New Look unveils sustainability strategy to become 'climate positive' by 2040

New Look has published an update to its sustainability strategy, featuring commitments to become climate positive by 2040, and halving greenhouse gas emissions from products by 2030.

The new update focuses on the fashion retailer's four core pillars across business responsibility, product, culture, and local community impact, with its 'Kind to Our Core' initiative being the key pillar in New Look's 3-year business strategy to deliver its ambitious ESG targets.

The climate positive commitment will see New Look strive to reduce its environmental impact across a range of key factors, including the circularity of its products and packaging, and reducing emissions and water usage.

The retailer currently classes 55% of its products as "Kind", meaning that they are sourced with environmental impacts in mind, including the amount of cotton sourced through the Better Cotton Initiative.

Additionally, New Look is aiming to ensure that 100% of its cotton is either recycled, organic or from the initiative by 2022, and a target to use 100% sustainable viscose by 2023.

The company will publish full visibility of suppliers through to Tier 2 and full visibility of its cotton, viscose and polyester supply chains to Tier 3 by 2023. New Look will also run new carbon targets through the Science-Based Targets initiative, with specific targets and roadmaps to be submitted by 2023 and ratified by 2024.

Nigel Oddy, CEO of New Look, said: "Environmental and social responsibility has been a part of our business for over 20 years. Now, as a leading womenswear retailer with a global footprint, acting sustainably has never been more important to us. We are proud of our achievements to date, but our strategy refresh commits to going further and outlines our ambitions for the future.

"At New Look, we have a responsibility to our people, employees, and wider society to embrace and accelerate the change needed to reduce our environmental impact. By ensuring that our business is ‘Kind to Our Core’ we are also building a brand that is fit for cultural evolution and global challenges, creating a sustainable future for New Look."