Desigual becomes a member of The Fashion Pact and sets new sustainability goals
Desigual has now joined The Fashion Pact, a global coalition that aims to accelerate and scale impact in environmental sustainability through collective action in the textile and fashion industries.
12/29/20
- The company aims to phase out single-use plastic from its product packaging by 2021 and reduce its carbon footprint with a view to becoming carbon neutral by 2050
- By joining The Fashion Pact, Desigual is reinforcing the Sustainability and CSR Strategy that it revised in 2020, which aims, among other goals, to strengthen partnerships in its value chain
- Desigual plans to include 30% sustainable fibres in its collections by the end of 2021
Barcelona, December 2020. Desigual has now joined The Fashion Pact, a global coalition that aims to accelerate and scale impact in environmental sustainability through collective action in the textile and fashion industries. By doing so, the company is moving forward with its 2020-2023 Sustainability and CSR Strategy, the core elements of which include reducing the environmental impact caused by its operations throughout the product life cycle.
Membership of The Fashion Pact requires the adoption of new environmental commitments and will accelerate the company's sustainability strategy. Among other things, this strategy aims to achieve 30% sustainable fibres in the collections by the end of 2021, 50% by 2023 and 100% more sustainable cotton by 2025. Desigual has also established a target for reducing its carbon footprint and intends to become a carbon neutral company by 2050, in line with the commitment it has made to cutting emissions in every stage of its operations.
Furthermore, all product packaging is being designed to eliminate single-use plastics and, by 2021, the packaging that is still needed will be 100% recycled and recyclable. Regarding the bags used to transport the product (polybags), they will be made from certified 100% recycled plastic. At the same time, measures are being put in place to ensure the traceability and transparency of the supply chain.
The Fashion Pact is a global alliance of companies in the fashion and textile industry who choose to work together in order to collectively mitigate the impact of their operations on the environment. Being a member makes it easier for companies to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), while also providing the space for our industry to accelerate change and scale impact by acting in one same direction, in the name of one common agenda.
As Alberto Ojinaga, managing director of Desigual, explained, “2020 has been a year when we have strengthened and accelerated our Sustainability and CSR Strategy, the objectives of which are completely aligned with those defined by The Fashion Pact. As part of our Love the World philosophy, we are working towards a business model that minimises the environmental impact of our operations while maximising activities with a positive outcome for the environment and the communities we are part of, both locally and in terms of our suppliers and supply chain.”
“Expanding our relationships and cooperation with those entities and initiatives that enable us to strengthen our environmental and social commitment, such as The Fashion Pact, gives this strategy greater meaning,” added Ojinaga.
In addition, Alberto Ojinaga emphasised the alignment between Desigual's sustainability, environmental and social impact roadmap and The Fashion Pact's pillars of action: climate, biodiversity and oceans. “Joining this alliance entails publicly adopting new commitments and promoting projects to ensure that our operations are more respectful towards the environment and communities. From 2021, we will continue to add challenges to this strategy,” said the company's managing director.
International partners
In recent years, and particularly 2020, Desigual has consolidated its web of collaborations and memberships of international organisations and initiatives such as the Textile Exchange, the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) and the Better Cotton Initiative. Through these, Desigual is reinforcing its commitment to sustainable and ethical production and increasing the use of sustainable fibres and more sustainable cotton in its collections.
The company is also part of Amfori and recently joined Sedex, which enables it to measure and improve the social and environmental performance of its supply chain on a day-to-day basis through the BSCI and SMETA audit systems.
About Desigual
Desigual is an international fashion brand that was established in Barcelona in 1984. It is famous for the individuality and unique character of its creations, which aim to bring positivity and authenticity to thousands of people who want to express the best version of themselves.
The company currently has a workforce of around 3,300 employees and is present in 89 countries through 10 sales channels, 438 branded stores and six product categories: Woman, Man, Kids, Accessories, Shoes and Sport.