REI's Private Brands division, which is the largest source of apparel and equipment sold by the U.S outdoor retailer, has committed to using only 100 percent bluesign-certified fabrics by the time it launches its 2018 product lines.
ADVERTISEMENT This target reflects REI's efforts to continuously address the environmental impact of its apparel and business while meeting customer expectations for quality outdoor products.
The independent, Swiss-based Bluesign Technologies AG is the world's leading system for managing the environmental impacts of fabric manufacturing. Rather than just focusing on testing finished items, the bluesign standard is a textile certification system that works to prevent chemicals of concern from entering into materials at each step of the manufacturing process. Textile mills producing bluesign-certified fabrics must meet strict standards for handling chemicals, protecting worker safety and properly treating water and air emissions. As part of this process, bluesign ensures that mills also have invested in energy and water efficiency measures.
"Creating products with the highest level of environmental responsibility and customer care is a core component of delivering innovative products to our customers," said Kathleen Peterson, vice president of REI Private Brands. "Our supply chains are enormously complex. That's why we need ways to analyze the full supply chainrom raw chemicals to finished products."
REI has been a bluesign member since 2008. During that time Private Brands has converted 25 percent of the fabrics used for REI-branded apparel to the bluesign certification. The 100 percent target signals REI's commitment to accelerating this progress.
"We are very excited REI demonstrated its trust in the bluesign system by making this commitment," said Kevin Myette, bluesign director, North America. "The creation of products is immensely complex. Clearly the best chemicals management strategy is one that treats the challenge systemically, tackles the issues at the source and prevents problems rather than simply detecting them. This is exactly what bluesign does."
REI (Recreational Equipment Inc.) operates 132 stores in 33 states, as well as REI.com and REI.com/outlet. Sales at the company, which is organized as a cooperative, are expected to approach $2 billion in 2013.
