First Global Sustainability Report Details Progress of Ambitious Corporate Initiative

DUSSELDORF, Germany and BRUSSELS, May 24, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

C&A today announces the publication of its first Global Sustainability Report. The launch of the Report details C&A's 2015 progress toward the 2020 goals, launched last year. The 2020 goals marked an ambitious new global sustainability commitment and strategic framework for C&A.

As Jeffrey Hogue, C&A's Global Chief Sustainability Officer puts it, "In 2015, we focused on building strong governance and accountability to support our new sustainability strategy. Building sustainability into our business management system has been crucial to supporting our aspiration to create fashion with a positive impact."

The Report is a key component in a comprehensive new framework of corporate responsibility, with goals and KPIs focusing on sustainable Products, Supply and Lives, where transparency, circular economy and gender serve as strategic lenses.

As detailed in the report, C&A made appreciable gains in sustainability in 2015. Highlights include:

• Named once again the world's largest user of organic cotton by the Textile Exchange, and increased the volume of more sustainable cotton used to 40%.
• Achieved 90% of our shipped volume from our highest rated suppliers.
• Launched a new code of conduct and audit process, supported by the disclosure of tier-1 and selected tier-2 factories in Asia and Europe.
• Committed to using 100% Responsible Down Standard (RDS) certified down in 2016.
• Conducted first complete measurements of C&A's global carbon and water footprints, created a new Sustainable Chemicals Management team and strategy, and completed independent chemicals management audits at 52 key fabric mills.
• Played a leading role in establishing Action Collaboration and Transformation (ACT), a global initiative uniting stakeholders to address the issue of living wages in the textile and garment industry.
• Became a signatory to the UN Global Compact, the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative, championing universal principles on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption through transparent reporting.
• Engaged over 23,000 of our employees in our first sustainability employee engagement campaign, Inspiring Women.

In line with C&A's drive for sustainability, the Global Sustainability Report will only be available online, on C&A's new website http://www.c-a.com/sustainabilityreport2015, in both English and Portuguese. A shorter, summary version will also be available (pdf and printed), in English and Portuguese, as well as in Mandarin, Spanish and German.

Learn more in C&A's first Global Sustainability Report on http://www.c-a.com/sustainabilityreport2015.

About C&A 

C&A is a leading fashion-retail business, with more than 60,000 employees and around 2,000 stores in 23 countries worldwide - as well as a growing online presence. Welcoming more than 2.5 million visitors each day, C&A offers affordable fashion for the entire family. Dedicated to consistently delivering quality to our customers, C&A has been at the forefront of consumer-oriented innovation since 1841.

For more information, see http://www.c-a.com

PRESS CONTACT: 

Thorsten Rolfes
Head of Corporate Communications C&A Europe
phone: +49-(0)211-9872-2749
fax: +49-(0)211-9872-4466
email: thorsten.rolfes@canda.com