116.000 metric tons of CO₂e and 1.1 billion m³ of water avoided in 2019

C&A details progress in 2019 in its latest Global Sustainability Report:

Reducing GHG Emissions

• 116.000 metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) of greenhouse gases (GHGs) avoided due to sourcing more sustainable cotton and cellulosic fibres.
• 29% intensity reduction¹ in carbon footprint achieved across C&A retail stores, distribution centres and offices, surpassing 2020 goal of 20%.

Reducing Water Use

• 1.1 billion m³ of water avoided through more sustainable agriculture and apparel production in supply chain.

Advancing Circular Fashion

• Developed world’s first Platinum level Cradle to Cradle Certified^TM2 denim fabric.

 

Düsseldorf, Germany, 15 October 2020 — C&A’s ongoing commitment to sourcing more sustainable cotton and cellulosic fibres has avoided more than 116,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in its supply chain during 2019. During the same year, C&A avoided nearly 1.1 billion cubic metres (m³) of water — the equivalent of 440,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools³, thanks to sourcing organic and Better Cotton, as well as sustainable cellulosic fibres.

This, and other progress during 2019, is detailed in C&A’s new Global Sustainability Report, published today.

“We started our journey with more sustainable cotton, our most-used material, and have been applying what we’ve learned over the years to develop best practices for other sustainably sourced materials. In 2019, this paid off significantly for the environment, for our suppliers, and for our customers, when almost two-thirds of the raw materials we sourced were more sustainable,” said Aleix Busquets Gonzalez, C&A’s Global Head of Sustainability.

The company’s leadership in circular fashion also made further strides during 2019, as C&A launched the world’s most sustainable denim fabric, Cradle to Cradle Certified^TM at the Platinum level. The first fabric ever to be certified Cradle to Cradle Certified^TM Platinum is made with 100% rapidly renewable resources, is fully recyclable and promises to drive further advances in sustainable fashion.

During 2019, C&A also received approval  from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) for absolute reduction of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by 30% across all scopes, joining a small but growing group of organisations working towards keeping the planet’s average global temperate below a 2°C rise. Already, in just one year, C&A has reduced Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 9.5% compared to a 2018 baseline, while supply chain emissions (Scope 3) have been reduced by 4.3%.

“As we continue addressing the unprecedented challenges posed by the pandemic, we are convinced that industry leadership in sustainability is more critical than ever. And now that the timeline of our 2020 sustainability strategy is coming to a close, we will set even more ambitious goals for the future”, said Busquets Gonzalez.
 

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¹ Compared to 2012 baseline.
² Cradle to Cradle Certified is a certification mark licensed exclusively by the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute.
³ Includes blue, green and grey water use compared to conventional material sourcing and agriculture. Olympic pool: 50 m x 25 m x 2 m = minimum of 2,500 m³ of water.

 

About C&A

C&A is a leading fashion retail brand present in 21 countries worldwide. It welcomes and provides millions of visitors each day with good quality fashion at affordable prices for their entire family. In Europe, C&A has 1,400 stores. C&A AG is the parent company of C&A Europe and C&A China. For more information, see http://www.c-a.com.

 

Media Contact

press(at)canda.com

 

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