Ralph Lauren develops new sustainability policy on tracking wood-based fabrics

In a bid to trace source of wood based fabrics like viscose and rayon and eliminate sources connected to the destruction of rainforests, fashion retailer Ralph Lauren has developed a new policy on the use of such fabrics. The company continues to work on its framework for tracking, assessing and developing purchasing guidelines in purchase of raw materials.

Ralph Lauren’s policy and actions on wood-based fabrics were developed in cooperation with Rainforest Action Network (RAN). The ‘Out of Fashion’ RAN campaign is drawing attention to the risks that controversial wood-based fabrics pose to endangered forests.

Ralph Lauren joins leading brands, like H&M, Zara, Stella McCartney, ASOS, Levis Strauss & Co. and others that have already adopted forest products purchasing policies and moved to source more responsibly in order to slow the rate at which the world’s remaining endangered and ancient forests are being pulped for fabrics like rayon, modal and viscose.

“In 2017, Ralph Lauren intends to publish and implement our new sourcing guidelines on wood-based fabrics as part of a broader initiative to establish a traceability, risk assessment and verification framework for the raw materials that we use,” said Halide Alagoz, Ralph Lauren’s senior vice president of global manufacturing and sourcing.

“We’ve already communicated our commitment to our vendors. We believe this initiative demonstrates Ralph Lauren’s commitment to the environment with responsible and traceable sourcing, which we believe will create a positive impact on ecosystems and global communities,” Alagoz added.”