The back of a person wearing a camouflage cap and a white shirt with orange text, standing against a white background. The shirt reads "CÔTE D’AZUR." The person's head has a floral tattoo on the neck, and their back features a graphic design of a blue ocean wave with a road and a car.
Two women in athletic clothes walking on a track at a sports field, smiling and enjoying a sunny day.

planet

RAG is aware of the impact the apparel industry has on our planet and we are committed to making positive change.

Our environmental strategy is a commitment to 4 long term goals which aim to address the biggest environmental challenges across our supply chain from the fields where our cotton is grown to how garments are disposed of.

We know that our environmental journey will take time, but we are working towards developing a strategy for each goal.

OUR sustainability cycle

Diagram illustrating sustainable fashion practices including sustainable materials, environmental footprint, recycling, and circular economy, with icons of trees, windmills, factories, trucks, clothing, computers, and recycling symbols.

  • Use more sustainable materials

    For each of our top 3 raw materials we use to make our garments,
    we have developed a sustainable strategy and targets to achieve:

    COTTON

    Growing cotton is a highly water and pesticide intensive process. One cotton shirt takes approximately 2,700 litres of water to produce.

    We partner with Better Cotton to improve cotton farming globally. Better Cotton’s mission is to help cotton communities survive and thrive, while protecting and restoring the environment.

    Better Cotton trains farmers to:

    • use water efficiently

    • reduce use of the most harmful chemicals

    • care for soil health and natural habitats

    • care for the environment and respect workers’ rights and wellbeing

    • adapt to the effects of climate change happening in the world

    POLYESTER

    The apparel industry emits almost 10% of Global Green House Gas Emissions. This is particularly driven by synthetic fibres like polyester.

    We are committed to further increasing our use of recycled polyester so that by 2025, 50% of RAG’s polyester will be made from recycled materials.

    LINEN

    Linen is biodegradable and made from flax plant fibres making it a sustainable raw material option which currently represents about 10% of our raw material usage.

    We have currently traced over 50% of our Raw Linen to the farm in which it was grown. At present this is all located in France and Belgium. We are committed to tracing all of our raw linen by 2

  • Reduce our environmental footprint.

    RAG is committed to reducing our environmental footprint. The biggest risk area for us in this regard is in our overseas supply chain: in our factory mills, on the fields where our cotton is grown and in the polyester production process.

    Through our partnership with BCI, cotton farmers are trained to use water more efficiently, reduce use of the most harmful chemicals and to care for soil health and natural habitats. We are also using more recycled polyester and working with our mills to monitor and improve environmental efficiencies. Through these initiatives we are working towards:

    • More efficient water usage

    • Manage wastewater

    • More efficient energy usage

    • Reduce use of harmful chemicals

  • RAG is aware of the impact the apparel industry has on the environment.

    We are committed to making continuous improvement across all aspects of our business and supply chain. This will include using more sustainable materials and more conscious waste disposal.

     

    Our achievements to date include:

    • We have reduced our textile waste through our partnerships with the Red Cross, Thread Together and UPPAREL. Read more about this here

    • We successfully monitor our shipping operations to minimise the amount of shipments required, reducing our environmental footprint;

    • Our bags are made from a minimum of 80% recycled materials;

    • We have commenced replacing the polyester in our new garments with recycled polyester; and

    • We are reducing our head office waste to landfill.

  • Develop a circular economy.

    At RAG product is our hero. However, we recognise that our garments have a life after they leave our stores. We are committed to educating our customers on the best way to care for their garments to make them last longer and the opportunity to dispose of old garments in an environmentally conscious manner.

    UPCYCLING, REPURPOSING, RECYCLING

    Read more about our partnership with UPPAREL here.

    CHARITY DONATIONS

    Read more about our partnerships with Thread Together and the
    Australian Red Cross here.