MINDFULLY MADE

As active members of the Ethical Trade Initiative (ETI) we continue to work with our supply base to improve the working conditions and wellbeing of the workers, ensuring that the facilities follow best practice in the working environment. We are now implementing a management training programme and promoting progression within the business for everyone - women and men. We are also addressing gender bias and pay equality and this is monitored through our 3rd party audits.

We have also taken the time to work with all our key fabric mills and garment manufacturers to develop their own sustainable business plans.

We have been conducting well-being surveys in our factories in Bangladesh.

ETI IN BRIEF

• Members since 2012.
• Since May 2017 - reached and maintained “Achiever” level.
• Ensured that 68,000 workers in our partner factories, across 9 countries are covered by the ETI Base Code.
• Inspected over 122 factories in 9 countries.
• Set up worker’s participation committees in key factories
• Reached over 14,000 workers with our Health & Safety training workshop.

View the ETI Base Code:
ethicaltrade.org/eti-base-cod

We realise that to take control of our supply chain, we must understand where our product comes from. We have mapped our Tier 1 (garment manufacturers) and Tier 2 (fabric and trim manufacturers) and have progressed onto fibre, yarn and raw materials suppliers to ensure that we have full visibility of those suppliers who assemble our products and the fabric and accessories that are included.

As members of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, we work collaboratively with many other likeminded companies. As part of this, the Higg Index has been an integral tool to enable us to benchmark our current performance against the best sustainability initiatives around, helping us set targets for our continuous improvement. We are using all tools available through the Higg Index including the Brand, Materials Sustainability Index (MSI) and Product tools to enable us to review our materials, trims and products. This helps us raise the bar on our sustainability efforts and gives us practical targets everywhere.

WE WERE DELIGHTED TO BE WINNERS OF THE DRAPERS SUSTAINABLE BRAND OF THE YEAR AWARD IN 2020

This was in recognition of the progress we had made along our sustainability journey which in part was the huge leap we made in our use of recycled materials from 12% in Winter 19 to 70% of products in Winter 20. And then to be cited as a finalist in the 2021 Awards too, in the new Positive Change category, is such a credit to all the teams that work so hard.

We have entered our new CO2RENU fabric technology (out AW23) for ISPO 2022 and the Drapers Sustainable Fashion Awards 2023.

NO TO DOWN

We have taken a stand against the use of Down in all our products and now only offer man-made fillings in all our insulated products. Our man-made insulation has some recycled content and is hypo-allergenic, dries faster than it’s Down counterpart and offers as much warmth as Down.

LEATHER

We only use gold standard tanneries for our leather boots and shoes. They use better methods of tanning creating less waste and using less water. We also use flame lamination to apply our AquaDry membrane.

MERINO WOOL

We only use wool which has been ethically sourced and is fully traceable with the Australian Wool Exchange or the Wool Mark certificate.

USE OF BYPRODUCTS

From 2021, we introduced recycled coffee beans in our EVA midsoles, in some of our footwear styles.

We have used responsibly sourced oyster shells which would normally be a product of food waste. The crushed shells are added to the extrusion process to make polyester.

BLOOM™ Sustainable Materials transforms waste bio-materials, like excess algae, into renewable materials that reduce negative impacts of fossil-fuel based materials found in footwear and other consumer products.

We use a wax coating to some of our jackets in the Naturally Outdoors range which is derived from oil made out of rice bark (or rice peel). This is a byproduct from the food industry.

PLANT BASED CHEMICALS

Since 2021, we have started to use more plant based chemicals. The Nosi Botanicals range uses a plant based anti insect bite treatment made from lemon eucalyptus and is effective in repelling biting insects. The lemon eucalyptus is sustainably sourced as it is taken from the leaves and branches while keeping the tree intact. In Winter 21, we started using EcoShield - a PFC free plant based water repellent chemical which will feature across all our products with DWR.

ECO FRIENDLY INNOVATIVE TECH

We have used Dynamic 12000, an innovative fabric technology in a capsule collection of waterproofs, mid and baselayers and legwear. This technology reflects the infrared rays naturally produced by your body, back to you, empowering you to go further.

RECYCLED MATERIALS

We first introduced recycled content into our range in 2015 with our Corey and Miska microfleece. Since then we strive to reduce our impact by increasing the amount of part recycled materials in our products whilst ensuring they are still fit for purpose. Since Winter 20, over 70% of Craghoppers products have been made using part recycled materials, compared to 12% in AW19. We use yarns which have been sourced from suppliers that are certified by the Global Recycled Standard (GRS). By the end of 2022 we will have recycled over 70 million post-consumer plastic bottles.

