Superdry Plc
Packaging producers and users
Key Metrics
Plastic packaging weight
Submitted to the Foundation only
Total and/or virgin plastic packaging reduction target
70% virgin reduction compared to 2018
Reusable plastic packaging
Reusable, recyclable or compostable plastic packaging
100
75
50
25
%
Post-consumer recycled content
100
75
50
25
%
* Aligned: in assessing the recyclability of their portfolio this signatory has aligned with the New Plastics Economy 2021 Recycling Rate Survey results and/or the Global Commitment methodology of recyclability ‘in pratice and at scale’. This means their recyclability percentage is comparable to other signatories that also aligned with the above.
Company Details
Description
Superdry is a global fashion brand with retail, ecommerce & wholesale operations placing our products in more than 160 countries. Plastic packaging is predominantly used in our polybags (garment protection in transit). A very small proportion of plastic primary product packaging remains.
Website
Revenue band (USD)
$500 million - $1 billion
Headquarters location
United Kingdom
Regions active
Africa: Northern Africa, Southern Africa, Western Africa
America: Caribbean, Central America, Northern America, South America
Asia: Eastern Asia, Central Asia, South-eastern Asia, Southern Asia, Western Asia
Europe: Eastern Europe, Northern Europe, Southern Europe, Western Europe
Oceania: Australia and New Zealand, Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia
Products sold in plastic packaging
Clothing & apparel
Reporting details
Data verification/assurance status
Third-party verification or assurance process in place for some of the data (see endnotes for more information)
Scope of reported data
Covers full scope of activities
12-month quantitative data time frame
From December 2019 to December 2020
Joined the Global Commitment
March 2019
Ellen MacArthur Foundation's Plastics Pact Network membership (as of 18/05/2021)
Not part of any Pacts
Webpage or report addressing progress
https://corporate.superdry.com/media/2821/27279-superdry-annual-report-2020-webready.pdf
Plastic packaging portfolio details
See endnotes for more information on quantitative data
Plastic packaging weight (new packaging)
Submitted to the Foundation only
Reused plastic packaging weight
0 metric tonnes
Plastic packaging categories in portfolio
Type | Category | Proportion |
---|
Rigids | PP other rigids | 3.4% |
PS rigids | 0.4% |
Flexible | >A4 mono-materials PE in B2B context | 51.6% |
>A4 mono-materials PE in B2C context | 40.2% |
Other | Acrylic (Tape) | 4.4% |
Plastic packaging design assessment
Reusable, recyclable and/or compostable
51.6%
Reusable
0%
Recyclable
51.6%
Compostable
0%
Material sourcing
Virgin fossil-based content
71%
Post-consumer recycled content
29%
Pre-consumer recycled content
0%
Virgin renewable content
0%
Link to other published data
https://corporate.superdry.com/sustainability/planet/zero-waste-lower-impact/sustainable-packaging/
Commitments
Plastic and/or virgin plastic packaging reduction target
2025 target
70% virgin reduction compared to 2018
Plastic packaging weight baseline
650 metric tonnes - same scope as the reporting scope
Additional information about the target
We will achieve our target through our commitments to eliminate unnecessary & problematic plastics, and support circular (closed loop) economies with increasing use of recycled content.
We've already eliminated much plastic from our packaging since 2018 through:
1. Reduction e.g. light-weighted old ecommerce parcel bag by 17%.
2. Substitution e.g. swapping our old plastic ecommerce parcel bag for FSC paper.
3. Removal e.g. removing the plastic window on our underwear boxes.
In addition, we've made significant strides to use recycled plastic in packaging:
1. Using 100% recycled polystyrene for our women's swimwear hangers (an interim solution before we eliminate them by 2022).
2. Our biggest use of plastic, our polybag (essential to protect the garment during transport & storage) is now a fully circular polybag whereby we collect post-consumer polybags and recycle through our supplier who turns them new bags. In 2020 we introduced a polybag made from 30% closed loop recycled plastic.
