BESTSELLER has a responsibility to help create a healthy watershed in the locations we source from. While our own water use is not high, our focus is to reduce water use in our supply chain.
Water is a more or less constant component in textile production and garment manufacturing, and traditional processes – from crop irrigation to the dyeing of fabric, and the washing of garments – can have a substantial negative impact on waterways.
For the raw material production, we will increase the uptake of materials with verified water reductions, like Better Cotton, and work with suppliers who continuously strive to improve their water stewardship practices. The water stewardship approach also means we will look beyond water management at factory level.
We collect data about our suppliers’ water usage through the Higg FEM and as part of our Factory Standards Programme, and suppliers’ performance data is incorporated into suppliers’ environment rating.
We have stringent requirements on how suppliers manage water usage. We monitor this through the Higg FEM and our Factory Standards Programme. Suppliers’ performance on water management is included in the Suppliers’ Sustainability Rating.
Traditional methods of denim production can be harmful to the environment due to the significant amounts of water and chemicals involved.
To produce the denim products of the future, our brands are continuously analysing how they can improve the jeans and other denim-based products they sell, as well as working with innovative manufacturers to identify and apply alternative solutions.
For example, since 2020, all cotton in SELECTED’s jeans is organic and all jeans go through Jeanologia’s Environmental Impact Measuring software to assess and lower the impact of the garments’ finishing processes, such as water, energy and chemicals.
What standards do BESTELLER have for wastewater management? How is it monitored and how are suppliers supported? Learn more in the video.
Water is a localised resource, which impacts all users of a water basin system and it is a shared responsibility to protect common water resources. Therefore, we focus on local circumstances and take supply chain operations, as well as local water availability and quality, into account when prioritising actions and setting targets that take the local context into consideration. This has led to a shift in our approach where we decided to move from setting water targets to developing a framework that defines key focus areas and risks and enables us to continuously improve.
Having joined the Science Based Targets for Nature Corporate Engagement programme, BESTSELLER has been following the development of the SBT for Water closely. The development of the Water Framework takes this important work into consideration and we aim to adopt the SBT for Water where it will be relevant over time. Through impact measurement, partnership, and engaging local communities and customers, BESTSELLER’s aims to be part of the solution and helps improve conditions in communities which we depend on for our raw materials. At the core of the framework lies the understanding of the impact of our operations and how managing these impacts link to for example climate change, human rights and biodiversity.
With regards to the water use in our supply chain, BESTSELLER’s focus lies with water stewardship in production facilities that are highly dependent on water and suppliers located in high-risk basins. For the raw material production, we will increase the uptake of materials with verified water reductions, like Better Cotton, and work with suppliers who continuously strive to improve their water stewardship practices. The water stewardship approach also means we will look beyond water management at factory level.
Our environmental requirements for tier 1 factories require them to identify and track the quantity of water used by their facilities, set a baseline for water use and identify which processes contribute most to water use onsite. Factories are required to set targets and action plans to reduce water withdrawal compared to their baseline. We collect data about our suppliers’ water usage through the Higg FEM and as part of our Factory Standards Programme, and suppliers' performance data is incorporated into suppliers’ environment rating.
Our guidelines and expectations for our suppliers are outlined in our Code of Conduct and is in line with advice from industry advocacy organisations such as Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) and ZDHC (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals). BESTSELLER became a member of AWS in 2019 and is working with suppliers in water-stressed catchments to understand and apply AWS standards, which focus on implementing water stewardship practices. We are currently following the progress of a few leading suppliers in Pakistan to understand how this approach can be applied in other parts of our supply chain.