Care for Green, that is our sustainable mission. We want to make people aware of the importance of sustainability. In entrepreneurship, in our products and in our lifestyle.
We have a big heart for fashion. Since 1998 we have been making widely varied collections that allow women to experiment and vary in their own style. Together with our employees, we are passionately committed to designing clothes that make the women who wear our clothes feel beautiful and look their best.
We are not only a close-knit family that takes good care of our customers and each other. At Summum Woman we also have a heart for the people who make our clothes, for animals and for the planet. After all, the way we produce our clothing also impacts them. And for that we take our responsibility.
Sustainability is part of our culture, at all levels. We do this step by step, every day, by working on our sustainable goals. Structured processes and shared responsibilities ensure that corporate responsibility is in our DNA. We have set up a special CSR team with colleagues from different departments, because together we are stronger and we achieve the most. Sustainable entrepreneurship is a journey that never ends.
And because we love transparency, we also show how we do it. That way you are aware of how we work and you know what you are buying. Care for Green.
SUMMUM
Care for Green, that is our sustainable mission.
WHAT WE DO NOW?
Rolling up our sleeves and tackling things is in our DNA. With this attitude we are also committed to doing business with respect, for people, animals and the earth. Every day again. Sustainability starts with the core: our own collections. That is why we do not design our collections for one season, because a style that matches a personality does not go out of fashion. Our collections are made of high quality materials that last long and last for several seasons. Every piece of clothing deserves our love and respect. Our clothing is not a disposable item, but guarantees years of wearing pleasure. We do not like to throw away and ensure that we have minimal stocks and do not create overproduction. We are constantly looking for sustainable materials for our collections: yarns, fabrics and operations that are just as beautiful and comfortable, but have less or almost no impact on our planet. Based on this idea, we have our special Green collection in 2019 launched, with items that consist of at least 50 percent sustainable materials.
The Aware label makes it easy to choose more sustainable fashion items. In this way we create more transparency in our use of materials and we can make our collections more sustainable step by step. We have also developed a Code of Conduct, with which we communicate more effectively and make agreements with our partners and suppliers on social and environmental aspects, among other things. We have also recently tightened up our supplier selection procedure. We are now making more effective use of our Supplier Assessments and the results of these contribute to our decisions. This creates more insight into the working methods of our partners and keeps us sharp to only work with suppliers who, like us, are committed to responsible and sustainable production. Animal welfare is very important to us. We have therefore drawn upan Animal Welfare Policy and ask everyone who works with us to respect it.
HOW DO WE WANT TO IMPROVE?
Under the motto 'Care for Green', we work every day on a sustainable future of fashion. We have the following sustainability objectives: - To make our own organization and supply chain structurally sustainable. - Create more transparency for the internal organization and for stakeholders. - Contributing in their own way to making the sector more sustainable. - Working on increasing our positive impact. We are fully committed to innovative sustainable materials and are gradually expanding our Green collection. We aim for at least 15% of our sold items to have the Green label by 2020. In addition, in 2020 we will focus even more on the greatest risks in our business operations and production chain. On a social level, the greatest risks are that human and labor rights are violated and that no living wage is paid to the people who make our clothes. In the environmental field, this mainly concerns the use of chemicals and water, as well as the origin and production method of animal materials (especially leather).
This report is expected to be published in the spring of 2020. We also have the ambition to become more transparent about what we already do in the field of sustainability and what ambitions we have. By communicating openly about the steps we have already taken, our future plans and the challenges we encounter, we also involve the outside world in our sustainability journey. For example, we are currently working on our first sustainability report for 2019. This report is expected to be published in the spring of 2020. We also have the ambition to become more transparent about what we already do in the field of sustainability and what ambitions we have. By communicating openly about the steps we have already taken, our future plans and the challenges we encounter, we also involve the outside world in our sustainability journey. For example, we are currently working on our first sustainability report for 2019. This report is expected to be published in the spring of 2020.
WHAT'S OUR END GOAL
After oil, fashion is the second most polluting industry in the world. We are well aware of this and want to be part of making our sector more sustainable. Our ambition is to be part of the change, the great transition to 'cleaner' clothing, which we are all working on together. We want to increase and strengthen our positive impact and challenge ourselves with ambitious sustainability goals. We are convinced that there is always room for improvement and that is why we are constantly looking for the latest developments and innovations in the field of sustainability that meet our quality standards. With our working method and our collections we want to demonstrate that sustainability can go hand in hand with fashionable design. We believe in a sustainable future of fashion and work on it every day. We cannot do this alone, but together with our partners, suppliers, customers and other stakeholders. In this way we make the world a little more beautiful together.
