Over 15 years ago, Le Temps des Cerises had already started introducing environmental initiatives around jeans production:
. Reducing use of chemical products in the indigo dyeing process,
. Abolishing use of pumice stone in the rinsing and finishing stages,
. OEKO-TEX certification of our jeans (today this represents 50% of our collections),
. Only working with suppliers who had a purification system for wastewater built into their production process,
. Use of specialised software allowing us to measure the environmental impact of our production (today, 90% of our jeans are assessed in this way),
. Selection and enhancement of eco-design criteria of our jeans,
. Different capsule collections with an environmental orientation, some of which have been integrated into all of our collections: Japan Zero in 2010, stonewashed jeans that are produced without using a single drop of water or the Recycle collection in 2014, which used 20% recycled cotton.
In order to keep improving, in 2022, we made the decision to develop our approach further and extend our environmental and social commitments aimed at a more responsible fashion industry. We named this programme Blue is going Green.
In practical terms, the main subjects we will be focusing on over the next two years are as follows:
. Applying initiatives to our prêt-à-porter collections that are just as ambitious as the ones we have introduced regarding our jeans,
. Furthering the eco-design approach for our clothing,
. Reinforcing our environmental and social traceability,
. Reducing the environmental footprint of our network of boutiques and our logistics chain,
. Providing you with solutions to valorise jeans you don’t wear anymore,
.Communicating in a transparent way about our approach, our successes and any potential difficulties we encounter
In 2024, our aim is to carry out a new assessment of our practices and to update our environmental and social objectives. This underlines our ambition of constantly targeting a more complete and specific approach year after year.
01 OUR ECO-DESIGN APPROACH
Eco-design means taking into account the environmental footprint of materials and the manufacturing processes we employ, with the aim of reducing their impact as much as possible.
As far as our jeans are concerned, this is the approach that has always underscored our initiatives. In 2023, we are hoping, alongside our suppliers, to look into the possibility of using the latest technology and innovations that will reduce the quantities of water and chemicals used. The results of this approach will be set out for you in our Blue is going Green communications.
Within our prêt-à-porter collections, eco-design is a central economic issue for Le Temps des Cerises. The additional costs of using eco-friendly raw materials, such as organic cotton or recycled polyester, make it difficult for us to maintain our affordable prices. The repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic also make it difficult to obtain these materials. Our current initiative is therefore temporary. It involves, for all items in our collections, systematically asking our suppliers about the availability and price of eco-friendly materials with the aim of using them if possible. Our long-term aim is to set a minimum percentage of these materials to be used throughout all of our collections.
02 OUR ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL TRACEABILITY
The relationship between Le Temps des Cerises and our jeans suppliers based in countries located around the Mediterranean basin has always been a very close one. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, we used to organise visits to workshops every three weeks. This close relationship allowed us to personally check that the working conditions for employees in these companies were good. To take this further, in 2022 we are going to introduce a Code of Conduct for suppliers that aims to formalise our expectations regarding the environmental and social practices of our partners. We hope that all of our direct suppliers will sign up to this by 2024.
For our prêt-à-porter collection, our suppliers are located in Asian countries. The greater distance from our headquarters in Marseille makes it difficult to maintain such a close relationship with them. In 2022, with the aim of assessing their maturity, we have begun a process that looks into the practices of our partners using an environmental and social questionnaire.
Several of the objectives held by Le Temps des Cerises are based around this:
. Questioning our suppliers in the same way at least every 24 months in order to monitor the environmental and social initiatives they are undertaking,
. From the end of 2023, reaching a threshold of at least 15% of suppliers audited regarding their environmental and social practices in accordance with one of the two benchmark standards (BSCI and SMETA),
. In 2022, organising regular in-person visits to our partners where environmental and social issues have been identified,
. In 2022, proactively addressing, alongside these same companies, any ways in which Le Temps des Cerises can provide practical help in order to improve the situation.
03 THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF OUR NETWORK OF BOUTIQUES AND OUR LOGISTICS CHAIN
With so many orders coming in via our website every year in addition to 82 boutiques, our logistics chain and our network deserve to be included in the Blue is going Green programme.
We have set our ambitions high. In terms of logistics, over the last few years we have managed to cut out use of air transport. Today we use ocean freight transport instead. Our next aim is to entirely cut out use of new plastic packaging before the end of 2023! We are already working on research regarding alternative solutions.
Regarding our boutiques, the Blue is going Green programme is helping us to take efforts we were already making even further. Our future boutiques will always be designed to include energy efficient lighting and air-conditioning systems and the furnishings will mainly be second-hand items. The main extra initiative is to include an area, in every boutique where it is possible, for sorting all waste generated or received.
04 HELPING YOU TO VALORISE JEANS YOU DON'T WEAR ANYMORE
Having carried out a reorganisation of the way we operate, we have managed to eliminate overproduction. This has involved adjusting our supplies process in order to respond as precisely as possible to customer demand: jeans are now ordered around twice per month and prêt-à-porter items three times per season.
After production, we now want to get involved in another stage of the lifecycle of our clothes: the end of their useful life or more to the point the stage when you don’t feel you need them anymore! In 2022, we are going to set up various initiatives to encourage collection of jeans you don’t wear anymore and, whenever possible, wash them, repair them and sell them in our boutiques. We are delighted with this initiative, because it echoes the origins of Le Temps des Cerises, when Lylian Richardière and his father owned a second-hand clothing store that specialised in vintage items.
When it is not possible to repair jeans that we have collected, they will be valorised and used for other purposes. Blue is going Green communications will inform you about exactly what they are used for.
05 TRANSPARENT COMMUNICATION AROUND THE BLUE IS GOING GREEN PROGRAMME
Just like this initial presentation of our ambitions and our projects, we want to be able to regularly share news with you about the progress we are making. Blue is going Green will therefore gradually become a subject to itself in our social network communication. Furthermore, every year from 2022 onwards, we will publish a report focusing on Blue is going Green that will set out what we have achieved in the previous year and the progress of each of our initiatives.
