Our Planet—and our impact on it—matters. Caring for our Planet, our communities, and our people is at the core of our values. Cue the formation of our Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Task Force in 2019. This group of passionate volunteers create positive change and drive progress across all three Chico’s FAS brands (Soma®, Chico’s®, and White House Black Market®). The team developed a range of goals designed with accountability in mind and a pursuit toward a more equitable and sustainable world. In honor of Earth Day 2023, we’re excited to put two of our ESG members in the hot seat. They’re sharing the scoop on their work, what motivated them to get involved, and how our established goals will help propel us toward a better tomorrow.
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“The choices we make now create a better and healthier life for all—and for future generations."
Soma® Eco-friendlier Fabric
As a homage to Earth Day 2023 and our Planet, are you inspired to make a change? If you’ve vowed to opt for more sustainable or eco-friendlier fabrics when shopping, we’d love to call out a few of our offerings at Soma®.
Clothing and intimate apparel are made from a variety of fabrics so it pays to take a closer peek at the tag. Are you looking to refresh your bra and panty drawer? Our Embraceable® Enchanting Lace Demi Bra is made with 85% Recycled Nylon lace similar to our Modern Sexy Idyllic Lace Cheeky Panty which contains 85% Unifi Repreve® Recycled Nylon material. Unlike virgin Nylon, Recycled Nylon uses fewer valuable resources from our Planet and delays waste from entering our landfills and oceans.
If you’re on the hunt for a wardrobe staple you can look and feel good about wearing, check out our Everstretch Tank Bra Dress. It contains 86% recycled polyester, helping us give new life to old materials. P.S. It’s breathable, wrinkle-resistant, and features UPF and moisture-wicking performance properties.
Meet ESG Task Force Member, Vanessa
- Vanessa Collins
- Design Director for Soma® Foundations
- ESG Task Force member
What motivated you to become a part of our ESG team and led you to this role?
I’m passionate about sustainability and how we can make an impact on our Planet and how we live. The choices we make now create a better and healthier life for all—and for future generations. I have children and they are very aware of what is happening to our Planet. They are active in how they use and purchase goods and are key in how we, as a family, lead a more sustainable life.
I am very fortunate to work for a company that is passionate about people and sustainability. In my role I can help make a difference now and for the future of intimate product design and help facilitate sustainable design processes from start to finish to deliver beautiful products to our customers.
What are some changes you’ve made in your life or habits you’ve adopted to become more environmentally conscious?
At home we practice making sustainable food choices, conserving energy and water, and recycling waste whilst also no longer using plastic water bottles. We were even sustainable in how we furnished our home by buying quality used furniture and goods—those that will continue to last for generations.
What upcoming Soma® product, innovation, or eco-friendlier fabric are you most excited about?
Here at Soma® we offer a number of collections that use digital printing in our manufacturing processes to reduce water waste and conserve energy. We also focus on partnering with manufacturers that are committed to reducing their environmental impact and are recognized for their philanthropy.
I am excited that we are starting to create beautiful solutions that are approached with sustainability in mind by designing and developing into products with sustainability at the forefront, and exploring what else we can do to make an impact. Soma® continues to implement recycled fibers into our raw materials selections which helps us give used materials a second life—for example, we switched the lace content in our Soma® Embraceable® Enchanting Lace Demi Bra to 85% Recycled Nylon Lace. By including sustainability into the design equation, it's not just one product in particular, but each product we design which helps us get towards the greater goal of being more sustainable.
Which Chico’s FAS environmental goal are you most passionate about and why?
As a designer, I am passionate about being able to deliver beautiful products to our customers that create the solutions and sizing innovations our customers are looking for that benefit from innovations in the way we produce them. By focusing on responsible consumption, waste reduction, and life cycle circularity in our product designs, we are able to deliver on our goals to reduce environmental impact.
“We’ve donated over 2,000,000 bras to our charity partners since 2010”
Meet ESG Task Force Lead, Kim
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- Kim Steiner
- Director of Color, Material, & Product Sustainability
- ESG Task Force Lead
What motivated you to become a part of our ESG team and led you to this role?
