Most urban women have heard of Aritzia. The stylish, mid-priced clothing brand with headquarters in Vancouver, British Columbia, provides a large selection of simple and lovely feminine designs. Although the firm uses a variety of marketing strategies to project an image of sustainability, some of us cynics can’t help but wonder if Aritzia is genuinely sustainable or if we are just being duped into believing that it is and that it is simply another fast fashion company.
What Is Aritzia?
Brian Hill launched the Canadian clothing company in 1984 in Vancouver. The clothing company specializes in producing stylish ‘Everyday Luxury’ collections for women that include dresses, outerwear, sportswear, and workwear that are on-trend. There are 101 high-street stores for the brand in Canada and the US, and this number keeps rising.
Is Aritzia A Fast Fashion Clothing Brand? Exactly What Materials Does Aritzia Employ?
Aritzia is a fast fashion brand. The company produces hundreds of unique items that reflect quickly evolving trends, many of which are ultimately put up for sale at a lower price point. The materials used by Aritzia include nylon, polyester, and cotton in large quantities. However, they only made up 40% of the brand’s whole SS21 collection. The firm has begun adding sustainable materials into its designs, such as organic cotton, recycled materials, or sustainably produced materials. This indicates that the remaining 60% of its textiles were obtained using less-than-sustainable practices and materials, which is not ideal. One of the textiles that Aritzia uses the most is cotton. The company has switched to utilizing cotton that is more ethically and sustainably generated.
Is It Carbon Neutral?
Aritzia claims that by acquiring renewable energy credits across Canada and the US, it is operationally carbon-neutral. This does not, however, change the reality that the company continues to generate significant volumes of CO2 throughout its global supply chain. Additionally, the company has not provided any details on its goals to lower its carbon emissions through supply chain management.
Can Aritzia Be Considered Ethical?
Aritzia claims that it performs a country risk assessment before working with a partner factory. After that, Aritzia must inspect manufacturers to make sure they follow the company’s code of conduct. If the supplier complies with the code of conduct, the brand will work with the manufacturer and keep an eye on it for compliance with its moral standards. However, the company does collaborate with manufacturers in nations where subpar working conditions, unequal pay, and forced labor are frequently the norm. In the Transparency Materials Index 2021 study, Aritzia had a dismal score of 23%. The paucity of information provided by Aritzia on the manufacturers it partners with and the treatment of workers in its supply chain is reflected in the company’s poor score.
In short, Aritzia is undoubtedly gradually improving its sustainable materials, but the company still has a long way to go in terms of transparency.
