C&A | Sustainability Approach

Our approach

OUR VISION

The choices we make today shape what we pass on. Sometimes, those choices are simple — keeping a favourite piece in use for longer, repairing it, or passing it on to someone else when it is no longer needed. Small decisions like these can help keep clothing in use for longer and support more conscious use over time.

At C&A, we continue to reflect on a question that has guided us for generations: what will we pass on? For a family business with a long history, this question shapes the decisions we make every day — from how products are sourced to how we work with suppliers and prepare the business for the future.

Our vision reflects our aim to continue offering customers quality products that deliver great value for money while steadily improving how those products are designed, sourced, and produced. It sets out the direction we are working towards and the priorities that guide our decisions across the business. It should be read as a statement of our overall ambition: it is not intended to describe or imply specific environmental or social characteristics, benefits or impacts of individual products, services or operations.

For details on our priorities, progress, and challenges, please explore our Sustainability Report 2025.

OUR VISION

WHAT WILL WE PASS ON?

For over 185 years, we’ve been there for families.
From the one we’re born into, to the ones we choose.

When it comes to family, we don’t just think about today.
We think about the legacy we’ll leave them.

Their future depends on a choice we make now:
What will we pass on?

From a running gag to a family recipe.
From values to unique traditions.

At C&A we’re making that choice.

What we are working to pass on:

Lower impact materials.
Pieces that live on.
Fairer standards.
Cleaner water.
Fewer emissions.

So that the next generation,
and the generation after that,
have a future worth inheriting.

OUR APPROACH

How we approach sustainability

For more than 185 years, C&A has sought to create lasting value for customers and future generations. Sustainability considerations are part of how we make decisions across our business, from the products we create to the way we work with suppliers and run own operations.

Our approach focuses on five priority areas: lower-impact materials, circular products, fair standards, lower emissions and responsible water use. Together, these areas define our focus and the actions we take.

LOWER IMPACT MATERIALS*

We are increasing the share of recycled materials in our products, while exploring new materials with lower environmental impact.

2030 target: One-third of the fibers used in our products will come from recycled materials.

CIRCULAR PRODUCTS

We apply product criteria addressing aspects such as recyclability and durability to support more circular product design.

2030 target: 60% of our product range will meet the criteria defined in our Product Circularity Policy.

FAIR STANDARDS

We partner with suppliers and other stakeholders to raise production standards. We monitor compliance with our requirements and support improvements where standards are not met.

2030 target: 80% of our order volume will be placed with direct suppliers achieving an A or B rating under our social compliance framework**.

LOWER EMISSIONS

We are working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from our operations and value chain.

2030 targets: Reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 42% and Scope 3 emissions by 25%, compared with a 2023 baseline.

RESPONSIBLE WATER USE

We engage suppliers to reduce water use and promote more responsible water management in garment manufacturing.

2030 target: Reduce water use in garment manufacturing by 15%, compared with a 2024 baseline.

Read our Sustainability Report to learn more about our priorities, progress, and challenges.

Footnotes

* We define a more sustainable, or lower impact material as one that has less impact on the environment and society than its conventional counterparts. We evaluate materials using industry tools such as the Textile Exchange Preferred Fiber Materials Index.

** Assignment is based on supplier assessment results against our Code of Conduct, industry-aligned methodologies such as Social Labour Convergence Program, C&A monitoring activities, and remediation performance.