New Cotton Cornerstones for Ralph Lauren, Milestones From Lululemon: Short Takes
Cotton Camp: Ralph Lauren is partnering with the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, joining brands like J. Crew and more in sourcing more sustainable cotton.
Cotton is already the brand’s most-used fiber (comprising 80 percent of its material mix) and its latest move aligns with its commitment to source 100 percent sustainably sourced cotton (including certified-organic cotton) by 2025.
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Katie Ioanilli, chief global impact and communications officer at Ralph Lauren, said the partnership enables the company to “make progress on sustainable cotton goals” within the business and the industry at large.
Today, the Trust Protocol provides article-level transparency to some 1,000 U.S. cotton farmers with the goal to promote more climate-smart agricultural practices across land use, soil carbon, water management, soil loss, greenhouse gas emissions and energy efficiency.
Lulu Lift: Meanwhile, Lululemon hit a new milestone celebrating the one-year anniversary for its Centre for Social Impact. In its first year, the Centre contributed $12.7 million to advance equity in well-being with millions positively impacted.
In just a year’s time, the brand contributed $11.9 million to social impact organizations and an additional $758,000 toward crisis response. The funds went to a number of grassroots and global nonprofits — including the Girls Opportunity Alliance, an initiative of the Obama Foundation to support women leaders; National Alliance on Mental Illness, and The Trevor Project, supporting LGBTQ youth, among others — to invest in and advocate for the well-being of those most impacted by systemic inequity.
On top of that, the brand provided a $250,000 grant to United for Global Mental Health in support of the Global Mental Health Action Network and — along with PVH and H&M — is bolstering the $250 million Fashion Climate Fund.
Calvin McDonald, chief executive officer of Lululemon, noted the company’s broader aims: “We recognize our unique opportunity and responsibility to lead and drive positive change in our industry and the world, and we will continue to leverage our expertise, resources and voice to explore more ways to drive collective action and advance equity in well-being.”
