At Ralph Lauren, we aim to create products that are meant to be worn, loved and passed from generation to generation. We are working to make those products from more sustainable materials and methods, committing to circular and culturally sustainable design practices and implementing circular business models. By designing and sourcing with intention and timelessness from the start, we’ll enable our products to live on.
Sustainable Materials
We’re committed to using more materials in ways that achieve positive social and environmental outcomes, protect biodiversity, advance animal welfare and continuously improve the traceability of our raw materials.
Responsible Sourcing
We seek to work with partners who share our values and our commitment to conduct business with citizenship, sustainability and quality at heart.
Responsible Design
In addition to adopting circular principles, we are committed to embedding environmental and cultural sustainability, inclusivity and celebration into the products we design and the stories we tell.
Sustainable Store Interiors
We are committed to designing and building Ralph Lauren stores with materials that minimize environmental impact and maximize occupant health.
Integrated Circularity
We have always believed in creating timeless products that are meant to be worn, loved and endure the test of time. Embracing this philosophy, we are implementing responsible design practices, according to circular principles, and extending to consumer experiences.
Case Study
Native American & Indigenous Community Engagement
For 55 years, we have drawn design and storytelling inspiration from the beautiful lands and individuals around us, and as we continue to evolve, we believe it is important to more closely partner with the communities that inspire us. We recognize that we must honor the Native and Indigenous communities that so richly contribute to the culture of this country and many others. In FY22, we took the opportunity to reexamine the ways in which we engage with Native American and Indigenous communities, with dignity and respect for them as our guiding principle.
For 55 years, we have drawn design and storytelling inspiration from the beautiful lands and individuals around us, and as we continue to evolve, we believe it is important to more closely partner with the communities that inspire us. We recognize that we must honor the Native and Indigenous communities that so richly contribute to the culture of this country and many others. In FY22, we took the opportunity to reexamine the ways in which we engage with Native American and Indigenous communities, with dignity and respect for them as our guiding principle.
As we continue to expand our understanding and awareness, we are reviewing our internal creative processes – focused on forging and expanding meaningful partnerships and pursuing long-term pathways for collaboration. We intend to use our platform to amplify Native and Indigenous perspectives, creating space for holistic and authentic storytelling. We seek to establish a credible model of cultural sustainability, where Native and Indigenous communities play a role in creating culturally relevant programming, storytelling and timeless products.
We are also developing Native philanthropic and partnership programs under the following key pillars: community resilience reinforcement, scholarship and education support, cancer care and prevention, social partnerships, water accessibility, environmental preservation and design with intent. In this work, our Company and the Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation are partnering closely with organizations like Institute of American Indian Arts, the American Indian College Fund, the Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health and DigDeep, among others.
While we have always been inspired by the beauty of the world around us, we are on a journey to evolve our approach to culturally-inspired design. Across our product design and creation functions, we are working to shift to a model built on credit and collaboration – a model we are piloting through our Artist in Residence program with intentions to scale it in the future.
Because of our design-to-production timeline, we may have pre-designed, existing product already in our pipeline created prior to this evolved model. Any new product featuring Native American design motifs following our Summer 2023 season will be created under the evolved model. In line with our sustainability commitments, we will not be disposing of existing product. In this interim period, we will be deepening our efforts to invest in communities of Native and Indigenous artisans.
