Create Timeless Style

Our sustainable material strategy is driven by our ethos of creating positive environmental and social outcomes through the products we make. As part of this strategy, we use preferred fiber certifications to support sustainable fiber production that contributes to ecosystem and soil health. We also aim to grow the adoption of regenerative agricultural practices in our leather and cotton supply chains through partnerships and direct-to-grower sourcing models.

In FY21, we continued to map our supply chains and improve transparency and traceability of our material use. For cotton, our most used raw material, we continue to diversify and enhance the programs we use to achieve our sustainable cotton goals, including sourcing U.S.-grown, organic cotton fibers. We are also making progress to improve the sustainability credentials of other key materials such as polyester, viscose, leather, wool, cashmere and down.

Our Animal Welfare Policy and Forest Protection Policy help guide our approach to sourcing materials that meet our social, ethical and environmental standards.

We monitor and reduce hazardous chemical use and discharge in our supply chain, guided by our Sustainable Chemical Management Policy. And we're working to eliminate all hazardous chemicals from our product manufacturing by 2025.

The responsible use of chemicals is an industrywide challenge that requires collaboration between companies, their suppliers and third parties. In FY21, we engaged our suppliers to track and report on all chemicals used to develop and manufacture our products, through the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemical’s (ZDHC) manufacturing restricted substances list. And we require suppliers with wet processing facilities to test wastewater leaving their factories against ZDHC wastewater guidelines.

We continue to focus on phasing out specific chemicals of concern, for example per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). And we’re transitioning to sustainable denim production by reducing water and chemical use.

We challenge ourselves to think differently about each stage of the design and development process to create quality products that are authentic and responsible. In FY21, we reached our responsible design goal for the year, with 100 percent of our design, production and merchant teams receiving training on sustainable, circular, inclusive and culturally aware design.

Our social and environmental responsibility extends beyond our products. In FY21, we launched our Design with Intent program to be intentional and impactful with all that Ralph Lauren represents—from product inception to marketing to every point along the customer journey. Our work in this area is driven by our dedicated Design with Intent committee, which brings together diverse voices to inform the choices we make and the stories we tell.

We also recognize the responsibility we have to use the cultures that inspire our brands in a culturally aware and appropriate way. Our internal Cultural Awareness Guidelines define our approach and is supported through our cultural awareness educational program. We also seek external advice and input to help us respect and support the many sources of inspiration we represent through our brand.

We are committed to designing and building Ralph Lauren stores with materials that minimize environmental impact and maximize occupant health. This includes all the elements in our new store interiors—including fixtures, displays, flooring, hangers and signage.

In FY21, we began formalizing our approach to creating more sustainable spaces in our stores. We are starting with a focus on wood substrates, which include solid wood, veneers and composites. We are aiming for all the wood substrates used in key elements of new store interiors to be FSC-Certified, repurposed or recycled by 2025. And we are assessing other key areas for future focus and goal development.

The spirit of timelessness has been core to Ralph’s creative vision for more than 50 years. Our circularity approach reinforces his belief that Ralph Lauren products should not only endure the test of time, but have endless lifecycles.

Launched in FY21, our circular strategy is anchored in the Company’s longstanding vision of timeless style. It is based on the principles of designing out waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use and regenerating natural systems. We apply these principles to our current strategy across three areas:

• Designing products for circularity—including reviewing iconic products using the Cradle to Cradle (C2C) certification™

• Creating circular consumer experiences—increasing resale and recycling options for Ralph Lauren and vintage products

• Advancing a circular product economy—investing in scalable technologies that elevate the quality of recycled materials to match the quality and feel of virgin material