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2022 Impact Report

Turning over a new sheet on sustainability

The road to Re:generation

Sustainability is no longer enough. As brands, we need to actively restore the earth’s health. In 2022, we worked hard to turn over a new sheet on what sustainability means to ettitude. No brand is perfect. But we’re making it our mission to leave the planet better than we found it by using regenerative resources and challenging processes (even our own).It’s a journey and we want to take you along every step of the way. We’re raising our own standards each day for a reimagined tomorrow, so you and the planet can rise and thrive.

CleanBamboo®

The textile industry is the second most polluting industry in the world. It’s in an unsustainable cycle that harms and degenerates the earth—stripping more precious resources than it gives back. Our innovative CleanBamboo doesn’t take—it regenerates. Here’s how:

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Replenishes the earth

Bamboo is a regenerating grass that constantly reproduces itself, even after harvesting. It enriches the soil with nutrients, removing toxins and leaving a more vital environment. On the other hand, cotton requires large amounts of CO2 and freshwater to produce and replant. Cotton also degrades the soil it grows in, impacting biodiversity and wildlife.

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0% harmful chemicals

CleanBamboo is the only bamboo fabric that uses only organic materials and non-toxic chemicals. By comparison, bamboo viscose/rayon uses a chemically intensive process that causes harm to workers exposed to those chemicals and expels toxic waste into the environment.

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Absorbs carbon

Bamboo forests absorb 2.03 metric tons (2,030 kg) of CO2 per hectare per year. In 2022, the bamboo used in ettitude products helped absorb 199 metric tons (199,065 kg) of CO2 from the atmosphere.

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Produces little waste

Bamboo farming creates minimal wastage. 70% of the bamboo we harvest is used to create fiber, the remaining 30% is composted.

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Uses 100% rainwater

Our bamboo uses only rainwater to grow. Whereas cotton is considered the largest water user of all crops, wasting and contaminating freshwater supplies.

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Our guiding direction

The UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals are a blueprint for ending poverty, protecting our planet, and improving the living conditions of the global population. We use these to guide our decisions day in, day out.

In 2022, our work focused on six key goals:

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Becoming B Corp Certified

Re:imagining business for the better

As of March 2022, ettitude officially became a certified B Corporation with a score of 102! B Corps are committed to using business as a force for good in the world, upholding globally recognized ethical and environmental standards. 

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Becoming B Corp Certified

How we scored

How we stacked up in each assessment area:

  • • Governance (16.5)
  • • Workers (23.4)
  • • Community (18.5)
  • • Environment (41.1)
  • • Customers (2.2)
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Our product:

Re:newing processes & transparency

As set out in our 2021 Impact Report, we conducted a Lifecycle Analysis (LCA) with BCOME to provide more visibility on our products’ impact on water consumption, CO2 emissions, fossil fuel usage, and soil health. Why? So, we can continue to improve upon our practices and allow our customers to make better-informed purchases.

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Our product:

Traceability

Our goal was to reach 100% transparency and traceability for every level of our supply chain to know exactly where our fibers and products come from and the people behind them.

That’s why we implemented a more comprehensive code of conduct and social compliance policies with our suppliers, requiring compliance down to the farm level (Tier 5).

Many brands have generic policies and only have visibility to the material and component level (Tier 3).

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1,720,545 kg CO2 equiv. saved*

Equivalent to 3336 gal (12,629L) of gasoline consumed.
*Compared to conventional lyocell

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Absorbed 199 metric tons of CO2 from the atmosphere*

Equivalent to the amount of CO2 a tree absorbs in 2,770 years
*From the bamboo harvested for our production

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Saved 633,452 m3 of water*

That’s 36,042 bathtubs worth
of water saved.
*Compared to conventional lyocell

The challenges

Sometimes things don’t go to plan. In 2022, global events and supply-chain issues caused headaches for many brands and ettitude was no different. We found ourselves overstocked and having to mark down products to make sure none of it went to waste. As a result, we’ve changed our product assortment and implemented an integrated lifecycle tracking system to reduce excess inventory and seasonal markdowns.

