Mango is continuing its efforts toward sustainability and bringing forward its sustainability targets after achieving that 80 percent of all the garments it sells now bear the Committed name. In just one year, Mango has almost doubled the percentage of sustainable garments in its total production.
The company has reviewed the targets set in early 2020 as part of its sustainability strategic plan and has decided to bring them forward. Specifically, Mango forecasts that 100 percent of the polyester used will be recycled by 2025, doubling the initial target set for said year. Similarly, the firm also plans that by 2025, 100 percent of cellulose fibers used will be of controlled origin and traceable, bringing forward its original commitment by five years. In addition, the company is maintaining its goal that 100 percent of the cotton used will be of sustainable origin by 2025.
“Aware of the environmental impact of our product, and in line with our goals and international commitments, we work garment-by-garment, promoting the use of fibers with a lower environmental impact in our collection,” said Toni Ruiz, Mango’s CEO, in a statement. “Bringing forward the sustainable fiber targets allows us to move towards a more sustainable fashion future.”
In 2021 Mango achieved a 91 percent use of sustainable cotton and a 59 percent use of cellulose fibers of controlled origin. Furthermore, 54 percent of the polyester used was recycled, achieving the initial target four years ahead of time.
Mango makes its commitment to sustainable fashion visible through the Committed label, which includes all Mango garments with a lower environmental impact. In recent years, the company has made a major effort to increase the number of sustainable garments, which in 2021 accounted for 80 percent of the total collection, well above the 45 percent figure for 2020.
Committed garments are all those which contain at least 30 percent of more sustainable fibers (such as organic cotton, recycled cotton, BCI cotton, recycled polyester, recycled wool, or Tencel) and have been manufactured using more sustainable production processes. Mango’s goal is that all its garments will be Committed by 2022.
In its journey towards sustainability, Mango has signed agreements with various bodies and companies worldwide. Key coalitions it forms part of include the International Accord, the Fashion Pact, and the United Nations Fashion Charter for Climate.
In 2021, Mango implemented a new water management strategy to reduce consumption and increase the efficiency of this resource. Within this context, it has signed up to the ZDHC Roadmap to Zero program as a “Collaborator”. This initiative will allow the company to achieve best practices for chemical management in wet processes throughout the production chain, for both clothing and footwear, which will help protect consumers, workers, and the environment.
In its commitment to sustainability in all areas of influence and as part of its Sustainability Plan, Mango has also signed up to the Canopy Style initiative, which is committed to protecting forests by ensuring the responsible use of all cellulose materials used in garments, paper, and packaging. Consequently, these products will have international certification to prevent illegal logging and the destruction of ecosystems, and will also promote the use of alternative, low-impact, sources of fiber, such as recycled textiles and agricultural waste.
“In line with SDG 17 on partnerships, at Mango, we are convinced that collaboration through international initiatives within the textile industry is key to the creation of value and is our way of helping to reduce the environmental impact throughout the industry,” Ruiz said in a statement.
Precisely through such alliances, Mango has signed up to the net-zero target for 2050. In its journey to achieve net-zero emissions, the company has set itself new intermediate targets. It has committed to reducing its direct emissions by 80 percent, as well as those generated by the Scope 1 and 2 energy it consumes, by 2030. It has also committed to reducing by 35 percent the Scope 3 emission it produces in its supply chain by the same year.
Finally, in its commitment towards the value chain and transparency, in December Mango published a new list of factories in its global supply chain. As well as updating the list of Tier 1 factories it published in 2020, Mango has included for the first time the list of Tier 2 factories, related to production processes.
After being the first major company in the Spanish fashion sector to publish a list of its production factories, this year the company has set itself the goal to also publish a list of Tier 3 factories, related to suppliers of raw materials, such as fabrics and fittings. The company, which reviews its Sustainability Strategic Plan every year, organizes its sustainability strategy into three key concepts, Committed to the Planet, Committed to the Community, and Committed to the Value Chain.
