SDG Decoded: SDG #12 – Responsible Consumption & Production, Part II
In a development that was wholly unsurprising, we received so many plans from denim companies about Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #12 that we had to break up the responses into two separate posts for the SDG Decoded series.
Here we chat with Lucky, Boyish, Saitex, Guess and Iskur about their goals for Responsible Consumption & Production.
Lucky
Carved in Blue: How are you tackling SDG #12?
Allison Charalambous, senior manager of sustainability and social responsibility: We are bringing our corporate operations up to compliance with the guidelines of the Los Angeles Green Business Program. Under Responsible Consumption, or waste reduction, we’ve reduced our disposable dishware waste by only offering reusable kitchenware. Overall, employees have responded very positively to the changes that have reduced our corporate operations footprint.
Boyish
Carved in Blue: How are you tackling SDG #12?
Jordan Nodarse, president: We are focusing on recycling our waste industrial scraps as well as other factory waste to have a zero-waste manufacturing process.
Carved in Blue: What does this goal mean for your company?
Jordan: We currently have one fabric that we are recycling all our indigo and ecru scraps into the yarns. This fabric is also blended with REFIBRATM x TENCELTM Lyocell that uses 30 percent recycled cotton waste from garment production combined with sustainably sourced wood pulp. This fabric has only 17 percent organic OCS-certified virgin cotton, which significantly reduces its water and environmental impact, while also remaining 100 percent plant-based fibers, making this fabric fully biodegradable and recyclable.
Carved in Blue: How do you see this shaping up for 2020?
Jordan: Circular economy isn’t just good for the planet and each other but for our wallets. As manufacturing cycles get more efficient, they become sustainable, therefore reducing costs and increasing profit.
Saitex
Carved in Blue: How are you tackling SDG #12?
Sanjeev Bahl, founder: Saitex doesn’t believe in the concept of waste, as everything is valued as much as possible. Water is recycled, sludge is turned into bricks, fabric waste is turned into tiles and furniture, smart technologies are used to minimize material input, the farms use minimum amount of water and nutrient with no food waste, making production as responsible as possible.
This SDG also looks at sustainable production information sharing, which Saitex is doing by working with universities, offering internships and sharing climate change information through social media platforms.
Guess
Carved in Blue: How are you tackling SDG #12?
Cecilia Hands, CSR and sustainability analyst: Guess is tackling SDG #12 with a multi-tiered approach. Guess’ commitment to SDG #12 started with their 2017 pledge to the Global Fashion Agenda’s 2020 Circular Economy Commitment. To meet their goal, they have launched several platforms that encourage responsible production and consumption.
For production, Guess has developed internal guidelines for what is considered Guess Eco apparel. These guidelines are a resource for designers to understand the ecological impact of every material sourced, and their environmentally preferred alternatives. Using these guidelines Guess is constantly increasing the number of Eco styles offered each season and has rapidly increased the amount of eco products from nearly zero to 25 percent within one year.
For consumption, Guess is educating customers on how to be conscious consumers and providing them with resources for their textile recycling needs. Resourced, the Guess customer clothing take-back program, is available in all Guess Inc. stores across the U.S. Customers are incentivized to recycle their clothing with a 15 percent discount on their next purchase.
Guess has also launched a platform to extend the life of clothing with its Guess Vintage collection—a curated assortment of authenticated Guess pieces sourced from around the world.
Iskur
Carved in Blue: How are you tackling SDG #12?
Özlem Ozkan, head of product development: ln addition to opening a recycled yarn production facility in 2018 with a capacity of 450 tons, Iskur has developed a marketing program known as the Earth Squad. The animated characters promote the benefits of optimized production processes, reusing waste, and visibility, as well as constant research to improve and develop new methods of responsible production.