Make a difference
Banana Republic
Banana Republic is committed to becoming a more eco-conscious brand. The ideal of a clean planet is one we share with our customers and our community. It’s also the reason behind our efforts to reduce our environmental impact, while still providing our customers with the same standard of quality and affordable luxury we have built our name on.
Together, we can help to reduce our environmental impact and preserve our natural resources, while running a business that's as good for the earth as it is for our customers — one step at a time. After all, we should all be able to afford a healthy planet.
Greening Our Products
Denim Clean Water Program
To achieve the look and feel our customers love, our denim products go through an extensive dyeing and treatment process. We require all denim laundries to participate in Gap Inc.’s Denim Clean Water Program, based on BSR's strict guidelines. This means that the water used in washing our jeans has been specially treated to ensure that it’s safe and clean for local communities when it leaves the denim laundry. All of our denim has this commitment represented on the label.
Sustainable Product
As we continue to grow in our commitment to sustainability, we feel it’s important to deliver on products that meet our customers’ expectations for modern, urban style, and their desire for eco-friendlier choices.
In Summer 2009, we reintroduced our women’s Heritage Collection with a new eco focus. The new collection represents our legacy of safari-inspired design with a luxurious, feminine aesthetic. Approximately 80 percent of the women’s Heritage Collection is eco-friendly and made from sustainable fibers chosen for their minimal impact on the environment and their luxurious quality. The product is available at select stores and at BananaRepublic.com.
In addition to the Heritage collection, we are also incorporating sustainable fabrics into our core collection for women’s tanks and tees and men’s tees.
Greening Our Packaging
Many of our current packaging supplies, including boxes and shopping bags are made with a percentage of recycled material. We are working to increase these percentages wherever possible.
- Our everyday shopping bags contain 15 percent recycled material and are recyclable. Sale shopping bags contain 20 percent recycled material.
- Our shoe boxes contain 50 percent recycled material and are recyclable.
- Our standard gift boxes are made with 35 percent recycled material and are recyclable.
- Our price tickets are Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified and/or made of 100 percent recycled material.
- Our gift cards are made of 88 percent recycled content.
- We are in the process of making all on-garment tags from FSC certified stocks and/or recycled materials.
Greening Our Stores
Our eco-conscious approach also applies to our stores. As part of Gap Inc., we’re a proud partner of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Climate Leaders program, a voluntary initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 11 percent by the end of 2008. As a result of energy saving upgrades, each of our energy-efficient stores saves more than 16 metric tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere each year. Beyond that, we keep our environmental impact top of mind when we open new stores and remodel existing ones. For instance,
- Banana Republic store floors are made with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood from sustainable forests.
- Our store restroom tiles are made of 15 percent recycled material.
- Our stockroom areas feature wheat board shelving. Wheat board offers a greener alternative to particleboard because it eliminates the use of formaldehyde. And because it is lighter in weight, it requires less fuel for shipping.