MICROFIBRE SHEDDING

We joined the Microfibre Consortium in 2017 to find a solution to Microfibre leakage into our oceans. We are working with the research programme and other likeminded companies, to find better fibres, yarns and fabrics to use in our collections which are kinder to the environment. We are currently testing our fabrics and aim for 50% of fabrics being tested for fibre fragmenting by the end of 2022. We are aware that microplastic shedding is a well known and dangerous polluter to our water systems. Our luxury Microfleece has extra finishing to remove these excess fibres. This has resulted in significantly less shedding than others on the market. Microfibres lost in the production process are collected by the vacuum system and recycled into wall insulation.

BETTER COTTON INITIATIVE

The Better Cotton Initiative is a global non-profit organisation that is driving cotton production which is better for those who produce it and for the environment. As members of the Better Cotton Initiative, we ensure that our cotton meets the highest standards for sustainability, for workers conditions and that the right price is paid for the cotton. We call this the holistic approach to cotton production.

OUR COTTON SOURCING

Cotton workers in Xinjiang Uyghur’s autonomous region, the largest cotton producing region in China, have been in the media recently with accusations of forced labour and discrimination of minority groups being reported. As part of our own continued due diligence and transparency with our supply chain partners, Craghoppers can confirm that we are not and have not used cotton from this region in our products. Better Cotton has suspended all licences in this area of China.

FROM REDUCING OUR CARBON FOOTPRINT, ENERGY USAGE AND HAVING ZERO WASTE LANDFILL, WE TAKE OUR COMMITMENT TO THE ENVIRONMENT VERY SERIOUSLY.

2020 forced us to think about what matters. We reviewed the Company Business plan and now there are clear targets in each department, throughout our business, to reduce our impact in every way possible. Transportation, road miles, efficiency and renewable energy and water usage in our own facilities are measured and targeted. And on an individual level, staff are invited to make 5 pledges of ways they can do their bit to save the environment in our internal sustainability project - Project 5. With our suppliers, we are working closely with them to understand our carbon emissions in the production process and how we can reduce this. In 2020 we employed our Sustainability Manager in Bangladesh who is working closely with our factories to advise them on measuring carbon emissions and how to reduce them.

WATER

We are looking at water consumption in our Head office and with our suppliers and measuring our impact using the Higg Index.

ZERO LANDFILL

We are proud to say that we have zero landfill for any waste from our facilities. We are looking for certification in 2023.

OPERATIONS

Over 10 years ago, we started to import our goods from Liverpool rather than Southern ports. With our Distribution Centre being in Ellesmere Port, this has reduced our road miles by 400,000 miles per year. We are members of the UN Climate Change Group and primary members of Smart Freight. Through this, we work to reduce our road miles in our distribution and on improving our efficiency whilst lowering emissions. A considerable effort in benchmarking is undertaken. As signatories to the UNFCCC Fashion for Global Climate Action we are committed to net zero emissions by 2050. This is a collaborative approach to climate action across the textile, clothing and fashion industry. Since 2019 we have been working with the Global Logistic Emissions Council using their GLEC framework measurement tool to report on our Carbon Footprint. In 2020, we saw a 23% drop (against 2019 emissions) in our overall Carbon Footprint which was mainly driven from origin initiatives and greater container utilisation. Also in 2020 we used the train from Asia more than ever, instead of transporting by air. This saved around 11,000 tonnes of CO2. In 2021, 18% of our containers were transported on biofuel vessels.

COSHH

We have management systems in place that comply with the requirements of The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH). Under these regulations, UK operations evaluate and control the risks to the health of all employees from exposure to hazardous substances at work.

SOLAR PANELS AT OUR HEAD OFFICE IN THE UK

In 2021, we installed 892 solar panels across 1,623 m2 of roof, to reduce our energy consumption.

We reduced our CO2 emissions by 872.69 tonnes through solar panels at HQ (April 2021 - August 2022).

WE WANT TO MAKE A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE TO THE LIVES OF THOSE TOUCHED BY OUR BUSINESS

We run two main Social Impact Programmes overseas and one in the UK.

RHEP PROGRAMME

The RHEP Programme educates and empowers female workers in Bangladesh on health, hygiene, nutrition, finance and family planning with a dedicated space for workers to go to discuss sensitive matters. The programme has been completed in 9 factories in Bangladesh, reaching over 15,500 workers. Some factories also have a dedicated helpline they can contact.

SAVAR PRIMARY SCHOOL

We have been funding the Savar Primary School, located in our garment factory area in Dhaka, Bangladesh, for over 11 years. The school offers life-changing education to 262 students, aged 4-14 years, including 58 children with learning and physical disabilities. We provide a nutritious meal for every child, run a scholarship programme and have employed an old pupil as librarian of a fully stocked library.

We are running a full teacher training programme to ensure the very best education possible. We have supported over 3,300 families over the years. The pandemic struck the school hard and it has been closed but we have continued to provide monthly food parcels, masks and blankets for the families over the winter months.

