Splash Fashions was one of the first labels in the region to adopt better business practices for environmental conservation. Behnaz Sanjana quizzes Splash CEO and Fashion Director Landmark Group, Raza Beig, on the youth brand’s sustainability initiatives.
What prompted Splash to take the sustainable/eco-friendly route?
The fashion industry uses an exorbitant amount of resource in the form of raw material, production process, logistics and warehousing, sales and distribution and garment care. It is the second most polluting in terms of overall environmental impact.
In the recent decade, consumers have become increasingly conscious towards the cause of preserving the planet and reducing the carbon footprint we leave behind while looking good and fashionable.
Splash Fashions, being one of the biggest fashion retailers in terms of store presence and volumes in the Middle East, believes it a moral obligation to reduce the impact of the business we do on our environment. Preservation of the environment is one of the most important issues facing the business world today; sustainability is one of the core business values at Splash. We are stepping up our sustainability game simply because it’s the right thing to do. We want our customers to trust us to do the right thing while bringing them fashion in an affordable way.
What are the sustainable initiatives undertaken?
We have adopted a 360-degree approach towards sustainability, starting from product design, selection of raw material, manufacturing practices and supplier selection, usage of packing and packaging material, to warehousing and retail.
More than 80-per-cent of the Splash product line will be made using sustainable raw material by 2020. Splash has also collaborated with international agencies and industry experts to support its sustainability initiative, like:
Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) – Splash is the only homegrown brand in the Middle East to become a member of SAC,a San Francisco-based coalition of global apparel, textile and footwear brands, retailers and manufacturers.SAC promotes adoption and monitoring of sustainable business practices in the industry.
Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) – Splash is the first brand in the Middle East to become a member of BC, a Geneva-based nonprofit organization.BCI runs the largest cotton sustainability programme globally to make cotton production better for the people who produce it, better for the environment it grows in and better for the sector’s future.
Some of the key highlights of Splash’s sustainability initiative are:
1. Use of Sustainable raw material – Use of sustainable raw material like organic and BCI cotton, recycled polyester, sustainable viscose and sustainable lyocell from Lenzing.
2. Compostable product polybags – Approximately 80 million polybags used annually for product packaging are converted from conventional to bio-based compostable polybags, resulting in a reduction of 300 tons of CO2 emission every year. Conventional polybags take centuries to decompose whereas compostable polybags completely disintegrate into organic manure in 180 days.
3. Biodegradable shopping bags – 25 million shopping bags used at the Splash business annually are also changed to oxy-biodegradable polybags.
4. No plastic in packaging – 200 tons of plastic is prevented from going to landfills by replacing all plastic tags with FSC-certified paper tags.
5. Eco- Friendly antibacterial finish – Close to six million Splash products annually are finished with anti-bacterial, stay-fresh finish, which not only gives a functional property to the product, but also helps the environment as the product needs to be washed 1.5 times less than a non-treated product, resulting in less usage of water and washing detergent during the lifecycle of the product.
6. Managing Fashion waste – Life After Fashion Initiative – The Splash Life After Fashion initiative aims at managing post-consumer fashion waste. Splash has collected 15 tons of used clothing back from consumer for recycle and re-use.
7. Manufacturing practices – In the last three years Splash has consciously decided to work with manufacturers who follow environmentally-friendly manufacturing processes and are ready to partner with Splash in its sustainability journey.
8. Ethical Sourcing – The Splash Code of Compliance for Suppliers clearly states the requirement for social and environmental compliance.
Most of the manufacturing facilities used by Splash for production are audited and certified by third party agencies for responsible social and environmental compliance.
Splash’s efforts on sustainability are recognised at various forums and award functions In 2019-20, Splash stood first for having a sustainable business model and third for its Environmental Sustainability Programme at the Gulf Sustainability and CSR awards. We also came first as the most responsible retailer in 2019 at the RetailME awards.
What kind of eco-friendly fabrics do you use?
A variety of eco-friendly and sustainable fabric are used, like:
• Sustainable cotton – Cotton is the single largest fiber used in the Splash product, our target is to convert 100 per cent of the cotton we use at Splash into sustainably sourced cotton by 2020. Close to 20 million Splash garments are made of sustainable cotton, including organic and BCI cotton.
