UK-based supermarket retailer Asda announced that its fashion and homewares arm George will sell products manufactured from recycled plastic bottles and clothing as part of new sustainability pledge.
Image: George at Asda to sell products sourced from recycled plastic. Photo: Courtesy of ASDA.
The super market retailer said that George is selling products from recycled materials for the first time in the market in a move to use only using recycled polyester by 2025 part of several commitments to improve the ethical and environmental impact of its products.
George is launching the range of products in the Spring/Summer 19 that includes Home cushions and throws made from recycled plastic bottles, and blouses and dresses made with fabric from recycled polyester clothing.
Asda said that the present move is also accompanied by commitments to source only certified sustainable viscose and sustainable cotton by 2025, along with existing commitments for 100% sustainable timber by 2020 and palm oil, which is in place since 2014.
George is the second largest fashion retailer in the UK by volume, which is expected to extend its work looking at microfiber shedding, with a full microfiber strategy planned to be published later this year.
Asda claims that it is the first supermarket to join to the Microfiber Consortium and through the consortium the company is testing different fabrics to understand the extent of shedding from each fabric.
The company helps its customers to understand more about the sustainability of the garments and how to reduce the environmental impact through garment care and awareness of how they can repurpose, reuse or recycle old clothing.
Asda said that George has a zero-tolerance policy towards incineration and donates garments that cannot be sold to charitable organizations to be repurposed.
George is expected to start publishing a list of its second tier apparel factories that include dyeing, printing and finishing garments joining its existing list of first tier factories, where clothes are cut, sewn and trimmed on its website to further increase transparency around its supply chain.
Asda commercial senior vice president Nick Jones said: “As the second largest clothing retailer in the country, we have a responsibility to do the right thing by our customers, not only on the price and quality of our goods, but also on the impact we have on the world around us.
Our George sustainability strategy builds on the work we’ve done to date and sets stretching targets and commitments to reduce the environmental and social impact of our products; because we know that, for our customers, looking after the environment is always in fashion.”