Eddie Bauer Announces Sustainability Roadmap For Core Categories

BELLEVUE, Wash., Dec. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SPARC Group (SPARC), a leading retail enterprise, is proud to announce that it has established new benchmarks to improve Eddie Bauer's sustainability practices for product categories, including apparel and gear, with the objective of reducing its environmental impact. In partnership with corporate responsibility and sustainability experts, Shift Advantage, SPARC's Eddie Bauer team has developed a new roadmap that supports the brand's mission to preserve natural resources and the environmental conditions that allow its community of outdoor enthusiasts—including customers, partners and internal teams —to thrive.

"As an outdoor brand born in the Pacific Northwest, a focus on the environment has always been at the center of Eddie Bauer's mission and it continues to be, with the renewed priorities and goals we are setting for apparel and gear," said Damien Huang, Eddie Bauer CEO. "We recognize the vital importance of preserving our natural resources and doing our part to ensure our business practices are supporting a sustainable future."

Sustainability Priorities for Apparel & Gear

• Create innovative, versatile, and long-lasting apparel and gear with the smallest possible environmental footprint.
• Protect the outdoors from the impacts of climate change and the loss of biodiversity and habitat.
• Ensure our places of business, our apparel and gear, and the outdoor experiences we facilitate, are inclusive, accessible, and safe.

Sustainability Goals for Apparel & Gear

Design for versatility, utility, and longevity.

• Build apparel and gear that can be used many times for many purposes, and can be passed down from one generation to the next.

Use lower impact materials.

• 50% of cotton fiber used in our apparel and gear will be certified organic cotton, organic-in-conversion cotton, or recycled cotton by 2025; with the long-term goal to reach 100% by 2030. 
• 50% of polyester and nylon fiber used in our apparel and gear will be made of recycled content by 2025; with the long-term goal to reach 100% by 2030.
• 50% of rayon, modal, and lyocell fibers used in our apparel and gear will be made from recycled content or agricultural waste inputs by 2025; and the remainder will be Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified fiber from sustainable wood sources.
• 100% of down and feathers used in our apparel and gear will continue to be Responsible Down Standard (RDS) certified.
• 50% of fabrics used in our apparel and gear will be bluesign® approved by 2025; with the long-term goal of reaching 100% by 2030.

Measure & reduce GHG emissions.

• Measure the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions (carbon footprint) of our operations and our apparel and gear by 2023 and set aggressive targets to reduce GHG emissions with a focus on the materials in our apparel and gear.
• Reduce GHG emissions from operations by powering our headquarters and branded stores with at least 80% renewable electricity by 2025, and 100% by 2030.

Use lower impact packaging.

• Reduce average product packaging weight per item by 30% by 2025, with a long-term goal to reduce packaging weight by 50% by 2030.
• 50% of all plastic packaging by weight will be Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) content by 2025.
• 100% of all paper-based packaging will be Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified by 2025; 50% (by weight) will be Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) content by 2025, with the long-term goal of 100% PCR content by 2030.

Eliminate harmful chemicals.

• Develop and implement a Restricted Substances List (RSL) program by 2023; with a long-term goal of resolving 100% of RSL failures by 2030.

Restore ecosystems & habitats.

• Plant 100,000 trees per year and, starting in 2022, support one "Tree Equity" project per year through our ongoing partnership with American Forests.

Embrace circular business models.

• Launch programs for product rental, used product resale, product repair, and/or upcycled apparel and gear by 2023; establish targets for growing these programs.

"I commend the work Damien and his team have put forth over the last few years to define what sustainability means not just for Eddie Bauer, but for the entire outdoor industry," said Marc Miller, CEO of SPARC Group. "These newly established standards will help us benchmark similar practices across the SPARC portfolio."

SPARC's Eddie Bauer team will also join other members of the outdoor industry in their climate action efforts by signing up for the Outdoor Industry Association's Climate Action Corps. Companies that join, commit to measure, plan, and reduce GHG emissions and share progress annually. The team plans to publish its first sustainability report in April 2022 in honor of Earth Month.

To learn more about Eddie Bauer's sustainability efforts for apparel and gear visit eddiebauer.com/campaign/sustainability.

About Eddie Bauer        
For more than 100 years, outdoor brand Eddie Bauer has been inspiring, enabling, and empowering people to live their adventure with products that are built to last. Their performance outerwear, apparel, footwear, accessories, and gear are available at eddiebauer.com and more than 200 stores in the U.S., Canada, Germany, and other international markets.

About SPARC Group 
SPARC Group LLC (SPARC) is a global enterprise which designs, sources, manufactures, distributes, and markets apparel and accessories for men, women, and kids. A full-service retail operator, SPARC delivers product and commerce innovation through a multi-brand platform which supports 4,360-plus* retail doors and shop-in-shops, robust eCommerce, and leading wholesale accounts in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. As the dedicated operating partner for Reebok*, Brooks Brothers, Nautica, Eddie Bauer, Aéropostale, Forever 21, and Lucky Brand, SPARC supports approximately $8.6 billion in global retail sales annually. *Pending acquisition in Q1 2022.

SOURCE Eddie Bauer