• Viscose/Rayon/Lyocell – A significant part of plant-based fibre like viscose, rayon and lyocell that we use comes from certified sustainable forestry plantation, helping conservation and protection of natural forests. Two million garments annually, approximately 75 per cent of the total plant-based fibre used in business, are from sustainable sources.
• Recycled Polyester – A large part of polyester used at Splash comes from recycled PET bottles.
• It takes 19 such bottles to recycle into one tee shirt. Splash annually sources about. 1.5 million garments made of recycled polyester, preventing 28 million PET bottles from going into the landfill.
• Eco Denim – 100 per cent of the denim at Splash is sustainable, either through sustainable raw material or by eco-friendly garment processing techniques. Splash’s Eco-denim range is produced using water-saving processes and machinery consuming 70-per-cent less water and 30-per-cent less energy as compared to conventional denim, saving millions of gallons of water annually.
How are they better than conventionally used fabric?
Fabric made using sustainable raw material has significantly reduced impact on the environment and they are far more efficient in terms of resource consumption as compared to conventional fabric.
• Organic cotton is grown without the use of pesticide, synthetic fertilisers and chemicals, whereas BCI cotton not just promotes sustainable cotton cultivation practices but also helps improve the livelihood of millions of cotton farmers across the globe.
• Recycled polyester consumes 70-per-cent less energy during production as compared to virgin polyester and also prevents used PET buttons going in the landfill.
• Fabric like viscose/rayon/lyocell used at Splash comes from plant source but without any harm being done to natural forests.
Please tell us briefly about the Aquarium of Truth campaign and if its objectives were met?
Splash wants to encourage consumers to pursue a lifestyle without plastic and consciously incorporate alternatives into their everyday lives for a better future. Plastic represents a new environmental and health threat and our latest campaign focuses on representing the devasting effect of plastic on the ocean and starting a movement against single-use plastic.
We have advanced our sustainability initiatives and reiterated our existing goals to deliver fashion by producing 80 per cent of our products using sustainable and ethically-sourced materials. Our design teams are contributing to the brand’s goals by spending more time researching and sourcing sustainable fabrics and manufacturing methods. With the adoption of sustainable solutions and new technology, the brand will significantly decrease its carbon footprint.
Do you think that as an iconic fashion brand endorsing environmental responsibility, you are impacting the youth and shifting their mindsets towards conserving the planet? And how do you think this makes them perceive the brand?
Today’s young generation is extremely conscious about environmental sustainability. They feel responsible towards their every action and its impact on the environment. Their buying behaviour is also influenced by how a brand approaches the concept of sustainability.
In the times to come sustainable business practice will become a norm governed by the demand from consumers and the government regulatory and statutory policies.
Will your stores ever go plastic-free, with regard to accessories, add-ons on clothes like buttons, and most importantly, with the carry bags?
All carry bags used in Splash store are oxy-biodegradable, which are environmentally friendly as compared to conventional polybags, we are in the process of initiating trials to replace oxy-biodegradable bags with paper bags in the times to come.
Splash’s efforts to go plastic-free in its product packaging is successfully accomplished; we have removed 200 tons of plastic annually from product packaging by replacing plastic tags and accessories with Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper tags and accessories.
For product trims like buttons, we have successfully done trials to use buttons made of re-cycled plastic, we are exploring options to use the same across the business, depending on availability, cost and functionality.
What are the new plans in the pipeline to take your sustainability initiatives further?
Splash Fashions’ aim is to strive for 100-per-cent sustainability in product offering by end of 2020. More than 80 per cent of our products will be manufactured using sustainable and ethically sourced materials. This transformation is certain to significantly decrease the brand’s carbon footprint.
In the time to come, we will define sustainability targets for every aspect of the business and departments, to make our sustainability initiative comprehensive and holistic. We will also work with partners who support us in our sustainability journey.
Splash has taken the lead among fashion retailers in this region on sustainability and would also like to inspire and encourage other brands to adopt the sustainable business practices to achieve the larger goal of preserving the environment for our future generations.
