SUSTAINABILITY SNAPSHOT
SUSTAINABILITY IS A JOURNEY – NOT A DESTINATION.
As much as we would LOVE to fix all of the world’s problems RIGHT NOW, the reality of it is that building a better world is a steady, gradual, beautiful process. To do it right, you need a few things: a good plan, a clear timeline, and a distinct idea of what you’re shooting towards.
Good thing we’ve got all three!
To make sure we’re on track, we’ll be sharing updates on our progress right here every year, on our Sustainability Snapshot page. Scroll on to find out about our Princess Polly Earth Club highlights for 2020.
To kick off 2021, we became a participant of the United Nations Global Compact, and aligned our Earth Club mission with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Sustainable Development Goals help us to centralize the most important issues facing our world - we have identified 9 of 17 Sustainable Development Goals which we can best contribute to. Look for the icons within each impact area and our Snapshot Report to see which Goals our work focuses on.
For more deets on each of our impact areas and to see what else we’ve been up to, head to their respective pages:
worker rights Earth Club Product Range Donated to
good causes Compostable packaging
CHINA
- A pop-up sale to support the Australian 2019-2020 bushfires recovery effort
- Donations to Butterfly Foundation and The Loveland Foundation
- Supported organisations at the forefront of Black Lives Matter
- Stock donations
IN SUPPORT OF TWO SDGS...
AT PRINCESS POLLY, WE DEEPLY BELIEVE THAT EACH AND EVERY PERSON ON EARTH IS AN EQUALLY VALUABLE BEING.
From our supplier factories overseas, to our offices and distribution centres in Australia and in the US, there are so many amazing people who are part of the process in bringing you your favourite Princess Polly pieces. As a business, we believe that we have a responsibility to look out for and protect their physical and mental health, safety and happiness.
When it comes to the workers in our suppliers’ factories, we ensure they’re safe and respected by first knowing who works where. This allows us to have visibility into the production process – where our products are being made, and who is making them.
To date, we’ve traced and mapped 100% of our tier 1 suppliers – these are the factories which are responsible for manufacturing our products.
Our Next Step
By 2023, we will trace and map our tier two supply chain, and extend where possible to our tier three and four supply chain too.
IN SUPPORT OF THREE SDGS...
KNOWING WHO IS MAKING OUR PRODUCTS, AND WHERE, IS JUST THE FIRST STEP IN LOOKING OUT FOR OUR FACTORIES’ WORKERS’ HEALTH AND SAFETY.
The second step is working alongside our supply partners to ensure that workers are being treated according to our ethical sourcing policies and standards.
But how do we know if these policies and standards are being applied in practice? To start, by requiring all production factories to register with the Supplier Ethical Data Exchange (SEDEX) and to undergo an independent audit. This is a process that we’re undertaking right now for our tier 1 factories.
Our Next Step
OUR ETHICAL SOURCING PROGRAM IS BUILT ON SIX IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS:
Our Next Step
IN 2020, WE TOOK A HARD LOOK AT DIVERSITY, INCLUSION AND BELONGING, TOO
Improving diversity, inclusion and a sense of belonging in our offices and distribution centers is imperative to us at Princess Polly. We see this work as vital in creating the kind of change we want to see within our culture and industry - and in the world.
Some of the ways we’ve been doing that are by:
- Completing our first Current State Assessment, to identify the strengths, opportunities and any barriers to inclusion that may exist within Princess Polly’s culture.
- Training all leaders on inclusive leadership. In 2021 our whole team will participate in training on inclusive workplaces and implicit bias too.
We’re also in the process of forming an official Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging advisory council, who will help us over the next few years to continue creating amazing staff experiences, map out employment pathways, and improve employee representation throughout our business.
IN SUPPORT OF TWO SDGS...
15 BRAND-NEW PIECES MADE FROM MATERIALS THAT DON’T COST THE EARTH.
We’ve always prided ourselves on making good quality, well-priced clothes, but this year we’ve taken an even harder look at the true costs of our products.We’re not talking about the price tag here – we’re talking about the environmental impact of the materials and processes behind your favourite Polly pieces.
That’s why this year, we’re SO EXCITED to launch our Earth Club range with 15 brand new pieces made from more environmentally friendly materials. It’s just one way we’re helping you to make more sustainable choices in your everyday life.
PIECES
MATERIALS
SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLE
Recycled Cotton
Organically grown Cotton
Recycled Polyurethane
The Princess Polly Earth Club pieces are super easy to find in our shop: simply keep an eye out for this badge next time you’re browsing!
