EILEEN FISHER, Inc. Launches VISION2020 Campaign Detailing the First Five Years of its Push Towards 100% Sustainability

NEW YORK, March 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- EILEEN FISHER is taking a stand for sustainable business practices by announcing its new VISION2020 campaign, a bold new plan detailing the steps the brand will take over the course of the next five years toward reaching a goal of 100% sustainability. The brand will launch a national advertising campaign announcing its efforts, which will be supported through social media, PR, online, and their retail stores. Known for its commitment to responsible and eco-friendly business practices, EILEEN FISHER will outline the steps they will take over these next five years to work towards that goal in eight important categories: materials, chemistry, water, carbon, conscious business practices, fair wages & benefits, worker voice, and worker & community happiness.

"To create a truly responsible supply chain, we need to scrutinize everything we do, from the field to the factory to the landfill," said Candice Reffe, Co-Creative Officer. "We need to take a hard look at what's often swept under the rug -- toxins, carbon emissions, and low worker pay, to name a few. It won't be easy. We'll need the help of our customers, our manufacturing partners, and like-minded brands. And we'll do it with two simple words: no excuses."

The brand plans to continue on its path toward fiber sustainability by using only organic cotton and linen in its clothing by 2020. Additionally, the brand plans to use only wool from sheep that are humanely raised on sustainable farms, and swap Tencel® for rayon. To improve its use of color, the brand will be continuing its partnership with bluesign® technologies working toward responsible chemical, water, and energy usage. By the year 2020, roughly 30% of all EILEEN FISHER items will be bluesign® certified. Further, the brand plans to reach out to other fashion labels to create demand for responsible dyes in an attempt to establish a new industry norm. To reverse the global resource consumption trend, the brand is pledging to use less water, emitting less carbon, and producing less fabric waste, as well as investing in alternative energy. In five years, EILEEN FISHER, Inc. pledges that its US operations won't just be carbon neutral -- they'll be carbon positive.

The campaign isn't just about energy and resources -- from investing in alternative supply chains that pay fair wages to creating investment programs like The Handloom Project in rural communities -- the brand is also committed to improving the livelihoods of the workers in its supply chain. In an effort to ensure only the finest natural materials are used in the best conditions, the EILEEN FISHER will also be mapping its global supply chain, investigating suppliers, factories, spinners, and mills and posting the progress for fans of the brand to follow online. Finally, EILEEN FISHER is pledging to continue its work to reuse clothing and reduce waste with its clothing recycling program. By 2020, the program is expected to hit 1 million recycled items, which the brand will resell. Those items that can't be resold will be turned into raw material for new textiles or fashioned into new clothes. With its newly laid out goals, the brand hopes to work towards total sustainability, and envisions a world in which waste is a thing of the past.

About EILEEN FISHER:
EILEEN FISHER has been creating effortlessly chic clothes for the past 30 years. Designed with pure shapes and fine fabrics, the collections offer sophistication, comfort and style that lasts. As a socially conscious company, EILEEN FISHER is a pioneer in eco-friendly fashion and in supporting global initiatives that empower women and girls. The clothing is sold at more than 60 EILEEN FISHER retail stores in the US, Canada and the UK, as well as at major department stores and eileenfisher.com

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SOURCE EILEEN FISHER, Inc.

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