Convinced that the circular economy is the way forward for the textile industry, Lacoste wants to take its approach even further. The strengthening of this partnership attests to Lacoste's desire to champion an increasingly responsible and sustainable way of designing and consuming fashion. Within the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and in collaboration with the other partners who are working towards the Make Fashion Circular vision, Lacoste is committed to implementing solutions to foster circularity and produce sustainably on a global scale. This key partnership is part of the Enduring Elegance approach, Lacoste's global social and environmental initiative, in which the House is fully invested.
In line with its approach, Lacoste has set ambitious objectives for 2025: minimize the environmental impact of our operations, extend the useful life of our products, and manage the end-of-life of textile materials. These objectives are based on 3 main commitments:
Reduce the environmental impact of the products we sell by 15%. To double the lifetime of our entire range of polo shirts. Guarantee a second life for textile waste and unsold products.
"At Lacoste, we have always produced clothing and accessories designed to last and we are committed to the environmental excellence of our products on a daily basis. This renewed and reinforced commitment to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's Make Fashion Circular initiative is therefore a natural fit for Lacoste. This partnership confirms our desire to reinvent the textile industry to make it increasingly responsible and sustainable," said Catherine Spindler, Brand Director. For a Responsible Fashion Future Over the past two decades, global apparel sales have doubled. This unprecedented acceleration in consumption has brought with it ecological repercussions that have become incompatible with the fragile balance of our planet. Today, the fashion industry alone is responsible for 8% to 10% of the world's carbon emissions. It's estimated that the use of chemicals, particularly for textile dyeing, is responsible for up to 20% of industrial pollution in waterways. In addition, about one-third of the microplastics released into the oceans would come from washing synthetic textiles. The responsibility for this comes from an economic model based on intensive production and the promotion of overconsumption. This model has a negative effect on the environment and quality. It also leads to a significant increase in the extraction and harvesting of raw materials, the accelerated production of clothing at the lowest possible cost, an ever-decreasing number of times clothing is worn, and, finally, the disposal of clothing as soon as it is considered outdated. It's estimated that 75% of the clothes we wear end up in landfills or incinerators, even though the vast majority could have been reused or recycled by giving them a second life. For Lacoste, this linear model - take, produce, consume, throw away - is simply not sustainable. Our company has always believed in another way of designing and consuming fashion. We pride ourselves on offering our customers timeless products with a long shelf life.
It's never compromised on its quality requirements that ensure that its garments retain their original characteristics wash after wash. The brand uses natural materials, which account for more than 90% of the textile materials used in our collections. The urgent environmental situation facing our industry drives us to go even further; this is the purpose of our enduring elegance approach. The aim is to demonstrate that there is another way to combine the enjoyment of dressing well while respecting the environment. To demonstrate further its commitment to protecting the environment, Lacoste's organic cotton is GOTS certified. This approach should encourage the industry to reinvent itself and create a future compatible with the major priorities of our time. This is why Lacoste is committed to developing fashion that embraces the principles of the circular economy. In 2020, it became a partner in the "Make Fashion Circular" initiative promoted by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Its commitment to this vision is embodied in an ambitious roadmap consisting of three commitments for 2025.