Eliminating problematic or unnecessary plastic packaging
Progress made over the reporting period
Examples of materials / formats / components eliminated or reduced
Proportion elimated % of weight | Weight eliminated metric tonnes | Quantity eliminated units | Primary means of elimination | Other details | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Single-use carrier bags | 100 | 48 | - | Substitution to paper | This year (Sep-20) we introduced a new FSC paper ecommerce parcel bag to replace our old LDPE version. Our old ecom bags accounted for ~150 tonnes plastic each year, but this change has reduced our plastic use by ~50 tonnes this year and will decrease to 0 over the next 2 years whilst all our old ecom bags are phased out of stock. |
Activities and progress made on elimination
Our biggest use of plastic is polybags and ecommerce bags which we have continued to focus on to elimate and reduce their impact. This year (Sep-20) we introduced a new FSC paper ecommerce parcel bag to replace our old LDPE version. Our old ecom bags accounted for ~150 tonnes plastic each year, but this change has reduced our plastic use by ~50 tonnes this year and will decrease to 0 over the next 2 years whilst all our old ecom bags are phased out of stock. Despite only having small volumes of customer facing primary product packaging, we identified these as materially high due to their exposure with the public and ability to engage people in the plastics and environmental discussion. Our reduction in plastics used in our primary packaging (e.g. underwear boxes, flip-flop, belt and sock hangers) which we introduced across 2019-20 has helped reduce our plastic use by ~30 tonnes this year.
Planned actions by 2025
Plastic packaging to be eliminated or reduced
Proportion elimated % of weight | Weight eliminated metric tonnes | Quantity eliminated | Year Achieved | Other details | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Film B2B - e.g. pallet wrap | - | - | - | - | This relates to ~10 tonnes plastic. We only use pallet wrap on our wholesale orders. We engage our wholesale partners in our sustainability journey including packaging and will continue to assess the need for pallet wrap or potential alternatives that would prioritise elimination where possible e.g. reusable equivalents. Where not available we will explore increased recycled content. |
Film B2C - mono-material, clear | 10-25% | 80 | - | 2025 | Our polybags provide a vital service to the quality and safety of our products, which without would result in greater environmental impact from the damage and therefore necessary repair or destruction of our garments. We are however working to identify ways of using bigger polybags for bulk delivery of certain products aiming to reduce our use of them by up to 20% by 2025. |
Rigids B2C - other (e.g. pots, tubs and trays) | - | - | - | - | This relates to ~15 tonnes plastic from a small locking tag on our hangtags. We are exploring alternatives (where they may exist) in order to elimate the plastic, or where not available we will explore increased recycled content versions instead |
Single-use carrier bags | 100% | 150 | - | 2022 | This year (Sep-20) we introduced a new FSC paper ecommerce parcel bag to replace our old LDPE version. Our old ecom bags accounted for ~150 tonnes plastic each year, but this change has reduced our plastic use by ~50 tonnes this year and will decrease to 0 by 2022 whilst all our old ecom bags are phased out of stock. |
Single-use hangers (for clothing) | 100% | 2 | - | 2022 | We have a very small proportion of plastic single use hangers remaining on our Womens Swimwear. These are currently made from 100% recycled plastic however we have found a cardboard alternative that will come into use from 2022. |
Planned actions on elimination
This year (Sep-20) we introduced a new FSC paper ecommerce parcel bag to replace our old LDPE version. Our old ecom bags accounted for ~150 tonnes plastic each year, but this change has reduced our plastic use by ~50 tonnes this year and will decrease to 0 by 2022 whilst all our old ecom bags are phased out of stock. Our polybags provide a vital service to the quality and safety of our products, which without would result in greater environmental impact from the damage and therefore necessary repair or destruction of our garments. We are however working to identify ways of using bigger polybags for bulk delivery of certain products aiming to reduce our use of them by up to 20% by 2025. We have a very small proportion of plastic single use hangers remaining on our Womens Swimwear. These are currently made from 100% recycled plastic however we have found a cardboard alternative that will come into use from 2022.
