Williams-Sonoma, Inc.’s recently published 2017 Corporate Responsibility Scorecard shows the specialty retailer advancing toward their target of having 100% responsibly sourced cotton in textile products by 2021. The company reports that nearly half the cotton used in their products came from responsible sources last year.
Headquartered in San Francisco, Williams-Sonoma, Inc. brands include Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma, West Elm, and Mark and Graham. Cotton represents the largest volume of fiber used in the company’s textiles, according to the new report.
The company uses a good-better-best approach for calculating the percent of responsibly sourced cotton used in their textiles in pounds. At the “good” end is the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), a global global system for cultivating more sustainable cotton, and Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex certified products. Organic Content Standard (OCS) cotton is considered “better.”
“Best” is the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), which Williams-Sonoma, Inc. calls the gold standard in certifications because it ensures traceability of organic cotton fiber, eliminates harmful chemicals in production, and ensures all manufacturing stages have sound environmental and social management practices. In addition, the company says they’re working to promote alternative textiles with recycled content.
For 2017, the company reported that 49% of the cotton used in their textiles was responsibly sourced. Specifically, 33% was “good,” 1% “better”, and 15% “best.” The total is up several points from 45% in 2015. Also last year, the retailer was recognized as one of Textile Exchange’s top 10 companies using organic cotton and recycled polyester.
Sustainable cotton sourcing is becoming a common goal among major retailers. Last year, Target committed to 100% sustainable cotton sourcing by 2020 and joined the Better Cotton Initiative as a member. The company says that in 2017 they sourced 4,478 metric tons of Better Cotton.
“In considering a shift to sustainable raw materials, brands are future-proofing their business,” Anita Chester, head of sustainable raw materials at C&A Foundation, told Environmental Leader.