As a mother of two boys, I need to lead by example to ensure they understand the importance of doing our best to be kind and mindful of our environment. When I was asked to join the ESG Task Force as a Team Lead, I was excited and proud to start my journey with a great group of team members. I soon learned that making an impact on sustainability is like peeling an onion—so many layers. The beauty is that with each layer that we peel back, we discover other layers underneath that provide new opportunities for us to continue to learn, innovate, and improve our environmental footprint. I’m so excited to keep moving the company forward in this area!
What are some changes you’ve made in your life or habits you’ve adopted to become more environmentally conscious?
Being environmentally conscious is a shift in mindset. My family has become more mindful when we purchase clothing and food, and we eliminate the amount of trash we create. We have a rule when we buy new clothing: we commit to wearing it a minimum of 30 times. If we cannot make this commitment, we do not add the piece to our wardrobe. We support and shop at local farmers markets and always bring our reusable bags when we do our weekly grocery shopping. We continue to recycle and donate to local charities as we simplify and try to practice a low-waste lifestyle.
What upcoming Soma® product, innovation, or eco-friendlier fabric are you most excited about?
The life cycle of a product is an important part of being more sustainable. The brand continues to promote an extended product life with our Bra Donation Program. In our latest ESG Impact Report, we were so pleased to report that we’ve donated over 2,000,000 bras to our charity partners since 2010, resulting in the diversion of 1,100 tons of waste from our landfills, with greenhouse emissions savings equivalent to approximately 7.8 million miles driven by an average passenger vehicle.
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Our Soma® bra donations help support women and the planet. Our partner, I Support the Girls™, helps women experiencing homelessness, impoverishment or distress, and those going through breast cancer with essential items, like bras, to take care of their personal esteem and health. Our other partner, The Bra Recyclers, delays the number of usable textiles going into our landfills whilst creating job opportunities for individuals with disabilities.
Which Chico’s FAS environmental goal are you most passionate about and why?
Our goal to introduce fabrics, innovations, technologies, or other efficiencies in our product designs to reduce our environmental footprint is one that is near and dear to me. We partner with our Brands to identify more sustainable and ethically sourced materials. We focus on natural fabrics such as linen and the introduction of recycled fibers which helps give materials a second life. We continue to expand our library of eco-friendlier materials so that our designers and merchants have more options to choose from. Fun Fact: Cellulosic fibers, such as 100% Tencel Lyocell, have their own eco-superpower—they are naturally derived and sustainably produced!
Power in the Numbers: Our Recent Accomplishments
At Chico’s FAS, we approach our environmental, social, and governance (ESG) commitment through the lens of our four strategic pillars: Customer Led, Product Obsessed, Digital First and Operationally Excellent. We bring these pillars to life in many ways through philanthropic partnerships, developing more sustainable innovations and operations, and finding new ways to extend the life of our products and give a new life to materials that would otherwise go to waste—just to name a few.
Fun Fact: around 41% of our Soma® bras are made in factories which are also Global Recycled Standard (GRS), Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), Organic Content Standards (OCS) or Leed Platinum® Certified factories.
Now that you’ve gotten a small peek at where we’ve been, let’s take a look at where we’re going. After all, every day should be treated as Earth Day and we acknowledge that our commitments require deliberate and sincere actions.
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Our Mid- and Long-term Environmental Goals
Our three Mid-Term Goals focus on reducing waste, consuming less, and innovating. Although we are highlighting the environmental-specific goals in honor of Earth Day 2023, our ESG Program has a holistic view when it comes to responsible corporate stewardship. Learn more about our social and governance goals in our Chico’s FAS 2021 Impact Report.
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Earth Day Theme for 2023
In the early aughts, a theme was chosen for Earth Day each year and the tradition continued from there. So what is the Earth Day theme for 2023? According to EARTHDAY.ORG, this year’s theme is to
“Take Action. Be a part of the green revolution. For Earth Day 2023, we need to act (boldly), innovate (broadly), and implement (equitably).”
Wondering when is Earth Day this year? Earth day has been celebrated every year on April 22nd since environmental consciousness first took root in 1970. Fast forward 53 years and caring for our planet is still as important as ever. How will you get involved this year?
Read our complete 2021 Impact Report
