CLT BD is using organic cotton from controlled organic cultivation for more and more products. So neither genetically modified plants nor chemically produced fertilisers or pesticides must be used during cultivation. The irrigation takes place largely through natural rainfall, so as to save precious water. After the cotton has been harvested, the cultivation areas are used for other plants, which also contributes to providing for the farmers and safeguards the fertility of the soil.
Sustainability
FASHION REQUIRES AWARENESS – RIGHT FROM THE START
So we are increasingly using raw materials grown in accordance with strictly laid down environmental criteria. Or utilising innovative synthetic fibres that have a much better environmental footprint than traditional materials. For conserving nature, protecting valuable resources – and for the good of the producers and workers.
By 2024 CLT BD will be obtaining 65% of its cotton via the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI). As a not-for-profit organization, BCI trains farmers on how to use water efficiently, pay attention to healthy soils and natural habitats, reduce the use of harmful chemicals, and guarantee the rights and well-being of workers. Better Cotton is obtained from BCI licensed farmers through a mass balance system, which means it can be mixed with conventional cotton within the framework of a complex supply chain. In this way the costs can be kept low so as to generate increasing demand for Better Cotton and enable the BCI to support even more cotton farmers in future.
Further details at bettercotton.org and bettercotton.org/massbalance
For reasons of ethics and animal welfare, CLT BD does not use any down. Instead, for example, we use the innovative material DuPont™ Sorona®. The DuPont™ Sorona® fibres contain more than one third renewable plant materials, such as corn or corn starch. The manufacture causes approximately two-thirds less emission of greenhouse gases and consumes around 40% less energy than traditional polyamide.
OUR
PRODUCTION
In the last one and a half years, by selecting our partners carefully in the production countries we have sustainably improved the environmental standards, for example for the consumption of water and energy. In this way we have succeeded in introducing production methods which protect the environment and resources, and far exceed the local standards.
OUR
ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS
People ought to feel good in CLT BD clothing. One thing that contributes to this good feeling is that we constantly monitor our products to ensure they are free from pollutants and comply with the limits for chemical substances.
Our Restricted Substances List (RSL) defines clear guidelines and rules that also form part of our contracts with our production partners.
OUR USE OF
TRANSPORT
Planning our collections in good time enables us to have 90% of our goods transported from the production countries by ship. Which means we can do away with CO2-intensive air transport.
OUR
PACKAGING
We are consistently working on further reducing our use of packaging, or making it more environmentally-friendly. For example, today we are increasingly using recycled polyethylene, which accounts for more than 45% of our packaging material. We are going to further increase this proportion in both logistics and retail within the next 2 years.
OUR ENGAGEMENT
INTERNALLY
If you demand commitment from other people, you should set a good example. Which is why in our company we embody sustainability in a wide variety of ways.
Thus, for example, by using LED lighting and energy-saving IT, we have been able to reduce our electricity consumption by 46% between 2008 and today. And in all our showrooms too we have already reduced the energy consumption by almost 50% in the last 3 years.
In addition, a large-scale solar installation on the roof of our head office provides for the production of emission-free energy.
TOGETHER WITH MANY OTHER MEASURES, WE ARE PROGRESSING STEP BY STEP ON THE PATH TO GREATER SUSTAINABILITY..
