Sustainability Progress Report 2022

Materials

Recycled Poly

• Recycled Poly is a technical fabric made from post-consumer plastic bottles. On average, each bag, including the lining, in our Recycled Poly Collection saves 31 plastic bottles from entering our landfills
• By using recycled poly, we’ve diverted 692,000 plastic bottles from going into the landfill for 2021. This is the equivalent to 4 cars taken off the road per year, 16 flights taken from NYC to LA, and the entire surface area of 20 football fields.
• For 2022, we're diverting over 900,000 plastic bottles and we’ve diverted over 3.7 million plastic bottles from landfills to date utilizing recycled poly. 

Leather

• For the past two years, 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. 
• For 2021, we saved approximately 96,581 gallons of water and 3,456,436 light hours using this tannery This is equal to almost 5,000 showers taken per year and the energy of toasting 969,239 slices of bread.  
• For 2022 we’re on track to save over 199,623 gallons of water and 9,227,980.39 light hours.
• 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

• In 2020 we launched our first product made from recycled nylon, the Beacon backpack
• This style is made from 37.4% recycled nylon that is created using post-consumer and discarded nylon. 
• Our goal is to transition the entire signature nylon collection to be made of 100% recycled nylon  and are excited to introduce a brand new nylon product made of 100% eco-friendly materials later in 2022. 

Cotton Canvas 

• For sourcing our canvas, we’re always searching for the best option available, from both a sustainability point of view and human rights point of view. As we constantly evaluate our materials to make sure that they adhere to our own principles and sometimes this means moving things around to ensure not only the quality is right but it’s 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 

• From 2021 onward, we’ve utilized a new signature hummingbird lining that is composed of 50% recycled material and we continue to use this material for all future orders. 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 started 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. About 85% of our poly bags used this year will be fully recyclable and by 2023 we hope to have 100% of the production. 
• For 2022, we’re starting to use 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.  
• Since 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

• 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 in 2021 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. 
  
  

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. The Renewal Workshop sadly had to close its doors in early 2022 and is in the process of planning a reopening for later this year with the goal of continuing to operate as a leading circular service provider for brands. 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. This damaged inventory remains out of the landfill and has now found a new home at our new circularity partner also located in Portland, OR, Looptworks.
• 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 new partner to help sort through, repair, and rethink the possibility of our damaged goods lifecycle.
• Since 2021, we’ve been dedicated to designing new products using upcycled 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.

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.

Learn more about our sustainable business practices here.