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To really deal with the issue of plastic pollution, we’d like the involvement of trade. Companies have to dramatically reduce plastic use and supply extra sustainable supplies of their packaging. And American clothes firm prAna is doing simply that with its Responsible Packaging Movement.
Plastic air pollution has change into some of the pressing environmental points throughout the world. Yet regardless of rising issues, global production of plastic elevated by 6 million tons between 2019 and 2021. Single-use plastic packaging is likely one of the important culprits, but it affords solely fleeting worth to shoppers.
With a mission to create clothes for constructive change, prAna launched into a journey to scale back the usage of plastics from packaging in 2010.
“After numerous hours, our roll-pack method was born,” stated prAna’s sustainability and social affect supervisor, Ellen Johnson. “Think of it as folding clothes into material burritos, then securing it with a recyclable raffia tie. By 2018, over 80% of our merchandise have been being packaged with this technique. And at present, it’s nonetheless our primary plastic-reducing answer—which we fortunately share with manufacturers within the Responsible Packaging Movement.”
Responsible Packaging Movement
prAna launched the Responsible Packaging Movement (RPM) in 2020 to advertise sustainable packaging practices throughout the patron items trade. More than 150 like-minded manufacturers have since joined, together with Toad & Co, Outerknown, and nonprofit companions 5 Gyres and Canopy to assist with training and advocacy. Some of the member manufacturers have been featured on Earth911 for his or her sustainability initiatives, together with Dr. Bronners, ettitude, and TenTree.
In addition to plastic, the corporate is working to remove the usage of supplies from historical, endangered, or old-growth forests.
“RPM gives a blueprint for the way manufacturers can amplify their actions to scale back local weather change by creating partnerships and overtly sharing finest practices in a non-competitive collaborative setting,” stated prAna’s vp of product, Brian Thompson.
When becoming a member of, firms set accountable packaging objectives, which they share with prAna and their clients. Instead of seeing different manufacturers as competitors, the RPM embraces progress by way of partnerships and sharing data.
“This motion began as a spark of an concept and has taken on a lifetime of its personal,” stated Rachel Ok. Lincoln, director of sustainability at prAna. “In a number of brief months, we discovered ourselves surrounded with an unbelievable group of like-minded, world shopper manufacturers from a number of industries. We’ve come collectively, specializing in collaboration over competitors.”
The RPM has month-to-month webinars and roundtable discussions to discover methods to scale back waste and supply extra sustainable packaging supplies. In addition, prAna gives a social media toolkit to assist firms share their successes.
“Like most issues in life, we’re higher after we work collectively,” stated Johnson. “The Responsible Packaging Movement was created in an effort to share our years’ price of consolidated know-how with different manufacturers trying to evolve their packaging as properly. No matter the place they’re of their journey, all manufacturers are welcome to affix us. Our coaching manuals, training periods, and 1:1 help can be found to everybody.”
prAna: Apparel for Positive Change
By 2021, prAna hit its aim of eliminating plastic from retail packaging. To date, it has eradicated 20 million plastic luggage from its provide chain. But its packaging progress isn’t what made the 30-year-old firm a pacesetter in sustainable and socially accountable vogue.
prAna partnered with Fair Trade USA in 2010 and now has 11 Fair Trade-certified factories, benefitting over 26,000 staff worldwide. Its renewed apparel program is conserving usable garments out of landfills, and prAna makes use of most well-liked fibers, similar to hemp, natural cotton, and recycled nylon.
For instance, its Willow Falls Reversible top and Marta bottom characteristic ECONYL Recycled Nylon. The ReZion collection, together with the Halle Jogger II, Halle Short II, and the Halle Pant Plus II, is created from recycled nylon and makes use of a PFAS-free, sturdy water-repellent coating.
Corporate Sustainability Collaboration
prAna can be a participant in some extra collaborative and voluntary sustainability initiatives. It is a founding member of the Outdoor Industry Association’s Climate Action Corps, the place organizations decide to measuring and decreasing their greenhouse fuel emissions and sharing their progress yearly. Likewise, it joined Textile Exchange’s 2025 Recycled Polyester Challenge, which calls on companies to decide to sourcing from 45% to 100% of polyester from recycled sources by 2025.
Such initiatives deliver companies collectively to hunt options, share finest practices, and encourage motion. Urgent environmental points, similar to plastic air pollution and local weather change, require cooperation and modern actions to make important advances. The RPM is an inspiring instance of what firms can obtain when specializing in collaboration as an alternative of competitors.
Images courtesy of prAna.
