The crewneck cashmere sweater launched across Ralph Lauren's Men’s Purple Label and Women’s Collection brands in January 2023 is the first of five iconic Ralph Lauren products that the company has committed to have C2C Certified® by 2025.

The campaign featured married to each other models Andreea Diaconu and Simon Nessman, styled by Meryl Griffith in images by Alexandra Nataf [IG].

For Ralph Lauren’s exciting achievements in committing to the Cradle to Cradle Certified Gold Cashmere Sweater, coupled with other significant achievements in sustainable materials and products, Ralph Lauren earned a prime spot on Fast Company’s 2023 Top 10 list of the most 540 most innovative companies in North America, across all sectors.

Ralph Lauren redesigned its signature cashmere sweaters to receive certification from Cradle to Cradle, a nonprofit that helped the company meet C2C’s standards for using safe materials, employing fair labor practices, and enabling the garment to be recycled into a new one.

Ralph Lauren Global Citizenship & Sustainability Report

On June 20, 2023 Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) published its 2023 Global Citizenship & Sustainability Report, emphasizing the Company’s ongoing commitment to creating timeless products that are made to live on responsibly, using materials in ways that reduce its products’ environmental impact, and supporting people within its workforce, supply chain and communities.

The 2023 report outlines progress across the Company’s Citizenship & Sustainability approach, Timeless by Design, which ensures timelessness is embedded from inspiration through to products’ every use and reuse across generations.

Besides Ralph Lauren’s Cradle to Cradle Certified Gold Cashmere Sweater, the first of five iconic products that will be C2C Certified® by 2025, the Ralph Lauren company outlined other sustainability-related, work-in-process throughout the organization.

Expanding its efforts to create innovative products with sustainable attributes, including the POLO® MIRUM® sneaker and crossbody pouch, featuring Natural Fiber Welding’s MIRUM® components that are 100% plastic-free and made from plants and minerals;
Establishing a roadmap to eliminate coal in its supply chain;
Meeting its zero waste goal by diverting 92% of waste from landfill and incineration across its distribution centers;
Achieving its goal to increase the number of women in factory leadership by at least 25% two years ahead of schedule, making progress on the path to gender parity in the supply chain; and
The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation announcing a $25 million commitment to expand or establish five cancer centers in the U.S. aimed at reducing cancer care inequity in underserved communities and celebrating the opening of the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Prevention at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center as a part of this commitment.

The full 2023 Ralph Lauren Global Citizenship & Sustainability Report and ESG Supplement are available for download on the Company’s website. AOC is reading the report and feels compelled to cite more calls-to-action for the Ralph Lauren Corporation beyond the press release.

We have cited some planks previously, such as the company’s cancer treatment center in Harlem and work with Polo Ralph Lauren Exclusively for Morehouse and Spelman Colleges Collection.

Ralph Lauren’s Support for Indigenous Communities

Not only is Ralph Lauren expanding these existing commitments, but their new focus on America’s indigenous communities is also front and center. Initiatives include:

Announcing the formalization of a Design with Intent department responsible for culturally sustainable design, product development and brand storytelling;
Launching its Artists in Residence program, part of the Company’s journey to further engage Native American and Indigenous communities;
Donating more than $2.5 million in scholarship funds from the Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation to institutions focused on providing equitable access to higher education;
Widening the aperture of its design inspiration and brand storytelling to deliver on the Company’s commitment to expand its portrayal of the American dream through the Polo Ralph Lauren Exclusively for Morehouse and Spelman Colleges Collection; 
Launching a comprehensive disability equity strategy focused on six key pillars, including integrating accessible design practices into its product offerings, building on the Company’s Valuable 500 pledge to add disability awareness to its Board’s DE&I agenda;
Committing an inaugural grant through the Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation to establish the U.S. Regenerative Cotton Fund, supporting long-term, sustainable cotton production in the United States with the goal of eliminating 1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent from the atmosphere by 2026.

Please, No More Flash and Dash Types Speaking About Sustainability

I personally encourage companies like Vogue to put key voices from the Ralph Lauren Corporation or Loro Piana on their global voices stages in future events. As difficult as it is to implement the changes that Ralph Lauren is taking on, using the Vogue platform for flash and dash types, who offer nothing but a word salad in the reality of fashion industry sustainability practices, is downright insulting to our collective intelligence.

We are living in a world on fire, with ocean water off Miami so hot that both coral reefs and fish are collapsing. We don’t need a Miss American pageant on stage with the pretense of creating an informed sustainability discussion around cashmere.

Additionally PETA has done an under-cover investigation on a very large supplier of cashmere in Mongolia, and it’s disturbing enough, before PETA lends its finely-tuned, dramatic effects connected to the report. AOC will not discuss it without much more verification, but the biggest luxury names in the business source cashmere through this company.

On the list of big names, Loro Piana is NOT on it in public. Nor is Ralph Lauren called out in public.

Like I said, no more Miss America cashmere brand pageants on fashion media stages. Bring in the pros — people involved for years with impeccable, verified credentials — to discuss this increasingly critical topic of cashmere sourcing. Everyone, including Miss America, should take this report seriously, because when PETA says it has cashmere scraps with skin and blood on them, that’s pretty damn serious.

If you all don’t do something, I will get Woke Barbie on your case! Now that she’s unleashed, we must leverage her influence. ~ Anne

Update 7/31: Checking the PETA website, the investigation included two herding operations certified by the Sustainable Fibre Alliance.

AOC is not linking to the report, as we do not want to give it credibility without a much better understanding of the claims.

Update 8/4: PETA submitted a cashmere question at the Ralph Lauren Corp. annual meeting, held virtually on Thursday. They cited the report I have referenced. AOC will post a story update over the weekend. The Ralph Lauren spokesperson said they were familiar with the report and were waiting additional information. They did cite their affiliation with the Sustainable Fibre Alliance AOC mentions in the 7/31 update. PETA they filmed two operations certified by SFA. AOC will did into this important issue over the weekend.