EARTH CLUB
Our Next Step
By 2022, we’ll launch our Princess Polly Earth Club material guidelines, and continuously release new Earth Club products.
WE DEVELOPED OUR ANIMAL WELFARE POLICY
We love animals, which is why we’re super serious about animal cruelty. We’re a Fur Free Retailer and have worked with Four Paws, a global animal welfare organization, to prepare our Animal Welfare Policy, which outlines what animal materials you’ll never find in our products, our approach to animal testing, and protocols for the inclusion of animals in our photoshoots and marketing.
IN SUPPORT OF THREE SDGS...
THEY SAY CHANGING THE WORLD STARTS WITH HELPING YOUR FAMILY AND COMMUNITY.
It’s never been more important to stand up, speak out and support the issues that matter.
In 2020, we donated and fundraised $174,000USD to causes and charities that align with our priorities and values.
WHAT DID WE DO?
We hosted a pop-up sale to raise money for Australia’s bushfires
WHO DID WE SUPPORT?
WIRES - providing rescue and rehabilitation for all native Australian animals
RURAL FIRE SERVICE NSW - A volunteer-based firefighting agency
GREENING AUSTRALIA - protecting, restoring and conserving Australia’s native vegetation
HOW MUCH DID WE DONATE?
$46,600USD
WHAT DID WE DO?
We donated to organisations focused on equality or mind & body
WHO DID WE SUPPORT?
BUTTERFLY FOUNDATION – supporting those with eating disorders
THE LOVELAND FOUNDATION – showing up for communities of colour, especially women and girls of colour
BLACK LIVES MATTER GLOBAL NETWORK - fighting to end State-sanctioned violence, liberate Black people, and end white supremacy forever
CHANGE THE RECORD - fighting to end the incarceration of, and family violence against, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
HOW MUCH DID WE DONATE?
WHAT DID WE DO?
We made stock donations to charities and communities creating a positive difference to people and animals in need
WHO DID WE SUPPORT?
THOMAS HOUSE FAMILY SHELTER – an LA-based shelter supporting homeless families with children
DRESS FOR SUCCESS, BRISBANE – supporting women who are searching for employment
ANIMAL WELFARE LEAGUE – caring for surrender, neglected and abandoned pets in Australia
UNION RESCUE MISSION – an LA-based charity for those experiencing homelessness
HILLSIDES – an LA-based charity supporting children, youth and families
HOW MUCH DID WE DONATE?
36,000+ PRODUCTS
WE COMMITTED TO REPRESENTING DIVERSITY AUTHENTICALLY IN OUR PRODUCTS AND ON OUR PLATFORMS
At Princess Polly, we believe that diversity is beautiful. We’ve put this belief into practice in our business by:
- Ensuring all of our products are available in sizes 4-16 (US 0 - 12), and in 2021, extending our sizing to size 22 (US 18)
- Continuously engaging with partners which reflect the diversity of our audience
- Having a strict no photo-shop policy for all of our images
- Improving the accessibility of our website, taking into consideration those with different abilities
IN SUPPORT OF TWO SDGS...
PACKAGING IS ONE PART OF OUR BUSINESS THAT WE CAN’T DO WITHOUT.
What we CAN do is ensure that our packaging has the smallest possible impact on the environment.
That’s why in 2020 we partnered with The Better Packaging Co. team in New Zealand, who have hooked us up with high-quality, fully-compostable mailing bags.
When you get your new ‘fit, you don’t even have to worry about peeling off the labels – we’ve made sure those are compostable too! All you need to do is chuck our mailing bags in your home compost bin.
But that’s not all! Once you open your parcel, you’ll find that we’ve also ditched bubble wrap and other unnecessary plastics. Our return cards are also printed on recycled paper, so if you don’t need it – pop it straight in the recycling instead. How easy is that?
Our Next Step
Launch our new packaging! This started to roll out in January 2021, so keep an eye out for it in your mailbox.
LOOKED FOR WAYS TO REDUCE PRINCESS POLLY’S CARBON FOOTPRINT
There’s a lot that happens behind the scenes before your new fav outfit arrives at your door, and if we’re not careful, that journey from designer to production to Polly gal can have a pretty big environmental footprint.
- We are super careful about this because we believe looking good shouldn’t be at the expense of the planet. That’s why we have committed to offsetting all emissions produced by Princess Polly deliveries from 2020 onwards.
- In 2021 we’re bringing on some experts to help us calculate our total carbon baseline for 2020 so we know where to improve in the coming years.
