Sustainability
Environmental
and Climate Impact
Consideration
for the planet
We are moving towards future-proofing Eton in how we design, produce, ship, package, and distribute our products. To address the environmental impact of our products, we prioritize material topics such as climate impact, circularity, more sustainable materials, pollution in supply chain, chemical management, and responsible water usage throughout our supply chain.
Science Based
Target Initiative
We have had our Scope 1 and 2 target validated by SBTi, a process that requires companies to set targets in line with science and the Paris Agreement of keeping global warming below 1.5°c. Our Science Based Target is to reduce emissions by 46% by 2030 compared to our 2019 base year. Additionally, our long-term goal is to become net zero by 2050. As members of STICA, we have set even more ambitious targets to reduce our Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50% and our Scope 3 emissions by 30% by 2030, based on our 2019 base year.
Climate
Action
One of our prioritized SDG goals is Climate Action and to prioritize taking urgent action against climate change and its impacts. In 2021, we measured our scope 3 emissions for the first time. In 2022, we back tracked our emissions and set 2019 as a base, considering the extraordinary effect of the Covid pandemic on our sales. By measuring, analyzing, and following up on our emissions, we have laid the foundation for our continued transitional journey in reducing our impact.
Focus
Areas
In our quest to reduce emissions and minimize our impact on ecosystem services, we’re committed to transition from conventional to sustainable materials. We also focus on energy efficiency and on adopting renewable energy sources for Scope 1–3 emissions. Transportation is our third focus area, and we are currently exploring alternatives such as sea and train freight and working on future distribution solutions.
Climate
Impact
The Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) has validated Eton’s Science based target, committing to reduce scope 1 and scope 2 GHG emissions with 46% by 2030 from a 2019 base year, and to measuring and reduce scope 3 emissions. As a long-term target, we have committed to be net zero by 2050. Since 2018, we have been tracking and reporting our scope 1 and 2 emissions, with 2019 set as the base year. Calculations are primarily based on actual activity data from our operations, and our supply chain with 99% of our emissions based on actual data.
Since 2018, we have been tracking and reporting our scope 1 and 2 emissions, with 2019 set as the base year. By taking measures to reduce our climate impact across scopes 1 and 2 every year, the 2022 data shows significant improvements, compared to our 2019 base year, scope 1 and 2 emissions decreased by 34%.
Scope 1:
Direct greenhouse emissions that occur from sources that are controlled or owned by an organization.
Scope 2:
Indirect emissions associated with the purchase of electricity, steam, heat, or cooling.
Scope 3:
Activities outside our control but within our value chain. We have identified three major areas for emission reduction: our suppliers’ energy sources and consumption, our fabric choices, and our distribution.
Fig 8. total emissions scope 1 and 2
Materials
We see great potential for reducing our emissions by replacement with more sustainable materials that have a lower impact. In 2022, the Eton Group was certified for organic and recycled materials; The Recycled Claim Standard (RCS) verifies the recycled material and tracks it from the source/recycler to the final product. Products certified to the Organic Content Standard (OCS) contain organically grown material that has been independently verified at each stage of the supply chain, from source to final product. We are currently in the process of converting to only organic and recycled cotton towards our target year 2025. By 2030, all of our materials will be “more sustainable”, and we will continue to work on sourcing the right materials while maintaining Eton’s quality.
Tier 2:
Emissions from tier 2 (fabric production, weaving, finishing) are almost as significant as those from raw materials and yarn production. By collaborating with suppliers to increase the share of renewable energy used, we can reduce emissions in this tier.
Tier 3 and 4:
Within the production phase, the biggest impact in terms of emissions come from Tier 4 (raw materials) and Tier 3 (yarn and fiber processors, including trims).
Water use
Our goal is to promote sustainable practices and preserve access to clean water for everyone. Since our non-iron finishing process involves chemicals, we use a closed loop system that prevents their release into the environment. We rely heavily on cotton as a material for our products, a commonly used material, which requires a substantial amount of water to produce. In addition, all materials we use require water in its production, in an attempt to measure our water consumption for tier 3–4 we have calculated our water usage based on MSI Higg’s Water scarcity numbers (MSI 2022). None of our Tier 1 and 2 suppliers are active in areas with water scarcity.
Chemicals
At Eton all relevant suppliers sign the Eton Standard, agreeing to our quality standards in three areas: Performance and Quality, Chemical Restrictions, and Flammability. Eton’s Restricted Chemical Requirement and Guide is based on REACH Candidate list for substances of very high concern (SVHC), the Restricted list – Annex XVII of REACH, as well as the OEKO-TEX standard, limiting the use of dangerous and harmful chemicals. This includes legally banned and controlled substances, chemicals known to be harmful to human health but not yet legally restricted, and other parameters for health protection. With a chemical management in place, we look at different aspects of chemical use across the entire value chain: from worker safety in production to customer health and safety.
