial fertilisers.
DENIM: All denim is More Sustainable Denim, produced using an improved washing process that reduces water, energy and chemical consumption. Moreover, all cotton in KappAhl’s denim is sourced through the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), an organisation that works to promote more sustainable cotton cultivation (with better working conditions, less water, energy and chemicals).
Further examples of more sustainable materials in KappAhl’s products can be found here.
For further information, please contact
Charlotte Högberg, Head Corporate Communications, tel +46 (0)70 471 56 31, email charlotte.hogberg@kappahl.com
KappAhl was founded in 1953 in Gothenburg and is a leading fashion chain in the Nordic region, with 380 KappAhl and Newbie stores in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Poland and the UK, together with Shop Online. The KappAhl team is made up of some 4,000 colleagues across 400 workplaces in ten countries. We have different backgrounds, ages, skills and styles. But we all share a drive to give everyone the chance to dress well. Our goal is to ensure that everything we do is done in a sustainable way. More information is available at www.kappahl.com.
At KappAhl, we are committed to offering Responsible Fashion that feels right for those wearing the clothes and for the world we live in. Today, 70% of our products are labelled as sustainable. We intend that 100% of our range will be made of more sustainable materials by 2025. These important efforts to contribute to a circular fashion industry are ongoing in every aspect of our business.
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