Sustainability Progress Report 2021

Product Materials

• Recycled Poly
  Recycled poly is a technical fabric made from post-consumer plastic bottles. During 2021 production, our average savings is 37 plastic bottles per unit.
  By using recycled poly, we’ve diverted 719,000 plastic bottles from going into the landfill in 2021. The avoided carbon emissions of disposing of these plastic bottles is equivalent to 3 cars taken off the road for a year.
  In 2022, we intend to divert over 900,000 plastic bottles. and we’ve diverted over 2.8 million plastic bottles from landfills to date utilizing recycled poly.
• Leather
  Since 2020, we have been working with Gold-rated tanneries audited by the Leather Working Group. This will allow our supply chain to be more traceable. The hides used are guaranteed to be sourced and tanned in the most sustainable way, including lowering water consumption and energy reduction.
  In 2021, we saved approximately 96,581 gallons of water and 38,000 kilowatt hours using this tannery. This is equal to taking almost 5,000 showers and the energy use of drying 9,500 loads of laundry.
  For 2022 we’re on track to save over 200,000 gallons of water and 100,000 kilowatt hours of electricity.
  We’re now proud to say that 100% of our Nappa leather is from a Gold Rated tannery and our goal is to increase our leather offerings from our Gold Rated partners.
• Plant-Based Fibers
  We are excited to launch our first vegan leather alternative in 2022 which is 100% plant-based. This material is made up of approximately 30% cactus and the remaining 70% made from bio-PU which is essentially food waste.
  We are continuing to source additional bio-based materials including mushroom leather for future products.
• Nylon
  We offer the Beacon backpack which is made from 37.4% recycled nylon created using post-consumer and discarded nylon.
  We continue to make progress towards transitioning our existing nylon styles to 100% recycled nylon.
  In 2022, we will launch an exciting new style made with 100% recycled nylon and recycled web, the material used for straps.
• Cotton Canvas
  For sourcing our canvas, we’re always searching for the best option available, taking both sustainability and human rights into account.
  As we constantly evaluate our materials to make sure that they adhere to our own principles, sometimes this means moving things around to ensure not only the quality is right but also that it is sourced in the most humanitarian way.
  We launched our first Catalina made from organic cotton canvas in 2017, and since then, we’ve continued to transition our entire Catalina Collection to eco-friendly cotton.
  Starting in 2022, we’ll be offering a mix of recycled cotton canvas and organic canvas in our Catalina collection. This cotton is sourced from textile manufacturing partners that have been thoroughly vetted.
• Lining
  This year we transitioned our signature hummingbird lining to be composed of 50% recycled yarns. The new wordmark lining we’re introducing in 2022 will also be made of recycled yarns.
  We have also made progress in updating our lining for our Catalina collection. Our cotton Catalinas trays are now made with recycled poly and our recycled poly collection Catalinas feature recycled poly lining and trays. We are now one step closer to having our best-selling Catalina Deluxe bags fully made with sustainable materials.
  
  

Packaging

• In the manufacturing and shipping of any consumer goods, there’s a lot of unnecessary waste from bubble wrap, protective coverings, and even hang tags. So in 2019, we started a full-scale packaging audit to reevaluate what is truly essential in our production process, limiting waste and moving towards recycled and/or biodegradable materials. 
• Since then we’ve eliminated the use of plastic airbags when packaging our Catalina collection, removed foam padding in our wallets and the majority of our hardware no longer has protective plastic coverings.
• Starting in 2022, we will be using poly bags that are made of 100% recycled materials that are 100% recyclable. Every one of our products is shipped in this protective packaging. We hope to have 75% of our units shipped with recycled/recyclable materials in 2022 and make the transition to 100% in 2023. 
• In 2022, we will introduce dust bags made of 100% recycled materials (including the drawstring!) and we’re planning on only using these moving forward for protecting our products. We’re also adding these recycled dust bags to the Waverley 2.  
• In 2021, we started to use new packaging for sending our products to customers. We’ve created custom-sized boxes and mailers going out to customers so that the carbon footprint per package is reduced and is also more cost-efficient. These new packaging products are made from 100% recycled materials and are 100% recyclable.

