River Island
Climate Impact & Sustainability Data (2021, 2022)
Reporting Period: 2021
Environmental Metrics
Renewable Energy Share:100% in stores, head office, and distribution center (10% solar at DC and HO)
ESG Focus Areas
- Equality, Diversity, Inclusivity
- Wellbeing
- Ethical Working
- Community
- Sustainable Materials
- Chemicals
- Water
- Waste & Recycling
- Climate Change
- Transparency
- Advocacy
- Partnerships
Environmental Achievements
- Eliminated single-use plastic from packaging
- 100% green energy used in all stores, head office, and distribution center
- Over 850,000 garments reused or recycled through Newlife partnership in 2021
- All cotton in jeans is responsibly sourced
- Zero waste to landfill at our Distribution Centre
- 1 in 4 products currently sustainably attributed
Social Achievements
- Launched Take Back scheme in partnership with Reskinned
- Launched Manage With Care training program for 277 line managers to improve mental health and wellbeing
- Partnered with Amos Bursary to diversify workforce
- Workforce is 73% female, senior leadership team is 56% female
- No gender pay gap for women in like-for-like roles
- Over £1.6M spent in 2021 partnering with charities & social enterprises
Governance Achievements
- Signed the British Retail Consortium’s Better Jobs Diversity and Inclusion Charter
- Joined the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) and completed the Brand and Retail Module of the Higg Index
- Signed the transparency pledge, publishing a list of Tier 1 factories on their website
- Integrated Segura system for supply chain transparency
Climate Goals & Targets
Long-term Goals:
- Net-zero carbon emissions by end of 2040
Medium-term Goals:
- Reduce water use in products’ manufacturing process by 50% by 2030
- Zero waste to landfill from products’ manufacturing process by 2025
- 50% of synthetics will be recycled by 2025
- Reduce combined greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with a 1.5-degree UN trajectory by 2040
Short-term Goals:
- Introduce products’ end-of-life solution for customers by 2022
- Zero waste to landfill from all UK operations by 2023
- At least 50% of garments sustainably attributed by 2023
- 100% responsibly sourced cotton by the end of 2023
- Adoption of an MRSL by top 50 suppliers by 2023
- Map CO2 emissions and develop Science-Based Targets (SBT) by 2023
Environmental Challenges
- Supply chain disruptions due to Covid-19
- Need to improve transparency throughout global supply chain
- Need to establish robust water and chemical programs
- High stress and anxiety levels among employees
- Need to improve data collection and reporting on ED&I
Mitigation Strategies
- Worked flexibly with suppliers to combat difficulties arising from Covid-19
- Partnered with Segura for supply chain transparency
- Launched Manage With Care training program
- Partnered with ZDHC for safer chemistry and water stewardship
- Developing a Community Investment strategy
Supply Chain Management
Supplier Audits: 342 factory audits and 257 ethical site visits in 2021
Responsible Procurement
- River Island Ethical Policy Booklet issued to all new suppliers
- Supplier Scorecard to grade suppliers on sustainability, product, quality, and supply chain
- Partnership with Segura for supply chain traceability
Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities
Reporting Standards
Frameworks Used: UN Sustainable Development Goals, Higg Index, ETI Base Code
Sustainable Products & Innovation
- RI One, Nushu, and Kind Society sustainable collections
Reporting Period: 2022
Environmental Metrics
Total Carbon Emissions:382,736.5 tCO2e (2021)
Scope 1 Emissions:2,557 tCO2e (2021)
Scope 3 Emissions:380,179 tCO2e (2021)
Renewable Energy Share:100% (stores, head office, distribution center)
ESG Focus Areas
- Equality, Diversity, Inclusivity (EDI)
- Wellbeing
- Social Impact
- Community
- Sustainable Materials
- Green Chemistry
- Water
- Circularity
- Climate Change
- Transparency
- Advocacy
- Partnerships
Environmental Achievements
- Reduced the water impact of denim from 24 liters to 16 liters through new laundry guidance.
- Launched carrier bags and e-commerce post bags made from 100% UK recycled plastic.
- Mapped and assessed Scope 1, 2, and 3 carbon emissions and developed Science-Based Targets for Net Zero by 2040.
- Achieved 37% sustainably attributed products, exceeding the 30% target.
Social Achievements
- Launched Suicide Awareness and Response Programme.
- Provided care packages (financial aid) to employees to help offset rising living costs.
- Disclosed Tier 2 suppliers.
- Implemented the Beyond Audit Trial Programme to strengthen supplier ethical programs.
- All Tier 1 suppliers enrolled onto the Segura platform, increasing transparency.
- Launched menopause awareness workshops and education.
Governance Achievements
- Submitted Net Zero targets to the Science-Based Targets initiative for validation.
- Partnered with Slave Free Alliance for a Modern Slavery assessment.
Climate Goals & Targets
Long-term Goals:
- Net Zero carbon emissions by 2040.
- Reduce absolute Scope 3 GHG emissions by 90% by 2040.
- Map leather supply chain from finished leather to slaughterhouse by end 2025.
- By 2030, all leather products sourced from LWG-certified tanneries or made from sustainable non-animal sources.
- 100% of all wool and cashmere to be responsibly sourced by 2030.
Medium-term Goals:
- Reduce absolute Scope 3 GHG emissions by 30% by 2032.
- All denim jeans to have a water rating of 22 liters or below by end of 2024.
- 50% of garments to be sustainably attributed by end of 2023.
- Achieve zero waste to landfill from product manufacturing by 2025.
- Neutralise 20% of residual emissions by 2025.
Short-term Goals:
- Reduce water use in product manufacturing by 50% by 2030.
- Source 100% of cotton from more sustainable sources by 2023.
- 50% of synthetics to be made from recycled materials by 2025.
- Achieve zero waste to landfill from all UK operations by 2023.
- 20% of suppliers on Higg Index FSLM by end 2023.
- 100% of Tier 1 suppliers submitting FEMs by end of 2023.
Environmental Challenges
- Reduced customer demand due to the rising cost of living impacted material costs.
- Low availability of recycled synthetic materials compared to demand.
- Difficulty in achieving rapid progress on water reduction due to lack of visibility of all water-using sites.
- Only 50% of top 50 suppliers registered on ZDHC Gateway by end of 2022.
Mitigation Strategies
- Diversified material offering to include increased volume of sustainable viscose and lyocell.
- Increased usage of recycled synthetic materials in fabrics and linings.
- Collecting data on water usage through the Segura programme to implement a water stewardship programme.
- Continuing to work with suppliers to register on ZDHC Gateway in 2023.
Supply Chain Management
Supplier Audits: 344 factory audits and 232 ethical site visits (2022)
Responsible Procurement
- River Island Base Code for Suppliers
- Higg Index
- ZDHC Roadmap to Zero Programme
- Segura platform
Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities
Reporting Standards
Frameworks Used: UN Sustainable Development Goals, Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)