Committed To Sustainable Development GAP Group Water Saving Up To 5 Billion Litres

Shanghai, March 29, 2019 - Gap Inc., the leading retailer in the world, has achieved remarkable success in the field of sustainable development, and has saved more than 5 billion litres in more than four years.

Since 2015, the world economic forum has identified the water crisis as one of the five major crises affecting the world.

1/3 of the world's population lives in countries with poor water quality or insufficient water.

By 2025, the ratio is expected to reach 2/3.

By 2030, the demand for clean water resources will exceed 40%.

As a leading retailer in the world, the company has made important commitments and efforts in the field of sustainable development for a long time.

In recent years, the company has further intensified the utilization of water resources at the production plant and laundry level.

On the basis of 2 billion 400 million litres of water saved up to 2017, Cape group put forward a more ambitious new target in 2018: by the end of 2020, the total water consumption in the whole supply chain system should be 10 billion litres, which is equivalent to the daily water consumption of 5 billion people.

According to the latest statistics, up to now, the cumulative water saving of Cape group has reached more than 5 billion liters in the whole supply chain system, and more than half of the goal of saving water has been achieved.

The Cape group achieves four ways to save water and improve the production of clean and healthy water resources in clothing communities.

Cotton: cotton is one of the plants that need the most water during the growth of the earth, and the production of 64% of a pair of jeans is in cotton cultivation.

In April 2016, the group joined the BCI Better Cotton Initiative, a global non-profit organization. It is committed to improving the environmental conditions of cotton production and reducing water consumption, driving the market demand of "good cotton" and promoting the sustainable development of cotton industry.

At present, the group's brand has purchased 192 million pounds of "good cotton" and will continue to expand the scale of cooperation with BCI.

Production: as a clothing leading enterprise, the company is actively taking action, and cooperating with other well-known clothing brands to improve the water efficiency of fabric factories in the entire supply chain.

Among them, the group's brand name Gap created a landmark Washwell (smart denim cleaning) project, which reduced the amount of water needed for denim production by 20%.

Since 2016, only one item has reached 165 million litres of water saving.

Women: in the clothing industry, the workers who make clothes all over the world, and 80% of the workers are women.

Cape group aims to educate women workers how to use water resources to enhance their awareness and help more women to use healthy and clean water resources.

Since 2007, the group has offered free learning courses to women workers through P.A.C.E (personal promotion and career development) project to help them master their work and life skills, so as to promote their career development.

There is a WASH module (water, sanitation and hygiene), which is about water resources, environmental hygiene and personal hygiene.

Cooperation: cooperation is crucial to expanding influence.

Together with NGOs WaterAid and Unilever and Diageo, the company developed a business case and toolkit for private sector participation in WASH projects, and encouraged other companies to take measures to ensure that their supply chain staff enjoy adequate water and good environmental and personal hygiene conditions.

With its leading position in the world's retail apparel industry, the Cape group focuses on providing fashionable, modern and high-quality American clothing, accessories and personal care products for men, women and children. It owns Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, Intermix, Athleta, Hill City and Janie and and other brands.

The group's net sales in fiscal year 2018 amounted to US $16 billion 600 million.

All brand products of the group are sold in more than 90 countries and regions around the world through direct business, franchiser and e-commerce channels.

The company is firmly committed to improving its sustainable business development with its global scale, and through joint efforts with suppliers, governments, non-governmental organizations, multilateral organizations and industry enterprises to tackle challenges at different levels such as society, environment and products, and seek sustainable development solutions.

"Not only selling clothing" is the culture of the guy's group, but also its action plan.

In addition to water resources, the group has made important commitments in terms of climate, waste, wood fiber, chemicals and recycled fabrics.