Since opening shop in 1970, we've been working on ourselves to do better by the planet and our people.
There's a long way to go, but we want to show you how we're improving the way we do things for good -
join our journey to drive positive change.
See our full URBN Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) report, or check our progress with our scorecard.
ESG
SCORE CARD
• We're a zero waste to landfill office and distribution centre (DC), and 51% of our stores currently operate this way too. We're equipped with electric vehicle charging points at our DC.
• Our Sustain Committee is made up of dedicated members of the business who focus on three core areas: product, community and environment. From hosting charity fundraisers to building internal training resources, our sustain team keeps sustainability news at the forefront of conversations.
• In 2023 we launched a monthly sustain training programme that has since reached 1700 attendees. Accessible to everyone in the company, these talks cover topics from oceans and climate change to energy solutions and regenerative agriculture plus alternative dye methods.
• Stores and offices have always been designed with an adaptive re-use philosophy centered around preservation through repurpose and reuse. Materials and artifacts found onsite are used as part of the building process. We recycle concrete to make walkways, old doors are collaged together to form walls, and wood floors are reclaimed.
• URBN is committed to reducing its impact on the environment. We're in the process of mapping our carbon footprint from our owned and partner operations, and will have set a science-based target by 2025.
• Since January 2024, 84% of energy used in our operation and stores was from renewable sources such as wind and hydroelectric.
• In our UK fullfilment centre we installed rainwater harvesting technology to flush all of their toilets. We'll be able to report on the water savings in the next 6 months.
• 6000 trees were planted at the UK based fulfilment centre in 2023 and extra measures have been taken to protect a local newt species in the area.
• Our Sustain Committee is made up of dedicated members of the business who focus on three core areas: product, community and environment. From hosting charity fundraisers to building internal training resources, our sustain team keeps sustainability news at the forefront of conversations.
• In 2023 we launched a monthly sustain training programme that has since reached 1700 attendees. Accessible to everyone in the company, these talks cover topics from oceans and climate change to energy solutions and regenerative agriculture plus alternative dye methods.
• Stores and offices have always been designed with an adaptive re-use philosophy centered around preservation through repurpose and reuse. Materials and artifacts found onsite are used as part of the building process. We recycle concrete to make walkways, old doors are collaged together to form walls, and wood floors are reclaimed.
• URBN is committed to reducing its impact on the environment. We're in the process of mapping our carbon footprint from our owned and partner operations, and will have set a science-based target by 2025.
• Since January 2024, 84% of energy used in our operation and stores was from renewable sources such as wind and hydroelectric.
• In our UK fullfilment centre we installed rainwater harvesting technology to flush all of their toilets. We'll be able to report on the water savings in the next 6 months.
• 6000 trees were planted at the UK based fulfilment centre in 2023 and extra measures have been taken to protect a local newt species in the area.
• In 2022, we switched our swing tickets, fulfillment centre packaging and garment bags to recycled as standard plus engaged in closed loop recycling pilots. Our team spent 2023 engineering our packaging to deliver material reductions and improve material choices. Here are some of the results:
• By changing the weight of our recycled plastic packaging we saved 11 tonnes of plastic in 2023.
• By increasing the recycled content of our mailer bags we've eliminated 8 tonnes of virgin plastic.
• We've started to close loop recycle garment bags and void fill orders that are returned to us by customers. These make new bags which eliminates 156 tonnes of virgin plastic. We also take scraps from our auto bagger machine and recycle these back into mailer bags plus our cardboard recycling scheme recycled 520 tonnes of card.
• Our fulfillment centre invested in an auto boxing machine that cuts card packaging to fit the size of the package resulting in shiping less air and using less materials as a result. By engineering our manual pack boxes we've also eliminated 11 tonnes of cardboard.
• By changing the weight of our recycled plastic packaging we saved 11 tonnes of plastic in 2023.
