Committed To Change
Francesca Mangano, Head of CSR & Sustainability
Our mission to become a more responsible brand will always be evolving. We take responsibility for the impact we have on people and the planet, and we are striving to reduce our footprint across our business and supply chains.
In short, we are committed to change.
We are committed to transition a minimum of 80% of our materials to more responsible and lower impact alternatives by 2026.
FOCUSES FOR CHANGE
We want to be transparent about our progress so far, as we know it’s important for you to be able to make informed choices. As we move forward, we are focused on how we can do better to respect the planet and its people, source more responsible materials for our product, and improve the way we manufacture within our supply chains.
Guided by science, we are working towards a lower impact future. Whistles is proud to have set to near-term science-based targets, validated by the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi), reducing our scope 1, 2 & 3 greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Alongside our parent company – TFG Brands London – we assess our carbon footprint each year, enabling us to record and measure our progress against our science-based targets. TFG Brands (London) commits to reduce absolute scopes 1 and 2 GHG emissions 95% by FY2030 from a FY2020 base year. TFG Brands (London) also commits to increase annual sourcing of renewable electricity from 0% in FY2020 to 100% by FY2030. TFG Brands (London) further commits to reduce absolute scope 3 GHG emissions from purchased goods and services and upstream transportation and distribution 30% within the same timeframe.
We strive to protect human rights, fair labour standards and safe working conditions within our supply chains, transparently. Whistles is committed to responsible purchasing practices that enable ethical production. By 2025, we will establish a joint supplier-brand code of conduct and implement responsible purchasing principles, further strengthening our partnerships with existing suppliers, with the aim to improve working conditions for workers in our supply chains.
We are replacing our materials with lower impact and more responsible alternatives. We aim to source 100% more responsible and lower impact materials across our core fibres including cotton, viscose, polyester, leather and wool by 2030. What do we mean by lower impact and more responsible and lower impact materials? To honour the complexities of the materials we use – and to always be transparent – we refer to materials grown and produced to certified standards that reduce water, carbon and waste whilst promoting animal welfare and good labour standards as lower impact and more responsible.
We are collaborating with our supplier partners to measure, monitor and reduce environmental impacts across our supply chain, while improving working conditions and enhancing both transparency and traceability. By 2025, we aim to support our suppliers to reach progressive environmental practices, as well as reaching 100% of our factories audited to the SMETA standard, with 80% of those rated green. Environmental impacts include energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, water stewardship, waste reduction and chemical management.
Camille Sullivan, Product Director
Ongoing solutions: what we've achieved so far
- All paper based packaging is FSC certified, from controlled and responsible sources
- Joined the Leather Working Group to reduce the environmental impact of leather manufacturing
- Established a Group I&D board
- We are signatories to the UK Goverment Modern Slavery Pledge, the End Uyghur Forced Labour Coalition and particpated in the UN Global Compact addressing the seafarers crisis, demonstrating our committment to protecting human rights throughout our supply chains
- Our Modern Slavery Statement is published annually, outlining salient risks within our supply chain and the steps we are taking to mitigate them
- Committed to sourcing 80% more responsible material alternatives across our key fibres: cotton, polyester, viscose and by 2025
- Achieved 100% traceability back to farm on our cashmere pieces
- Introduced sequins made from recycled materials in AW21
- Achieved full transparency across tier one & two of our supply chain
- A contributor to the Open Apparel Registry
- We collaborate with suppliers who share our commitment to fair and safe working conditions, following our Code of Conduct and other related policies
HOW WE PLAN TO KEEP EVOLVING
We set new goals
We take action
We change
COMMITTED TO CHANGE
We’re continually working on new material innovation, sourcing quality and responsible styles that will have less impact on the environment.