Cotton On Sustainability Actions

ETHICAL SOURCING

The environments in which our products are made and the materials used to make them are incredibly important to us. We have a responsibility to our customers, our people, our suppliers and our business partners globally to provide transparency across our operations and assurances on the way we conduct business, as we genuinely believe it is the right thing to do. Before partnering with a supplier, we ensure they understand how to adhere to our 14 Rules to Trade and why the rules are important to ensure an ethical and sustainable business. This code of conduct covers important issues such as working conditions, the prohibition of child labour, bribery and corruption, and the environment. Each year, the Cotton On Group conducts hundreds of audits to ensure the 14 Rules to Trade are upheld.

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ETHICAL DESIGN

We aim to provide our customers with the products they want at the right price, while ensuring these products are designed in line with the cultural values and legal requirements of the countries in which we operate. We have a large team of talented designers across our brands, who deliver fun, fashionable products independently created for our customers. We educate our people and suppliers on the importance of ensuring compliance and have clearly defined processes in place to adhere to the individual requirements set out by each region. As we grow, we continually evaluate our approach to ensure we meet all ethical product requirements legally, safely and responsibly.

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ENVIRONMENT

Our commitment to the environment is always front of mind and we are constantly on the hunt for ways we can reduce our footprint. Our Ethical Sourcing Program includes various initiatives that are geared towards preserving water, reducing waste and conserving energy, all while ensuring we have a positive social and economic impact on communities around the world.

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COTTON SOURCING

Cotton is one of the most commonly used natural fibres in the world with more than 25 million tonnes produced every year in over 80 countries, accounting for almost half the fibres used to make clothing and other textiles. While global cotton farming supports approximately 250 million people’s livelihood in the production stages alone, it’s important to acknowledge that the industry consumes a lot of water at the same time. In fact, it’s estimated that the textile industry uses 378 billion litres of water annually, mostly for cotton production, and that it takes 2,000 litres of water to produce the cotton needed to make just one t-shirt or pair of jeans. So, what are we doing about it? The Cotton On Group uses thousands of tonnes of cotton each year and we believe there is enormous opportunity for us to make a positive difference to people’s lives and the environment through more sustainable cotton farming practices. As a business, we’ve set ourselves a goal to have 100 per cent sustainable cotton through our supply chain by 2021 and we’re on track to achieve this goal through our partnership with the Better Cotton Initiative and through our own unique sustainable cotton growing program in Kenya.

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SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING

At the Cotton On Group we want to use the size and scale of our operations to have a positive impact on people, communities and the planet. That’s why we are constantly exploring ways to reduce our environmental footprint. In October 2018 the Cotton On Group commenced a program to remove plastic shopping bags from our global store network. Beginning in New Zealand, the business made a goal to remove all single-use plastic bags from its stores by June 2019, of which it achieved in April 2019 and as a result, the Group has stopped 38 million plastic shopping bags from entering the environment annually. As part of this initiative we encourage customers to actively reduce the use of bags by bringing their own shopping bag when making a purchase. Alternatively, we ask customers to purchase a 100% recyclable paper bag, made from a minimum of 80% post-consumer recycled materials. Removing plastic bags from our point of sale is an important first step in our Sustainable Packaging Plan, where we aim to reduce or eliminate the impact our packaging has on the natural environment. We know that we are on a journey of continuous improvement and it’s one that we are committed for the long haul.

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