Protect the Environment

We are committed to playing our part to address the climate crisis by reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across our value chain.

As part of our commitment to the climate goals set forth in the Paris Agreement, we know ambitious near-term action to decarbonize our operations and value chain should be matched with long-term ambition. To this end, we are joining the growing Net Zero movement by committing to achieve net zero emissions across our value chain by 2040. As part of this strategy, we will begin to scale investment in carbon removals in FY22, with plans to increase those removals to 2040 and maintain net zero emissions thereafter.

Our net zero commitment builds on our existing GHG emission reduction target to reduce absolute GHG emissions by 30 percent by 2030, compared with FY20 levels. Our action plan to get there focuses on:

•Achieving 100 percent renewable electricity use in our owned and operated facilities

•Moving to sustainable production practices for our raw materials

•Reducing emissions from manufacturing in our product supply chain

We are changing how we use water across our supply chain and developing new technologies to minimize our consumption.

In FY21, we introduced Color on Demand, a revolutionary dyeing platform that will transform how our industry colors cotton— with the ambition to deliver the world’s first scalable zero wastewater cotton dyeing system. We also continued to collaborate with the World Wildlife Fund to establish a comprehensive water stewardship strategy that takes into account the wider challenges around water use and quality beyond our own business.

Our strategy covers our whole value chain, with a focus on:

•Conservation—safeguard and preserve water resources where we operate through contextual water targets and collective action programs in priority geographies with high water stress

•Cotton—Sustainably sourced cotton and accelerate the adoption of regenerative farming practices

•Community—Partnership with organizations focused on watershed health and community WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) solutions

As we work to become a more circular business, we are integrating zero-waste principles across our operations and supply chain.

Waste is a systemic problem in the fashion industry and one we are determined to help eliminate. Our Excess Inventory Management Principles standardize the steps we take to prevent our products from becoming waste, including reducing excess inventory and keeping materials in use for as long as possible.

We also work to minimize operational waste, and we’re continually looking for new ways to avoid sending materials to incineration or landfill. In FY21, we began using recyclable corn board pallets, diverted all hangers from our North Carolina distribution center from landfill to recycling and recycled and reused over 20,000 pounds of fabric waste through our partnership with Fabscrap.

We are working towards making all our packaging material recyclable, reusable or sustainably sourced by 2025. Our Forest Protection Policy helps guide our work in this area and commits us to responsibly sourcing any fabric, pulp and paper used in packaging.

In FY21, we updated our product packaging inventory, which tracks every material we use and identifies priorities for reduction or replacement. Our 10 top priority materials identified include high-volume usage items such as decorative tags and polybags.

We also engage our consumers in this space. Our reduced packaging option through RalphLauren.com gives customers the option to have plastic or paper inserts, hangers, garment bags, promotional materials and paper invoices removed from their orders.