As of Thursday, American Eagle joined brands like J.Crew as a member of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol.
The Trust Protocol is an article-level traceability tool that enables enrolled farmers to track and measure cotton bale sustainability progress across a number of areas: water use, soil carbon, greenhouse gas emissions and energy efficiency. For the past growing season, 1.1 million acres were enrolled in the program.
AEO’s stable of brands includes American Eagle, Aerie, Off/lne by Aerie, Todd Snyder and Unsubscribed brands.
Through its Protocol Consumption Management Solution, Trust Protocol links each individual cotton bale to a unique Permanent Bale number or “PBI.” This data is then matched against the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s cotton database. In a partnership with technology player TextileGenesis, the Trust Protocol is able to trace each level of the supply chain from bale to retail.
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“AEO is excited to partner with the Trust Protocol as we work to move our sustainability practices forward, preserve our planet and meet the ambitious targets we have set on our journey to build a better world,” said Mark Rose, senior vice president, production and sourcing at AEO. “The Trust Protocol will help provide AEO the opportunity to further verify our responsible sourcing practices and demonstrate the progress we’re making toward meeting our environmental targets.”
Centered on three key areas — planet, people and practices — AEO uses the tool to help better fine tune its ESG strategies across the raw material stage.
In another stride, The Butterfly Mark (which counts brands MCM, Tom Ford Beauty and 111Skin amongst its 115 luxury clients) awarded its first cultural institution its stamp of approval.
The Livraria Lello bookstore in Portugal is the first business outside beauty and fashion to achieve the Butterfly Mark. Similar to B Corp, the certification Butterfly Mark is an assessment tool meant to signal ESG progress. The mark comes from Positive Luxury and in order to achieve the Butterfly Mark, companies must achieve a minimum of 50 percent passing rate in each area of the weighted ESG assessment.
Livraria Lello, for example, scored above and beyond on community, circularity and recycling. Amid the pandemic, Livraria Lello provided PDF book formats for free, as well as 10,000 physical books to the local community. Last year, through a partnership with UNICEF, and in support of Ukraine, Livraria Lello translated “The Little Prince” in Ukraine, raising 10,000 euros for helping children victims of war.
The bookstore also implemented a book donation program, eliminated plastic waste and used repurposed materials to furnish its space. Since 2017, the bookstore has produced its bestsellers in house, turning to only certified suppliers and materials Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper.