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Resource Efficiency

Becoming a zero-waste company is an audacious long-term goal. In the same creative spirit that we’ve taken on our other environmental challenges, we’re forming partnerships and establishing pilot initiatives that move us toward maximum resource efficiency and set an example for the rest of the industry.

Creating an effective resource-efficiency strategy requires an objective assessment of how materials are purchased globally. Our initial study of indirect materials procurement reveals that a global approach to purchasing and using our materials will lead to increased scalability. Findings from this study form the basis of a measurable, long-term plan now under development.

We’ve got a long way to go, but several short-term pilot initiatives set the stage for a comprehensive strategy:

• Hanger reuse program. In 2008, we switched our highest volume plastic hanger to one that is reused, meaning the hanger has already been used at the retail store at least once and now will be used again. By purchasing reused hangers, we avoided the purchase of over 200 tons of plastic (in new hangers) during 2008.
• Packaging. We are reducing the number of “hangtags” on each garment from an average of three to two. We are also beginning to print size and care information directly onto garments.
• Recycled denim insulation. We donated over 200,000 pairs of recycled jeans to insulate the newly reopened California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, helping the building earn a platinum rating (highest rating possible) for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).