Gap Inc unveiled an ambitious new sustainable manufacturing goal to conserve a total of 10 billion liters of water by the end of 2020; those water savings would be the equivalent volume of the daily drinking water need for 5 billion people. Product innovation and efficiency improvements at fabric mills and laundries will be key to achieving these water savings and Gap is working in this direction. Progress towards the goal is already underway: since 2014, Gap Inc-led projects have saved more than 2.4 billion litres of water.
?Water is critical to nearly all aspects of our business, and we recognize the responsibility and the opportunity we have to reduce the amount of water used to create our products. Leveraging the power of product innovation and improved manufacturing practices, we can help ensure that our customers not only look great in their favorite jeans and t-shirts, but also feel good about how their purchases are helping to make a positive impact for communities and helping to tackle global water scarcity,? said Christophe Roussel, Executive Vice President of Global Sourcing at Gap Inc.
In recent years, Gap Inc has steadily ramped up its efforts to help drive water efficiency improvements at the mill and laundry level. In 2013, the company launched a Mill Sustainability Program to improve social and environmental practices of fabric mills. Additionally, the company encourages its suppliers to conduct environmental footprint assessments, including water use, using the Sustainable Apparel Coalition?s (SAC) Higg Index. It also actively monitors and helps improve wastewater quality at denim laundries through its strengthened Water Quality Program, which was first launched in 2004 to help ensure that wastewater from denim laundries is properly treated.