The journey toward sustainable fashion leadership
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APRIL 2019
A journey toward CSR leadership in the fast fashion industry WRIT TEN BY
HARRY MENE AR PRODUCED BY
CR AIG KILLINGBACK
w w w.c o mpa ny we bsite. com
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Canadian fashion retailer Ardene is on a journey to become a corporate social responsibility leader through greenhouse gas mapping, supply chain accountability and innovation
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very business faces the constant challenge of remaining true to its core values, particularly when growing at
speed. Over the past 37 years, Canadian apparel retailer Ardene has grown from a single 500 sq ft 04
accessories and jewelry store in Montreal to a network of over 375 stores across North America and beyond. Since the company’s inception, Ardene has had one key principle in mind: to “do good business, while also doing good in the world.” Today, Ardene is working harder than ever to ensure it is a leader in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and sustainable supply chain practices. In addition to waste reduction strategies, community outreach initiatives and health and wellness programs for its employees, Ardene is currently embarking on an ambitious project to completely map its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, in order to more effectively understand the next phase of its sustainability journey. We spoke with representatives of Ardene’s CSR team to explore the company’s core
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sustainability goals: complete GHG mapping, increase supply chain accountability, product innovation and, most importantly, sharing Ardene’s message about a sustainable future. “As a family company with a young workforce, upholding ethical practices is part of our DNA; it is important for us to take care of our people, our customers, and of course the world we live in,” says a representative of Ardene’s CSR team. With all of the company’s sustainable initiatives rebranded under the name w w w.a rden e. com
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CLICK TO WATCH : ‘ARDENE IS A FAMILY-OWNED CANADIAN VALUE FASHION RETAILER BASED IN MONTREAL, QUEBEC’ 07 Ardene Collective, the company’s CSR team is emphasizing the fact that sustainability “will not be a simple effort, but will require that we all continue to shift our frame of mind and daily thinking as one collective team”. Ardene organizes its sustainability initiatives into four pillars: People, which includes the wellness of its workforce, including extended partners; Planet, which covers recycling, waste, energy and water; Product, which deals with merchandise, packaging and supply chain efforts; and Policies, which includes compliance and certifications.
‘Sustainability will not be a simple effort, but will require that we all continue to shift our frame of mind and daily thinking as one collective team’ w w w.a rden e. com
ARD E N E F O U N DAT I O N
The Ardene Foundation is the company’s dedicated charitable organization, dedicated to enacting its corporate social responsibility and community goals. To date, the foundation has donated over 1mn articles of clothing and footwear, and raised more than $4mn for non profits. 08
$4mn
Raised for non-profits
1mn
Articles of clothing and footwear donated
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w w w.a rden e. com
‘In areas of empowerment, poverty, education and health, we leverage the strength of our communities and try hard to shape a better world’
Congratulations to Ardene on your world class Sustainability Transformation and CSR efforts. We are proud to be your Partner.
Visit our Site
11 “Because of our presence and brand awareness, we have the opportunity to bring about big changes with regard to
chain to be more sustainable and efficient. “In the past it was very easy, especial-
sustainability,” says Ardene’s repre-
ly in the fashion world: you need it, you
sentative. “We already have programs
ship it. Today, one of our first thoughts
we’re proud of, like community engage-
is: ‘How can we do this better? How
ment, our garden, the end of single use
can we create fewer emissions from
plastic and Styrofoam, store hanger
our transportation?’” explains Ardene’s
re-use programs and more. But we’re
representative. “We’ve already scaled
ready to make an even bigger impact.”
