Polyester– Recycled and at Scale
Polyester represents the second largest single material we use after cotton.
We therefore started to look at how we could minimise our impact at scale - starting with outerwear.
Following a successful trial in summer of 2020, in Autumn Winter 2020 we switched all polyester fill (PET) used in Superdry padded jackets to 100% recycled polyester (rPET).
As a result of our summer trial, in FY20 we converted 1.4% of our polyester footprint to recycled polyester and we look forward to sharing our the full impact of this switch in future results - from FY21 onwards.
Our ambition is to convert 80% of non-cotton product to low impact alternatives by 2030.
Recycled polyester fill requires 40% less energy to make and means that we aren’t reliant on virgin plastics, whilst still being just as soft and warm for the wearer.
To achieve scale and to ensure we were using post-consumer waste, we consolidated our supply chain and traced the recycled polyester fill back to the source to household recycling plants located in Jiangsu province in China.
On average, 10 plastic bottles are utilised in each Superdry Padded Jacket, with a maximum opportunity of 30 million plastic bottles diverted from landfill and the oceans per year.
To verify content, all suppliers producing our recycled fill jackets are certified to either the Global Recycling Standard (GRS) or the Recycled Content Standard (RCS). As of December 2020, 13% of our total factory base is certified to GRS standard, with an additional 8% to RCS standard.
Sustainable fibres – Core Fashion Categories
In addition to Organic Cotton we are also using Tencel and Linen across a growing number of options across our men’s and women’s collections.
Tencel
Tencel fibres are produced by an Eco Soft technology, which is an environmentally responsible choice. The technology uses elemental chlorine-free bleaching in an integrated process from pulp to fibre, which has high recovery rates of process ingredients and causes very low air emissions.
Featuring in key styles across our Women’s collections, Tencel is biodegradable and grown sustainability with enhanced traceability through the supply chain.
Linen
Linen is a natural fibre made from the flax plant. Flax can grow in poor soil with few resources and in some cases, it can even rehabilitate polluted soil. Flax plants also have a high rate of carbon absorption, making it a good sustainable fabric choice.
Biodegradable and recyclable, linen uses 60% less water than cotton to grow and needs fewer pesticides.
Featuring in key styles across of Men’s and Women’s collections, Linen has additional hypoallergenic and absorbent qualities as well as a lower overall impact on the environment.
