C & A, a well-known fashion retailer, has achieved the honour of becoming the world’ s first retailer to introduce Cradle to Cradle Certified™ Gold level jeans. The Gold level certification is one of the highest C2C certification levels. Developed in collaboration with Fashion for Good, a global initiative to make fashion good, the jean is made from sustainable materials. For the development of environment-friendly jeans, C & A and Fashion for Good selected suppliers and factories, tested and certified materials and even redeveloped lining material and sewing thread. Cradle to Cradle assessors MBDC and Eco Intelligent Growth( EIG) led by William McDonough and the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute also led their support to the innovation. |
“ The collaborative, forwardthinking approach taken by C & A represents another significant milestone in the shift towards truly sustainable fashion,” said Lewis Perkins, President of the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute. C & A chose |
jeans as a product to make it completely sustainable due to its complexity. Consisting of different components and production processes, jeans had much more scope to be sustainable.
“ Designing the most sustainable jeans was a challenge where
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teams worked diligently for more than a year. All material properties had to be carefully assessed and tested in line with the rigorous Cradle to Cradle Certified™ product standards,” said Jeffrey Hogue, Global Chief Sustainability Officer, C & A. Content with the success, Hogue further shared that only renewable energy and high social standards were applied during manufacturing, so that a product designed for its next life can be created. In another development, Fashion for Good will unveil a‘ Guide on Developing Cradle to Cradle Certified Denim’ on its website. The Guide will entail detailed information regarding development of circular jeans along with the experience of C & A. It will also help other organisations comply with the Cradle to Cradle Certified™ Product Program requirements. |
Gap Inc, the US-based apparel retailer, has announced to expand its on-the-job training program‘ This Way Ahead’. The company is aimed to cover 10,000 teens and |
young adults under its program by offering job coaching and critical first job experience by 2020. The program, launched in 2007, is a life skills and job readiness program, to |
help youth between the ages of 16 and 24 who are from low-income communities land their first job. The brand has now extended its job readiness program to 53 cities globally. Additionally, it also introduces its year round hiring strategy. Gap Inc which retails its offering including clothing, accessories, and personal care products for men, women, and children under the Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic and Athleta brands, has started inking partnership with non-profit organisations.
In view of success rate of the‘ This Way Ahead’, the brand is now planning to hire five per cent of all new entry-level store employees from the program by 2025. The
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retailer has announced to offer‘ This Way Ahead’ in 22 cities in US this year and is planning to reach in 60 cities by the end of 2020. The brand has inked a partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Local Clubs will help youth to get in touch with hiring opportunities at Banana Republic, Gap and Old Navy stores and will operate year-round. In partnership with Multi-Cultural Center of Tokyo,‘ This Way Ahead’ will be piloted at selected Gap and Banana Republic stores in Japan. In UK the program will be expanded from current 3 cities to 11 cities in UK. Additionally, the brand will also extend its on-the-job training program to its distribution centres in the US, beginning in Gallatin, Tennessee. |