Mango's journey towards sustainable fashion

Spanish company Mango launched the third edition of its sustainable "Committed" collection just one month ago. In the collection Mango used fabrics like tencelTM, lyocell, recycled polyester and organic cotton; further strengthening the company's commitment to responsible fashion.

The third edition of its Committed collection was launched this April and features cool silhouettes with a bohemian touch. This collection is part of Mango’s Take Action programme, in which the company aims to increase the number of garments being made from sustainable fabrics by 50 percent before 2022.

Mango also recently announced it has joined the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), in order to reinforce its commitment to increasing the volume of more sustainable cotton it sources. The initiative aims to transform international cotton production by promoting the procurement of more sustainable cotton. "Better Cotton has more than 15 million producers distributed across 23 countries, said Beatriz Bayo, director of Corporate Social Responsibility for the company.

Evolution of the Committed collection

The first edition of the collection was launched in February 2017, followed by the second installment in October of the same year. "We hope to continue progressing in this direction and making new editions of this collection where we will incorporate new materials," Bayo told FashionUnited.

The first two editions of the Committed collection was well received, which also indicated that there are consumers committed to sustainability who also want to wear fashionable clothing.

Mango’s Commitment to Sustainability

The “Take Action programme” encompasses all initiatives taken by the company to take on more environmentally-oriented business model by recognising the opportunity for increased sustainability in each department of the brand. The Spanish firm has also opened a new sustainable store concept called "The Line", which features lighting control and optimised air-conditioning systems to reduce power consumption when the store is closed.

According to Bayo, the firm’s commitment to sustainability goes far beyond the use of environmentally-friendly materials. Mango analyses all its garments to reduce the use of substances that may be harmful to customers and the environment; data reveals that 100 percent of its products meet the strictest chemical safety and health standards.

The company is also developing its own tool to evaluate the percentage of water currently used in production phases to determine which processes, garments and facilities can use less water. The director of RSC announced the jeans line will be the first to be analysed with more following after results have been obtained.

Another sustainability project Mango supports is the Detox Greenpeace Campaign, which analyses and evaluates wet production processes to eliminate the release of potentially harmful chemicals in water. "Since 2012, Mango has been collaborating with NGOs and expert laboratories to obtain a sample of wastewater from its suppliers' factories. So far, water from Bangladesh, China, India and Turkey has been analysed," said Bayo.

In 2015, the Mango started a pilot project in the city of Barcelona, called “Second Chances,” by placing collection containers in select stores for unwanted used clothes and footwear. The goal of the project is to recycle and reuse unwanted garments that are discarded and to and help reduce textile waste.

Other environmental solutions developed by Mango involve the compensation of CO2 emissions with several projects selected each year in order to encourage development of CO2 emission reducing technology in its production areas.

This article was originally written for FashionUnited.es. Translated and edited by Kelly Press.