The North Face Announces Certified Down For Fall 15
All down will be certified against the gloabl Responsible Down Standard (RDS)
Salt Lake City, Utah, Aug. 6, 2014 /3BL Media/ – The North Face, the world's premier supplier of authentic, innovative and technically advanced outdoor apparel, equipment and footwear, today announced its goal to have 100 percent certified and responsibly sourced down across all product lines by Fall 2017. Leading up to this, The North Face will have 30 percent certified down by Fall 2015 and a goal of 60 percent certified down by Fall 2016. In addition, all down used in the Summit Series, The North Face brand’s pinnacle collection of expedition-ready apparel and gear, and all European styles, will use 100 percent certified down in Fall 2015.
This down will be certified using the Responsible Down Standard (RDS), a third-party auditing and certification standard that can be applied to any water fowl-based supply chain and is open for use by any public entity. The North Face led the design and launch of the RDS earlier this year and gifted it to Textile Exchange, a global nonprofit dedicated to sustainability in the apparel and textile industry, to administer and evolve the standard as needed.
The RDS is designed to evaluate and trace the original source of down used in any down-based product, thereby creating a chain of custody from gosling to end product. The North Face has been working with down suppliers and Control Union Certifications, an accredited third-party certification body, to implement the RDS across primary sourcing regions in Europe and Asia and processing sites in the U.S.
“Influencing the down supply chain to change its practices to ensure the ethical treatment of animals and traceability is a significant challenge. We are working with suppliers many levels past our direct down suppliers, all the way back to the farms of the food industry to enable more responsibly sourced down,” said Adam Mott, Director, Sustainability, The North Face. “Our ultimate goal is to change the industry as a whole, not just our own supply chain. To do that, we need a collective effort from our competitors in the apparel industry as well as other sectors that use a significant volume of down and feathers like the bedding and furniture industries. We want the practices promoted by the RDS to become the new norm.”
The RDS is currently the broadest and most comprehensive approach to animal welfare available in the down supply chain. Through its collective use, The North Face believes the industry will see improved animal welfare conditions and better traceability in the down supply chain at a much larger scale than The North Face could accomplish alone.
The global down supply chain is complex as the down comes from the food industry and then goes through multiple cleaning and sorting processes to get to the final high-quality material used in The North Face products. There is an inevitable risk of animal welfare issues with the raising of farm animals for food. The North Face brand’s goal with the standard is to prevent practices such as force-feeding and live-plucking as well as provide guidelines on issues such as food/water quality, housing, stock density/outdoor access, animal health, hygiene and pest/predator control, among others.
Textile Exchange has begun the process of actively updating the RDS based on additional industry feedback and stakeholder engagement in 2014. The goal of this feedback is to make sure the RDS stays current to the conditions and needs of the down industry and that there is a balance of interest across the supply chain and sectors.
About The North Face®
The North Face, a division of VF Outdoor, Inc., was founded in 1966 with the goal of preparing outdoor athletes for the rigors of their next adventure. Today we are the world's leading outdoor brand, creating athlete-tested, expedition-proven products that help people explore and test the limits of human potential. We protect our outdoor playgrounds and minimize our impact on the planet through programs that encourage sustainability. The North Face products are available at premium and specialty retail sporting goods stores globally and we are headquartered in California on a LEED Platinum-certified campus. For more information, please visit www.thenorthface.com.
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Press Contact:
Pamela Bennett Ajello Jill Munson
The North Face Edelman
510.748.2742 415.486.3230
pamela_ajello@vfc.com Jill.Munson@edelman.com
