Ralph Lauren has unveiled its first Cradle to Cradle Certified Gold cashmere sweater in North America, the UK, and Europe.
According to Ralph Lauren, “The cashmere sweater has been designed to be worn, loved and live on responsibly for generations to come, and will be available in men’s Purple Label and women’s Collection brands.”
The sweater has an organic cotton label and is made of delicate cashmere fibers that have been dyed in deep hues.
The Cradle to Cradle Certified Gold Cashmere Sweater underwent a multi-step certification procedure with the non-profit Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, which has established the global standard for products that are secure, circular, and produced ethically.
The Cradle to Cradle Certified certification is based on a product’s performance across five critical areas of sustainability: material health, product circularity, clean air and climate protection, water and soil stewardship, and social fairness.
Katie Ioanilli, chief global impact and communications officer at Ralph Lauren said, “The kind of luxury we stand for at Ralph Lauren has always been about timelessness, authenticity and a life well-lived. Today more than ever, we believe true luxury encompasses not only a product’s beauty and quality, but how it was made and how it will endure.”
For this, they have created the industry’s first-ever Cradle to Cradle Certified luxury cashmere product, with plans to deliver four more verified icons by 2025.
As part of the Cradle to Cradle certification process, Ralph Lauren added that it is launching a cashmere recycling programme for 100 percent cashmere in partnership with Re-Verso, a leading textile production company that bridges science and technology to create a circular economy manufacturing system for high-quality wool and cashmere.
Initially the programme will be available in North America and Europe, and will allow consumers to ship their 100 percent cashmere items, from any brand, to Re-Verso in Prato, Italy to be recycled.
The move is part of Ralph Lauren’s commitment to sustainability through its ‘Timeless by Design’ philosophy to ensure its products are re-used across generations.
As part of this, Ralph Lauren has also set a goal to implement circular principles into its design and development process by 2025, and build on these commitments by enabling its past and futRalph Laurenure products to live on responsibly by 2030.