Moving from single-use towards reuse models
Progress made over the reporting period
Share of plastic packaging that is reusable (2020)
Product applications and reuse model types
None reported
Activities and progress made on reuse
The vast majority of our garments are sold with little consumer facing packaging other than labels and some box-based packaging for certain items in our accessories range. This means opportunities for packaging re use by customers is limited and we have therefore not identified or implemented any reuse models to date. We believe with our use of plastics it is better to focus on eliminating and increasing the use of recycled content. Our overall use of plastics will be very small once our elimination plan has been implemented. We have thought about reuse in non-plastic materials such as our retail carrier bags, which are 100% FSC certified recycled paper. This bag (although not plastic) is sturdy enough to be re used.
Planned action by 2025
Product applications and reuse model types to be introduced or expanded
None reported
Other 2025 reuse goals
None reported
Planned actions on reuse
Our biggest remaining use of plastic after our elimination plans are implemented, will be our secondary garment poly bags. Our polybags are resealable so the same bag can be reused (rather than using a new one) if a product is selected for compliance or AQL (Acceptable Quality Limit; where it is removed, checked, and returned to a polybag). We will continue to identify new and innovative opportunities for reuse models in case they become a possibility in the future.
100% reusable, recyclable and/or compostable plastic packaging
Progress made over the reporting period
Share of plastic packaging that is reusable, recyclable or compostable (2020)
Actions and progress made to make packaging recyclable or compostable (see previous section for progress on shifting to reusable packaging)
Our plastic packaging improvements mostly relate to elimination of unrecyclable plastics through substitution with paper.This year we reduced our plastic use by 11%. Where we still use plastic packaging, we focus on ensuring its 100% recyclable as the most material impact for our packaging; due to very limited reuse opportunities, and our support of closed loop recycling over compostable options (due to lack of research & concerns about environmental impact if compostable conditions don’t exist). Due to Covid-19 we increased our ecom sales (B2C). This has increased the volume of polybags that aren't recyclable (according to EMF GC) hence why we've seen a reduction in % recyclable plastic packaging this year, but we're exploring solutions.
Actions and progress made on collaborating towards increasing recycling and composting rates for plastic packaging
Our biggest use of plastic is our polybags. To support increased recyclability of these we have partnered with a closed loop polybag manufacturer who has helped us increase the recyclability of our garment polybags by offering a closed loop recycling service. To increase recyclability we often look at changes in process instead of design. This includes removing polybags at DC (before shipping garments to stores), then baling & returning to supplier where they are recycled (in their new, bespoke, closed loop recycling facility) and turned into new polybags for us. Doing this allows us to know the polybags on our retail orders are practically recycled, and that our wholesale partners are able to do the same if they wish.
Additional details on recyclability
Share of plastic packaging that is recyclable (2020)
Alignment with the New Plastics Economy 2021 Recycling Rate Survey results
Yes
Optional metric — share of plastic packaging that is ‘designed for recycling’
68.2 % (see endnotes for more information on the packaging considered as designed for recycling)
Please note: This optional metric is not the same as the percentage of recyclable plastic packaging contributing towards the 100% target. More information on the Global Commitment recyclability definition can be found in the 2021 Progress Report.
Planned actions by 2025
2025 target
100% reusable, recyclable or compostable
Planned actions to make packaging recyclable or compostable
We removing our garment polybags at our distribution centres for our retail orders. We are exploring how we can cost effectively remove polybags from our ecommerce orders too (with an aim to introduce this by 2022). This will increase the number of polybags collected (and sent B2B rather than B2C) and therefore recycled. Where we must continue to use plastic for our primary product packaging, we will look at ways to ensure they use the most widely recyclable plastic; LDPE.