Manufacturing / Factories

• In 2019, we started working with and moved a significant portion of our total production orders to a new factory that can run on 2,628,000 kw of solar energy per year. They also built a Water-Reclamation-System, which can convert over 100 tons of wastewater to clean water per day with a conversion rate from wastewater to clean water of 100%.
• We continue to make extra straps, inserts, trays, and shoulder pads for customers who receive any manufacturing issues or experience everyday wear and tear, increasing the lifespan of our product and affirming our satisfaction guarantee.
• The Gold-Rated tannery that we have started to work with this year features on-site accommodation for workers, rainwater collection systems, engineered wetlands, and a dedicated wastewater treatment facility. Their new eco-friendly manufacturing technologies create 60% less chemical waste than the standard. 
• In 2021, we partnered with a small, domestic workshop located in LA to create our first small-run of Made in USA products. Our goal is to continue to partner with a small, domestic workshop to launch a capsule collection that's made in the USA.

Partnerships

• The Renewal Workshop - We’ve partnered with The Renewal Workshop, the leading provider of circular solutions for apparel and textile brands. Based in Cascade Locks, Oregon, the Renewal Workshop operates a zero waste circular system, recovering the full value of items already created. We are excited to have found an organization that can repair and renew damaged bags and rethink the possibilities for our products’ lifecycle. To date, we have been able to save over 5,000 pounds from landfills. You can shop our collection of renewed products here.
• Kept SKU - starting in 2021, we will be partnering with a new service called Kept SKU that works with brands to create curated surprise shopping boxes that are composed of a mix of unsold inventory that would otherwise be sent to the landfill or sit on warehouse storage shelves for years. The service also helps and provides transparent recycling paths for the inventory they can’t sell. 
• One Tree Planted - We have selected to partner with One Tree Planted, an environmental charity focused on global reforestation, for Earth Day 2021. One Tree Planted makes it easy for individuals and businesses to contribute to a healthier climate, protect biodiversity and help reforestation efforts around the world - all by planting trees! We have pledged to donate 10 trees everytime a 30% OFF discount code is applied at checkout on our collection of eco-friendly products. 
• CBEY - Our cofounder (and one of the sons), Jan Lo, was invited to serve on the advisory board of the Yale Center for Business and the Environment, which trains and empowers future leaders to develop "business solutions to systemic environmental problems" from the Yale School of Management and the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. With this group, Jan is currently helping to advise on a range of projects, such as how emerging technology can help to address environmental sustainability challenges. 
• In 2019, we set a goal to become a part of a new circular economy.  So we're proud to say that we are continuing to make progress and connect with more partners in this space. We officially launched our partnership with The Renewal Workshop in 2020 and continue to work with them to repair and renew our damaged bags which they then resell on their site. To date, we've diverted over 2,500 lbs of product from landfills.

Online Store Design

• We’ve updated our e-commerce shopping experience to easily spot and visually identify any products that are made with sustainable materials.
• Introduced eco-impact measurements for each sustainable product. And we’re in the process of researching new ways to display those eco-impact measurements as real-time totals based on how much we’ve sold or produced. 
• Updated our sustainability page with even more information on our updated company mission with refreshed priorities, new materials, and ongoing sustainability initiatives.

Circularity

• Over four years ago we set a goal to become a part of a new circular economy. So we're proud to say that we are continuing to make progress and connect with more partners in this space. 
• In 2018, we began partnering with The Renewal Workshop to repair and renew our damaged bags. 
• We’re proud to share that over the course of a multi-year partnership, we diverted over 2,500 lbs of textile waste from the landfill. 
• When the Renewal Workshop closed, we were lucky to find a new partner in the circularity space based in Portland, OR.
• Looptworks is pioneering the end of textile waste by working with brands to design new products using materials that already exist. We are thrilled to find a partner to help sort through, repair, and rethink the possibility of our damaged goods lifecycle.
• Since 2021, we’ve been dedicated to designing upcycled products using materials from our existing inventory of damaged goods. We’ve already designed and produced an Upcycled Patchwork Tote made from lightly used/damaged bags from our Catalina Collection and we’re excited to start exploring additional upcycling opportunities with all of our product lines.
• We continue to partner with Kept SKU. Kept SKU works with brands to create curated surprise shopping boxes that are composed of a mix of unsold inventory that would otherwise be sent to the landfill or sit on warehouse storage shelves for years. The service also helps and provides transparent recycling paths for the inventory they can’t sell.

Learn more about our sustainability business practices here.