Tommy Hilfiger Bets on a Circular Approach to Fashion

Editorial TeamEditorial Team
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May 26th, 2022
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10:26 AM

Shaping a circular fashion brand that limits its carbon and water footprint and uses materials within a sustainable cycle, the American apparel brand has initiated its “Make it Possible" program for social and environmental change.

The fashion industry is facing imminent change, where old production practices have become obsolete. Tommy Hilfiger is aware of this and is committed to a better future by announcing a new sustainability program "Make it Possible" driven by the vision of "Waste Nothing and Welcome All" which aims to make its products waste-free, respect ecosystems, and make the brand an inclusive haven by 2030. Tommy Hilfiger's mission takes as its starting point its parent company PVH's Fashion Forward strategy, a set of 15 priorities designed to reduce negative impacts to zero, increase positive impacts to 100% and improve the lives of one million people who make up its value chain. Previously, Tommy Hilfiger has joined forces with industry partners by signing The Fashion Pact in August 2019, and has joined the Ellen MacArthur Make Fashion Circular Foundation and the Jeans Redise Guidelines. This program is driven by PVH Corp's Forward Fashion, to which the brand belongs, which seeks to improve the lives of more than one million people who work with the company. The changes have already begun, now the production of denim pieces is low-impact and more than 80% of Tommy Hilfiger designers have been trained in a circular design, which does not generate waste. Tommy Hilfiger Adaptive, another of the brand's twenty-four goals, was also presented, which focuses on making it easier for adults and children with disabilities to dress. Over the past few years, Tommy Hilfiger has also worked with WWF to address water risk in certain strategic supply chain locations. This includes water risk management training for suppliers and industrial sites in the Taihu River Basin in China and becoming a founding partner of a new water stewardship program in the Mekong River Basin in Vietnam.  

  From Full Circularity to Better Use of Resources: Continuing the work it has been doing in recent years, Tommy Hilfiger has unveiled a total of 24 new commitments on sustainability and inclusion. These are objectives on which it will work continuously over the next 10 years, and which in turn are encompassed within 4 main areas of work. On the one hand, we will find "Circle Round", a heading under which it has set out all the work and initiatives aimed at creating products and promoting a new, fully circular fashion industry. The firm is already working on this objective and has established the first stop for 2025. By 2025, the company has set a target date for, among other actions, 100 percent sustainable cellulose, the promotion of a garment collection and recycling system, and the fact that 50 percent of its denim pieces will be made from lower-impact fabrics. All this while continuing to launch new garments and designs based on new sustainable and recycled materials, as well as on the principles of circularity. In addition, in terms of manufacturing processes, we find the "Made for Life" area. This is where Tommy brings together all the initiatives to produce in a more environmentally conscious and respectful way. A goal they have committed to using sustainable and recyclable packaging throughout their supply chain, pouring purified water without traces of chemical products, using 100 percent renewable electricity, and having offices, distribution centers, and shops that generate zero waste and no single-use plastics by 2030. Tommy Hilfiger collaborates with the Sustainable Apparel Coalition to accurately assess and share information on the environmental impact of goods. In addition to 100% recycled denim, Tommy Hilfiger has begun producing 100% organic cotton pieces and 100% recycled polyester pieces. Certified Standard 100 by OEKO-TEX®, the organic cotton used by the brand is free from chemical pesticides, fertilizers, and genetically modified seeds. It is also bought from certified independent suppliers. Meanwhile, its recycled polyester is derived from textiles, manufacturing waste, and plastic bottles.