First Global Sustainability Report Details Progress of Ambitious Corporate Initiative

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DUSSELDORF, Germany and BRUSSELS, May 24 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

    C&A today announces the publication of its first Global Sustainability

Report. The launch of the Report details C&A's 2015 progress toward the 2020

goals, launched last year. The 2020 goals marked an ambitious new global

sustainability commitment and strategic framework for C&A.

    As Jeffrey Hogue, C&A's Global Chief Sustainability Officer puts it, "In

2015, we focused on building strong governance and accountability to support

our new sustainability strategy. Building sustainability into our business

management system has been crucial to supporting our aspiration to create

fashion with a positive impact."

    The Report is a key component in a comprehensive new framework of corporate

responsibility, with goals and KPIs focusing on sustainable Products, Supply

and Lives, where transparency, circular economy and gender serve as strategic

lenses.

    As detailed in the report, C&A made appreciable gains in sustainability in

2015. Highlights include:

    - Named once again the world's largest user of organic cotton by the

Textile Exchange, and increased the volume of more sustainable cotton used to

40%.

    - Achieved 90% of our shipped volume from our highest rated suppliers.

    - Launched a new code of conduct and audit process, supported by the

disclosure of tier-1 and selected tier-2 factories in Asia and Europe.

    - Committed to using 100% Responsible Down Standard (RDS) certified down in

2016.

    - Conducted first complete measurements of C&A's global carbon and water

footprints, created a new Sustainable Chemicals Management team and strategy,

and completed independent chemicals management audits at 52 key fabric mills.

    - Played a leading role in establishing Action Collaboration and

Transformation (ACT), a global initiative uniting stakeholders to address the

issue of living wages in the textile and garment industry.

    - Became a signatory to the UN Global Compact, the world's largest

corporate sustainability initiative, championing universal principles on human

rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption through transparent reporting.

    - Engaged over 23,000 of our employees in our first sustainability employee

engagement campaign, Inspiring Women.

    In line with C&A's drive for sustainability, the Global Sustainability

Report will only be available online, on C&A's new website

http://www.c-a.com/sustainabilityreport2015, in both English and Portuguese. A

shorter,  summary version will also be available (pdf and printed), in English

and Portuguese, as well as in Mandarin, Spanish and German.

    Learn more in C&A's first Global Sustainability Report on

http://www.c-a.com/sustainabilityreport2015.

    About C&A

    C&A is a leading fashion-retail business, with more than 60,000 employees

and around 2,000 stores in 23 countries worldwide - as well as a growing online

presence. Welcoming more than 2.5 million visitors each day, C&A offers

affordable fashion for the entire family. Dedicated to consistently delivering

quality to our customers, C&A has been at the forefront of consumer-oriented

innovation since 1841.

    For more information, see http://www.c-a.com

    PRESS CONTACT:

    Thorsten Rolfes

    Head of Corporate Communications C&A Europe

    phone: +49-(0)211-9872-2749

    fax: +49-(0)211-9872-4466

    email: thorsten.rolfes@canda.com

SOURCE: C&A Europe