Managing our environmental impacts is a key focus of our work. To understand what impacts occur in our business processes we have reviewed the life cycle of our products. We look all along the value chain where our products are designed, created, manufactured, transported and sold.
Where do the environmental impacts occur? In short, all along the value chain: crude oil is used to manufacture polyester, water is needed to grow cotton and chemicals are used for dyeing and finishing fabrics or for tanning leather. Once the products have been made, there are emissions associated with transporting them to where they are sold, and at the end of their useful life they become waste.
Why is it so important to look at environmental issues at the design stage? Because decisions taken at the design stage have a direct bearing on impacts further along the value chain.
This section is structured around our value chain. It starts with our Environmental Strategy 2015 which helps us to coordinate and manage our Group’s environmental initiatives. Under Product creation, we include the efforts we are making to design greener products and use more sustainable materials. This is followed by Product safety, Sourcing and manufacturing, our Green Company programme, Climate change, and finally Sales and end of life.