Redwood Classics Apparel (PPAI 696010), a Toronto, Ontario-based supplier, has released its first-ever Impact Report, detailing its decade of sustainability and diversity in the fashion industry.
Redwood Classics says that the report, which focuses on the decade between 2009 and 2019, dives into what sustainability means to the company, including its mantra of “people, planet, prosperity.” The supplier hopes that, by releasing this Impact Report, it will serve as an aspirational baseline that others in the industry can look to when building towards a more sustainable future.
The Impact Report highlights 10 years of conscious growth, sustainable innovation and the strides Redwood Classics Apparel and its founder and president, Kathy Cheng, have made for diversity, inclusion and innovation, both inside and outside of the factory walls.
“Innovation is so much more than just a new idea,” says Cheng. “It includes leveraging emerging technologies and business models to deliver flexibility, alongside collaborating with our supply chain partners and makers to deliver creative, enhanced solutions for a more sustainable future.”
The Impact Report notes that an average of 70 percent of the raw material Redwood Classics Apparel consumes is knit within a 100-mile radius of its factory in the heart of Toronto, enhancing their ability to rapidly innovate, and by sharing the importance of the company’s family textile legacy, a platform for marginalized supply chain partners has been created to enable them to have their voices heard. Also, by producing locally in Canada, the company is able to minimize shipping emissions and material waste, and the company uses landfill-destined deadstock and turns it into upcycled fabric, creating circular solutions.
In addition, Redwood Classics Apparel recognizes its use of natural resources and the impact it has on the environment, and the Impact Report details the measures that have been taken to minimize its carbon footprint throughout the manufacturing process.
While the report covers the time between 2009-2019, it also highlights the impact 2020 had on the company, and the report includes details on how Redwood Classics pivoted during the pandemic to better serve their community by making fabric masks that were donated to numerous health and community partners. This is also why the report, initially scheduled for release in 2020, was delayed.
The full report can be found on the company website here.