Planned actions on collaborating towards increasing recycling and composting rates for plastic packaging
We will commence conversations with our wholesale partners to engage them in the potential to have poly bags removed at our DCs before shipping to them. However as this is a B2B sale the garment is still in transit/storage and therefore will, for the majority, require the polybag to continue providing protection and reducing the overall environmental impact from preventing damaged products. Conversations instead will more likely be around encouraging wholesale partners to remove the polybag in their own DCs before they send the garment to their own retail or ecommerce customers. They can then collect polybags in bulk and send for recycling with ease.
Increasing post-consumer recycled content in plastic packaging
Progress made over the reporting period
Level of post-consumer recycled content in plastic packaging (2020)
Activities and progress made on post-consumer recycled content
Most of our plastic packaging improvements relate to elimination of unrecyclable plastics through substitution with paper.This year we reduced our total plastic use by 11% by substituting our plastic ecommerce bag for a paper alternative. Our old plastic ecommerce bag contained 50% recycled plastic (the highest of all plastic packaging) and therefore our recycled content has reduced slightly this year as we used less plastic ecom bags and more paper ones. In January 2020 we partnered with a new polybag manufacturer who offer a closed loop manufacturing process whereby they collect polybags (that we remove from our garments at DC before shipping to our stores) and recycle them in their own facility before using that recycled plastic in the production of new polybags. This means we have switched from 100% virgin LDPE to 30% recycled content in our poly bags (certified by Recycled Content Standard [RCS]), removing ~73 tonnes virgin plastic this year.
Planned actions by 2025
2025 post-consumer recycled content target
70%
Planned actions to increase post-consumer recycled content
We will use a minimum of 70% recycled content in all remaining plastic packaging, by 2025, after our priority for elimination. Our main approach is our polybags, focussing on improving our closed loop process in order to increase availability of recycled content. By working with our partner, we've made positive steps to increase recycled content to 30% in 2020 & 70% from 2021, four years ahead of our target (to be reported in next year’s data). We'll support this improvement by increasing proportion of closed loop recycled content by collecting more polybags at our own DCs by introducing the removal of polybags from ecom orders at our DCs (by 2022). We'll also continue to encourage other brands to follow our lead, sharing information on collection & recycling by our polybag supplier, increasing the amount of good quality plastic available for collection & recycling. In part through our BRC membership, but we're keen to explore other opportunities too e.g. Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
Investments
Total invested/committed over the reporting period towards achieving the commitments
None reported
Additional details on investments
Where we are increasing our levels of recycled content, we are collaborating with partners to ensure no net cost increases often through innovations in light-weighting etc. Historically recycled plastics have been cheaper than virgin, although we are seeing a move to price parity recently.
End notes
Third-party verification/assurance
Some of our data relates to primary product packaging which we obtain through work with our Producer Responsibility compliance partner. This data is therefore verified by them before submission to the relevant packaging compliance schemes globally. All other data is directly from supplier reports.
Interpreting the quantitative data submitted
This year (Sep-20) we introduced a new FSC paper ecom bag replacing our old LDPE version. Our old ecom bags accounted for ~150 tonnes plastic each year, but this change has reduced our plastic use by ~50 tonnes this year & will decrease to 0 over the next 2 years whilst all our old ecom bags are phased out of stock. Our reduction in plastics used in our primary packaging has reduced use by ~30 tonnes. Due to Covid-19 we saw an increase in our use of rework polybags from increased recalls.
Plastic packaging designed for recycling
All our polybags are 'designed for recycling' with ease and at scale. We ensure this by partnering with a closed manufacturer who can easily recycle old bags into new ones. However we are aware that, depending on the end customer, some aren't currently practically recyclable at scale. Superdry collect & return all polybags from retail orders, & our wholesale partners can do the same. We have not included polybags used for ecom orders within our recyclable total to align with EMF GC definitions.