Ralph Lauren Announces Comprehensive Circularity Strategy to Advance Sustainability Goal
Anchored in the Company’s longstanding vision of timeless style, Ralph Lauren will introduce Cradle to Cradle Certified™ products, establish resale and recycling options for consumers, and scale technologies that keep materials in use
NEW YORK, NY — March 9, 2021 — Ralph Lauren Corporation today announced a comprehensive circularity strategy to further advance its sustainability goals. Grounded in Ralph Lauren’s iconic vision to create timeless products, the strategy orients around three pillars: design for circularity, establish circular experiences for consumers and advance a circular product economy.
“The spirit of timelessness has been core to Ralph’s creative vision for more than 50 years, and our circularity approach reinforces our belief that Ralph Lauren products should not only endure the test of time, but have endless lifecycles,” said Patrice Louvet, President & CEO, Ralph Lauren Corporation.
As part of the strategy, the Company is also announcing a partnership with McDonough Innovation to achieve Cradle to Cradle certification™, a globally recognized measure of safer, more sustainable products, with some of its most iconic products.
“For decades Ralph Lauren has set standards for innovation and been a visionary in American fashion,” said William McDonough, chief executive of McDonough Innovation and co-author of Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things. “Through this new strategy, Ralph Lauren is setting another benchmark as they embrace their authentic ethos of timelessness and create products designed to be reimagined in perpetuity.”
Building on Design the Change, the Company’s framework for citizenship and sustainability, the new circularity strategy will focus on three pillars.
Design for Circularity
In the immediate term, the Company has set a goal to make five iconic products (“icons”) Cradle to Cradle Certified™ by 2025. Brand icons are made year-round and represent some of the Ralph Lauren best sellers – from polo shirts and chinos to denim and sweaters. Looking farther ahead, the Company will bring circular design principles, applying learnings from certified icons, to other key product categories.
Create Circular Consumer Experiences
Building on the Company’s recent investment in and launch of the Lauren Look, its first subscription apparel rental initiative for the Lauren Ralph Lauren brand, Ralph Lauren will begin to offer more circular experiences for consumers beginning in 2022 by enabling product collection to support resale and recycling options for beloved Ralph Lauren products and by enhancing vintage selling capabilities.
Advance A Circular Product Economy
To help the industry meaningfully shift from a linear to a circular product economy, Ralph Lauren will continue to invest in scalable technologies that will elevate the quality of recycled materials so that they are of the same high quality and feel as virgin material. In 2020, Ralph Lauren invested in Natural Fiber Welding, a leading sustainable material science startup that is scaling a new industry standard for natural fiber recycling.
As part of this commitment, Ralph Lauren will produce 100% recycled cotton products of the high quality its known for across its portfolio by 2025.
ABOUT RALPH LAUREN CORPORATION
Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) is a global leader in the design, marketing and distribution of premium lifestyle products in five categories: apparel, footwear & accessories, home, fragrance and hospitality. For more than 50 years, Ralph Lauren’s reputation and distinctive image have been consistently developed across an expanding number of products, brands and international markets. The Company’s brand names, which include Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Collection, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Polo Ralph Lauren, Double RL, Lauren Ralph Lauren, Polo Ralph Lauren Children, Chaps and Club Monaco, among others, constitute one of the world’s most widely recognized families of consumer brands. For more information, go to https://corporate.ralphlauren.com.
ABOUT DESIGN THE CHANGE
Design the Change, Ralph Lauren Corporation’s renewed strategy on global citizenship and sustainability, is both a commitment and a journey to accelerate the Company’s work across these areas. It is based on our belief that, together with our industry, we can deliver the change required to create a positive impact in society and a more sustainable future. Design the Change is focused on three areas: Creating Timeless Style, Protecting the Environment and Championing Better Lives and its foundation are ambitious goals that guide the Company’s work in citizenship and sustainability. The Company has also signed onto the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), joining other companies across industries to implement universal sustainability principles and to take steps to support UN goals. For more information visit our Company website.
CONTACT
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