International fashion brand bonprix continues its steadfast commitment to corporate responsibility with the launch of its second “Sustainable Collection”. The range combines sustainable materials and production methods with the latest style trends. As well as featuring on bonprix.de, Germany’s second highest revenue fashion site*, the collection will be available online in 22 more countries. The Otto Group subsidiary has also announced it aims to use 70% sustainable fibres across its whole textile collection by 2025.
Sustainable Collection – take two. Even greener, even more compelling.
Launched in April, the second edition of bonprix’s Sustainable Collection again focuses on premium, sustainable materials, such as recycled cotton, TENCEL™ lyocell, Cotton made in Africa (CmiA) and recycled polyester. It features twenty selected styles for AW19 including knitwear and denim. In line with its own ambitious targets, the Otto Group subsidiary has made its apparel even more sustainable, with the list of materials in the new collection now encompassing LENZING™ ECOVERO™. Produced using 50% less water and emissions, ECOVERO™ is widely regarded as the most sustainable and eco-friendly viscose fibre on the market. bonprix’s first collection employed a process to dye jeans that required 15% less water than conventional denim. And now in a further step to save water, the second edition uses a pioneering laser technique that gives denim its trademark worn look.
There have been changes to how garments are finished too. Labels are made from recycled polyester or printed directly onto the fabric. Zips are trimmed with recycled polyester and buttons are manufactured in a greener way to preserve resources. One highlight of the new collection is a recycled polyester parka jacket made from 25 x 0.5L PET bottles. Products are packaged in polybags made from 100% recycled polyester. The collection is available online in 23 countries and in bonprix’s “fashion connect” flagship store in Hamburg.
“Our aim is to become increasingly sustainable with every collection we release. I’m pleased with the results of this second edition and respect how hard our team has worked to bring it to fruition,” says Rien Jansen, Head of Purchasing, Marketing & Retail at bonprix Handelsgesellschaft mbH and responsible for the company’s CR strategy. “The good work doesn’t stop here though. As well as our Sustainable Collections, we want to incorporate more eco-friendly processes and materials across every area of the company. We remain committed to advancing our CR activities wherever we can.”
A new target across all bonprix brands und textile collections: 70% sustainable fibres by 2025
One key element of this commitment is bonprix’s target of at least 70% sustainable fibres in every single one of its textile collections by 2025. Currently, around 50% of the company’s materials are sustainable. These are primarily cottons, but recently there have also been some promising developments for synthetic fibres like polyester, polyamide and viscose. Over the coming years, conventional materials will gradually be replaced by more sustainable alternatives. The latest collection includes fabrics made from organic cotton, recycled cotton, Cotton made in Africa (CmiA), TENCEL™ lyocell, LENZING™ ECOVERO™, recycled polyester and recycled polyamide, but also brand fibres ECONYL® and REPREVE®. All these materials have been certified by international recognised standards like GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) and GRS (Global Recycled Standard). Their share in the collections will be continually increased and new sustainable materials added.
“As a successful fashion online shop, both in Germany and at international level, we have a huge responsibility both towards our customers and to our planet and its natural resources,” Jansen explains.
Water-free dyeing in CleanDye factory: machines are running, first products due in late December
bonprix's CR strategy also examines innovative processes in the production and supply chain. The company celebrated the opening of its first CleanDye factory in Vietnam in April this year, an innovative joint venture launched in 2017 with Dutch partners. New machines are now in operation and dye textiles more sustainably by using carbon dioxide instead of water. The first products will be available online at the end of December and in catalogues from early 2020.
Supply chain transparency: guaranteeing eco-friendly production methods
To increase transparency and identify room for improvement, especially deeper in the supply chain, bonprix has been working with the Sustainable Apparel Coalition’s “Higg Facility Tools” since 2018. The company focuses primarily on the “Higg Facility Environmental Module” (FEM), which covers energy, water and chemical use. bonprix applies industry standards that allow a standardised assessment of suppliers’ sustainability performance. “The Higg Facility Tools offer fresh potential for implementing our CR strategy and we look forward to our continued partnership with the SAC,” Jansen continues. The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) consists of key players from the apparel and shoe industry, who work towards standardising how sustainability is rated. Both the Otto Group and bonprix have been members since 2018.
As well as its long-term commitment to implementing the Otto Group’s sustainability goals, bonprix also set itself a range of additional targets in its 2017 CR strategy. More information about bonprix’s CR strategy at: https://en.bonprix.de/corporate/responsibility/
*Source: Survey “E-Commerce Markt Deutschland 2018” by EHI Retail Institute/Statista