Last year, we set out to remove all plastic from our delivery process. But sadly, it just wasn’t feasible with the increasing supply chain challenges and customer service needs. We’re working hard to accomplish our plastic-free delivery goal in 2023 in line with moving to our new warehouse.

The future

Longer term, we aim to transition a portion of our manufacturing to South America in a vertical production facility so that everything is done in one place. This will reduce the transporting of materials to multiple locations, minimize packaging, and lower our overall carbon footprint. 

ettitude has now expanded into the wholesale fabric innovation space, offering our next-gen materials to like-minded brands. This will allow us to create a material difference in the textile industry. Replacing conventional, harmful fabrics such as cotton, viscose, silk, and cashmere with our eco-innovative fibers that last longer and actively restore the earth.

Our planet:

Re:storing the earth

Planting the seeds for a regenerative future means giving more than we take. In 2022 and beyond, we’ve continued our Climate Neutral commitment to measure, reduce, and offset all of the carbon it takes to make and deliver every ettitude product. 

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Our planet:

Offsetting 7,380 tons of CO²

The small amount of CO2 we produce is completely offset through the following efforts:
In 2022, we offset 100% of our emissions by funding BEF's projects with carbon credits. 20% of the funds supported the Tribal Renewable Energy Fund to provide solar energy for low-income and tribal communities. 

The remaining 80% of the funds went to the Xinyang Landfill Gas Recovery. This project converts garbage into power—reducing greenhouse gasses, air pollution, and odor, and enhancing safety conditions.

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Keeping everything in loop

How we’re reducing waste with circular supply chain processes

Reusing water
Our patented closed-loop system reuses water up to 200 times, recycling 98% of the water in production.

Recommerce projects
To give our returned products a second life, we donated to some wonderful charities, including Re-Love, TreePeople, and more.

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Planet-conscious partnerships

We reimagined Cyber Week to create “Giving Week”. During the promotional week and Giving Tuesday, we donated $10,835 of profits to SeaTrees by Sustainable Surf to support their Kelp reforestation project in California.

In partnership with The Bay Foundation, every order restored one square foot of sea kelp forest to regenerate marine life habitats and absorb carbon emissions. 

The challenges

Like many companies, we felt the harsh effects of the supply chain and global market challenges. This unfortunately meant we had to tighten resources, restructure the team, and pause The Encoreship and scholarship programs due to shifting capacity and priorities. It was an extremely difficult year for our team, but we’re so grateful for their ongoing dedication and passion to ettitude.

The future

Going into 2023, we’re looking for partnerships to help us plan out and launch science-based targets. This year, we’re also launching a recommerce site in partnership with Treet to extend the life of our returned products and keep other textiles out of landfills. 

Our people:

Re:claiming
team well-being

For many brands, 2022 was a challenging year balancing global market challenges with the needs of their team. We, unfortunately, felt this too. But the ettitude team worked hard to maintain our values and support each other through the ups and downs.

We know that positive change starts with us. This means continuing to hire from diverse backgrounds, encouraging innovative thinking, and cultivating an inclusive, supportive work environment.

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Resetting mental health initiatives

We aimed to set up a mental health program for the ettitude team in 2022. While this was not something we achieved, we still took a step back to focus on our team’s well-being with: 

Quarterly company-wide mental health days 
Well-being workshops on culture and bandwidth, avoiding burnout, and non-violent communication strategies
Monthly wellness budgets for each team member

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Prioritizing team development

Creating positive change is at the core of everything we do, which is why we held DEI Cultural learning sessions for AAPI Heritage Month, the history of Thanksgiving, and Black History Month to continue unlearning and relearning.

The team was also given an education budget to support their growth in whatever topic or skill set they chose.

The challenges

Creating positive change is at the core of everything we do, which is why we held DEI Cultural learning sessions for AAPI heritage month, the history of Thanksgiving, and Black History Month to continue unlearning and relearning. The team was also given an education budget to support their growth in whatever topic or skill set they chose.

The future

In 2023 and beyond, we’ll continue to listen to our team’s needs and maintain the vital well-being practices introduced last year. We plan to add employee happiness to our business strategy pillars and invest strategically in different resources to bring a more well-deserved work-life balance to our devoted team.

Read our previous impact reports