Textile Exchange, a global nonprofit dedicated to sustainability in the apparel and textile industry, announced today that leading fashion, footwear and outdoor brands, including H&M and Eddie Bauer, will join The North Face in adopting the Responsible Down Standard (RDS) – a third-party certified animal welfare and traceability standard that upholds the ethical treatment of [...]
Day-to-day, a rotating list of companies announce their latest efforts to set new sustainability industry standards, from game-changing initiatives such as Walmart’s Sustainability Index and Puma’s triple bottom line accounting system to a spectrum of brands broadcasting new metrics, programs or platforms that advance their corporate sustainability goals. Setting the pace for industry-leading change has [...]
A consortium of apparel makers wants the answer to that question to be “yes.” Here’s how they’re achieving it. When it comes to material that is both warm and lightweight, nothing beats down. Yet, the soft white stuff that fills puffy jackets, comforters and sleeping bags does not descend from the heavens despite being its [...]
Down insulation, for all of its warmth, can be a cold and dirty business. Ducks and geese are often plucked alive, and many of the fine feathers in comforters and puffy coats come from birds that were force-fed to make foie gras. The North Face, recognizing a problem in its pitch, is backing a certification [...]
The desire to treat geese humanely is dividing the outdoor industry and driving up costs for down suppliers in a far cry from what some envisioned three years ago. The division came into sharp focus last week, as backers of two dueling standards faced off at Outdoor Retailer Winter Market (ORWM). On one side was [...]
