Mango unveils new sustainability strategy to adapt to European regulatory changes
Roberta HERRERA
With sustainability in its sights, the Spanish fashion company has presented its new strategy for the period between now and 2030. According to a press release issued on Tuesday, the company intends to “incorporate new objectives and more demanding measurement systems aligned with the main and most rigorous standards in the market”, through a roadmap entitled, ‘Sustainable Vision 2030’.
“This new sustainability strategy is not merely a goal to be fulfilled, but an cross-department core value of our company strategy and business model that influences our decision making and the promotion of projects and actions, so that we can carry out our activities with the lowest environmental and social impact possible,” said Mango
For his part, the Spanish company’s global head of sustainability and sourcing, Andrés Fernández, said that “the Sustainable Vision 2030 aims to guide Mango in the next phase of its journey towards a more sustainable and more committed clothing industry.”
Mango, which has been working for over two decades in becoming a more sustainable company, currently has a team dedicated to this issue made up of “more than 20 people.”
From its ‘Committed’ label to QR codes
One of the main changes involved in the implementation of this new strategy concerns its adaptation to the European Commission’s new textile regulations. Thus, the Barcelona-based company will drop its ‘Committed’ label, launched in 2017 to identify garments with “sustainable characteristics”, such as the use of recycled polyester or organic cotton.
Starting next year, Mango will gradually replace the label with a QR code that will redirect customers to the brand’s website, which will provide information on the garments’ composition or the place where they were designed and manufactured. As detailed by the company, this initiative will allow to anticipate “the requirements of legislators” and aims to provide “more valuable information” to its customers.
Committed to product, committed to planet, and committed to people
The fashion company has set three main lines of action in its new sustainability strategy. In the product area, Mango will prioritise “more sustainable materials and designs that meet circular design criteria.”
By 2030, the goal is for these materials to be predominant in most of the brand’s products and for 100% of all fibres used to be “more sustainable or recycled.”
As a medium-term goal, the company hopes that by 2025, 100% of its cotton used will be sustainable, 100% of its polyester will be recycled and 100% of its cellulosic fibers will be traceable and sourced in a controlled manner.
In terms of design, the company plans to “increase the circular design of products in the coming years,” by producing more simply designed garments, made with a single type of fabric or with fewer accessories to facilitate recyclability; designing more durable garments made of carefully selected materials, with reinforced garment construction and timeless designs; and optimising the materials used and the reincorporation of textile waste.
Mango also aims to achieve zero net emissions by 2050 by reducing its direct Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 80% and Scope 3 emissions by 30%. In addition, the company stands by its plan to reduce its total water impact by 25% by 2030.
Finally, the company will continue to audit its suppliers and ensure transparency, with the aim of “moving towards full traceability of its value chain.”
By the end of this year, Mango will become the first major Spanish fashion company to publish a list of its Tier 3 factories, after having already communicated its Tier 1 and Tier 2 factories in 2021.