IN THE UK

A small action group from across the Group has been working with local primary schools in Trafford and Salford to help their most vulnerable children over the Christmas school holidays and beyond. For Christmas, over 400 bags of food and treats including Christmas crackers. selection boxes, festive snacks, colouring books, pens and drinks as well as a bag of cupboard essentials to help make substantial breakfasts and meals were packed and donated and delivered to these Primary schools over the festive break.

We have made huge efforts and progress in this area. We now use no excess packing. Our swing tickets come from a sustainable source and are fully recyclable. Our labels are made with recycled content and are sourced locally to the factory.

We are constantly reviewing the size of our polybags to ensure that the smallest possible size is used on each product and size within the same style. We only source polybags that are made from at least 50% recycled material and we are working towards 100% with each of our suppliers.This is an area we are constantly looking to improve and we work collaboratively with other like minded local businesses and universities to look at ways to work in a more circular economy.

From 2022 all of our outer swing tickets moved to using Sugarcane paper. The paper is made using a substance called bagasse which is the waste fibre from pressing sugarcane, bagasse is ordinarily sent to landfill or burnt. Sugarcane is a highly renewable source taking only 1 year to grow compared to wood which can take up to 20 years, sugarcane can also be harvested multiple times a year. Sugarcane paper is both compostable and recyclable. Our inner tickets continue to be made using recycled paper and our attachment strings have been changed to recycled polyester without any plastic elements.

Protecting the environment and those that live in it is of huge importance to us. We work with some organisations to support their amazing projects across the world.

DIAN FOSSEY GORILLA FUND

We proudly support the foundation and provide the brilliant team of conservationists with uniform, helping them to stay protected against the elements whilst working in the wild. One of our ambassadors, Felix Ndagijimana, leads more than 150 staff at the Fossey Fund’s Karisoke Research Centre. As the Director, he oversees all of the programmes in Rwanda, which includes research, protection and helping local communities. Learn more about how the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund successfully protects these gorillas by watching our short film ‘Hope’, narrated by Sir David Attenborough.

EOCA

EOCA enables conservation projects across the world to happen. Through our membership to EOCA we can help to choose and recommend projects needing support.

GALAPAGOS CONSERVATION TRUST (GCT)

We are supporting the work of GCT, helping them to raise awareness of their plastic pollution free project on the island, as well as their many other conservation projects including the work of Ambassadors Sofia and her father Jonathan Green and the Whale Shark research. Click hereto visit our website and find out more.

SAVING THE SURVIVORS

Saving the Survivors was founded by Dr Johan Marais, a qualified veterinary surgeon, in 2012. The charity is dedicated to saving wild animals, which have been victims of poaching, habitat loss or other traumatic incidents that threatens their lives and their very existence. Although the main focus for Saving the Survivors is rhinos that have survived, their dedicated team also work with other animals: the elephant, cheetah, lion, leopard, or African wild dog. They aim to maintain biodiversity through their work, whilst medically treating, rescuing and caring for endangered wildlife species.

We are extremly proud of the products we create and we want you to be able to make the most of them.

We have invested in options for repairing or recycling our products, we can advise on how to care for them and of course, we have our guarantee for life too.

GUARANTEED FOR LIFE

Making products that last is a key ingredient to sustainability. We are so proud of the quality of our clothing that we offer a Guarantee for Life. All you need to do is register your clothing with us, keep your proof of purchase and if we are unable to repair it, it will be replaced for the same or like for like item, organised by our dedicated Customer Service team.

Due to the nature of usage, our luggage, footwear and walking pole collections are covered by the following warranties:

• Luggage: 5 Years from date of purchase
• Footwear and walking poles: 2 years from date of purchase

All would require proof of purchase and an assessment from our dedicated team. For more information click here.

PRODUCT REPAIR

We have joined forces with the Timpson Group - the UK’s largest branch network of Repairs and Alterations, Dry Cleaning and Laundry to offer a free repair service for our customers. For more information on how this works click here.

PRODUCT RECYCLING

We work with Newlife, a wonderful charity for disabled children who take our returns, end of season or excess stock delabel them to prevent fraudulent returns and resell them in their nine Newlife stores across the UK. The profits from this and the financial donations we provide is used to get equipment including specialist beds, buggies, car seats and wheelchairs to keep children safe, prevent conditions worsening or children staying in hospital needlessly, as well as improving quality of life and helping children fulfil their potential. All items are saved from landfill where possible.

CARE INFORMATION

There are simple steps to take in caring for your Craghoppers kit or any clothing for that matter. By washing, ironing and tumble drying less - this can help reduce your climate impact. Using a cooler setting on the washing machine and a cool iron on the outer side of fabric - only if needed, can also help. Do not dry clean; Use Craghoppers AquaDry reproofer if needed. Click here to visit our website for full care instructions.

We take responsibility for our staff and workers in our factories very seriously, which is why we have been members of the Ethical Trading Initiative since 2012.

Our Modern slavery policy maps out what we are doing within our operations and supply chain worldwide.

Click here here to read our report on Modern Slavery.

Click here to read our report on Gender Pay.