back and consolidated all our ship-
These changes range from small-scale
ments in order to optimize the move-
steps, like replacing plastic water
ment of merchandise. Now our
bottles with boxed water in stores and
products move as directly as possible
offices, to large-scale operations like
from the source to the end store, and
analysing the company’s entire supply
we have dedicated weekly shipping w w w.a rden e. com
‘Because of our footprint and brand awareness, we have the opportunity to bring about big changes’
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reducing the company’s carbon emissions. In order to fully understand and further reduce its carbon footprint today, Ardene is mapping its GHG emissions according to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, a set of standards days. Air freight has also been de-
employed by 90% of Fortune 500
creased tremendously through smarter
companies. Ardene believes that full
planning, as well as vessel shipments
knowledge of its supply chain will help
and trucking.” Furthermore, all of
combat the unsustainable elements
Ardene’s international shipments now
inherent in the apparel industry.
travel directly from the company’s vendors to their destinations, drastically
Additionally, the company has partnered with the Sustainable Apparel
CLICK TO WATCH : ‘ARDENE FOUNDATION IS ARDENE’S DEDICATED CHARITY ORGANIZATION’ 13 Coalition (SAC), a global alliance of
there hasn’t been a lot of progress in
retailers, brands, suppliers, advocacy
the process of garment construction,
groups, labour unions and academics
which still tends to be very resource-
that aims to mitigate the environmental
and labour-intensive work. In the past,
impact of the industry. “This alliance
many companies didn’t have any social
can help us make real change in our
or environmental record of what
company and our supply chain. The
vendors overseas were doing. Now,
SAC offers tools, such as the HIGG
Ardene has systems in place to ensure
Index, that enable brands, retailers and
our factories are socially and environ-
facilities of all sizes – at every stage in
mentally compliant, and we continue to
their sustainability journey – to accu-
improve these through our partner-
rately measure and score a company or
ships with the SAC and others. We have
product’s sustainability performance,”
a code of conduct and conduct audits,”
says Ardene’s representative.
says Ardene’s representative. “Next,
“If you go back even a hundred years,
we’re looking at raw materials and w w w.a rden e. com
ARDENE
4,500+
Approximate number of employees
1982
Year founded
375
Number of stores worldwide 14
packaging too. We have begun the
organizations both at home and abroad
process of product and packaging
to ensure our customers and staff
innovation, whether in the fabrics and
understand that giving back and doing
material choices we make or the way
good is a hands-on part of our culture.
we package goods.”
Whether it be in areas of empowerment,
Ardene also works to ensure its
poverty, education and health, we
positive impact on the world through
leverage the strength of our communi-
the Ardene Foundation, a division of the
ties and try hard to shape a better
brand dedicated to enacting positive
world,” says Ardene’s representative. In
change across the globe. Ardene has
select stores and through its site,
donated over 1mn units of apparel and
Ardene sells its line of biodegradable,
footwear and raised over CA$4mn for
eco-friendly shoes, which are made
various charitable organizations.
from antibacterial, moisture-wicking
“We work with multiple charitable
and pesticide-free bamboo rayon. The
that turn used merchandise into raw material to be re-used, further decreasing waste. Looking back over the past decade, Ardene has made great strides along its sustainability journey. Looking forward to the future, the company is hitting the ground running. Ardene’s representative concludes: “Our sustainability and CSR efforts are an ongoing journey. In the short term, we will continue with our new and existing initiatives, the largest being our greenhouse gas emissions mapping and reduction, and our efforts in supply chain accountability, product innovacompany continues to grow its selection
tion and education. In the future, we
of sustainable products under the name
foresee more sustainable raw materials
Ardene Collective.
in our products, a closed loop through
Ardene recently launched a donation
increased upcycling initiatives, sustain-
box program in select stores, where
able building initiatives and more. We
customers can ensure gently used
are optimistic about the future.”
clothing and shoes avoid landfills. The business also continues its policy of refusing to incinerate post-season clothing and continually donates used products to charities at home and abroad. According to a CSR representative, the company’s next steps are to partner with upcycling organizations w w w.a rden e. com
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2575 Boulevard Pitfield, Saint-Laurent, QC H4S 1W8, Canada T +1 866-322-4442 www.ardene.com #ardenecares