ARTEIXO – Spanish fast fashion giant Inditex has announced the discontinuation of ‘Join Life’ sustainability label on its garments. The business, which owns brands including Zara and Pull&Bear, revealed the decision in its annual report. Inditex follows in the footsteps of Swedish fast fashion retailer H&M which recently ditched its ‘Conscious’ collection. The move means Inditex will no longer use the Join Life label on its garments – the label was applied to 61 per cent of its products. The move is likely in response to a clampdown by regulatory authorities on greenwashing.
The report notes: “In 2022, 61 per cent of our products complied with the Join Life standard, amply exceeding our commitment that 50 per cent of our collection should be Join Life compliant this year. We have therefore reached a point in the development of our strategy where it is no longer necessary to differentiate the products in our collections with this label.”
The ‘Join Life’ label was introduced in 2015 and, according to Inditex, it was “a tool to raise awareness among … customers and … staff about the use of raw materials and processes that have a lower impact on the environment as compared to the more widely used practices in the industry.”
Inditex says it will be collaborating with sustainability consultants Quantis moving forward in a move which will see Inditex conducting specific Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) for various raw materials used, as well as for the production processes involved in the manufacturing of garments.
The company added: “To further advance our goals, our sales teams will continue to apply stringent product sustainability criteria and targets as a tool to extend best practices – both in raw materials and processes – to all our collections, and we will continue to use Join Life as an internal standard.”
Inditex claims it has also, “undertaken exacting commitments on the use of raw materials for the next few years.”
The report notes: “In 2023, 100 per cent of the cotton and man-made cellulosic fibres used in our products will come from preferred sources. By 2025, 100 per cent of polyester and linen will also be from preferred sources.”
These ‘preferred’ sources include Better Cotton, organic cotton and recycled polyester from plastic bottles.