• By increasing the recycled content of our mailer bags we've eliminated 8 tonnes of virgin plastic.
• We've started to close loop recycle garment bags and void fill orders that are returned to us by customers. These make new bags which eliminates 156 tonnes of virgin plastic. We also take scraps from our auto bagger machine and recycle these back into mailer bags plus our cardboard recycling scheme recycled 520 tonnes of card.
• Our fulfillment centre invested in an auto boxing machine that cuts card packaging to fit the size of the package resulting in shiping less air and using less materials as a result. By engineering our manual pack boxes we've also eliminated 11 tonnes of cardboard.
• We have long-standing partnerships with New Life and Shelter and more recently we've partnered with B Corp certified, Yellow Octopus, who are innovating towards more circular processes by recycling waste back into production systems as well as making products reusable.
• 2023's stock donations to homeless charity Shelter funded 7 weeks of call centre support. The amazing people in their call centres answer 125 urgent calls each day! Our donations to Newlife, supporting disabled children, supported grants for 20 families who otherwise would have been unable to access much needed funding.
• In 2023, we partnered with Ecologi to support a solar farm project in Morocco. This offset the 30 tonnes of CO2e created by our annual vendor engagement day where partners come from across the globe to collaborate and innovate with our teams.
• 2023's stock donations to homeless charity Shelter funded 7 weeks of call centre support. The amazing people in their call centres answer 125 urgent calls each day! Our donations to Newlife, supporting disabled children, supported grants for 20 families who otherwise would have been unable to access much needed funding.
• In 2023, we partnered with Ecologi to support a solar farm project in Morocco. This offset the 30 tonnes of CO2e created by our annual vendor engagement day where partners come from across the globe to collaborate and innovate with our teams.
• We integrate alternative dyestuffs with vegetable dyes and use techniques like cold pad batch dyeing - a process where fabric is dyed at lower temperatures which reduces the energy needed.
• Our apparel teams are experimenting with natural dyestuffs like coffee and myrobalan fruit whilst the home teams are swapping convention plastic plant pots for coconut fibre in some of their plant ranges.
• We use innovative tech methods such as e-Flow which uses nanobubbles of air rather than water to carry chemicals, making it a less intensive process, as well as laser technology which eliminates harmful processes for workers and improves environmental impact.
• In June 2024, we launched a home accessories range made from recycled denim waste. The denim was collected at our BDG swap shop event in Autumn 2023 where customers swapped 250 pairs of jeans. These items were were then sorted by our Urban Renewal team who divided them up into resale, repair and recycle. The stock suitable for recycling, because the product was beyond repair, was sent to our upcyle partner to be made into unique homeware. The range will be sold alongside the repaired jean stock in one of our UK stores.
• Our apparel teams are experimenting with natural dyestuffs like coffee and myrobalan fruit whilst the home teams are swapping convention plastic plant pots for coconut fibre in some of their plant ranges.
• We use innovative tech methods such as e-Flow which uses nanobubbles of air rather than water to carry chemicals, making it a less intensive process, as well as laser technology which eliminates harmful processes for workers and improves environmental impact.
• In June 2024, we launched a home accessories range made from recycled denim waste. The denim was collected at our BDG swap shop event in Autumn 2023 where customers swapped 250 pairs of jeans. These items were were then sorted by our Urban Renewal team who divided them up into resale, repair and recycle. The stock suitable for recycling, because the product was beyond repair, was sent to our upcyle partner to be made into unique homeware. The range will be sold alongside the repaired jean stock in one of our UK stores.
• 54% of UO products are made with mono-fibres, meaning clothes are easier to recycle at the end of their life.
• We've delivered 500 hours of circular design training with our partners at the Centre for Sustainable and Fashion and London College of Fashion.
• In collaboration with the Centre for Sustainable Fashion, we have now trained our design, buying, planning, quality and marketing teams on the principles of circular design. This led to exploration of mono material and multi-use designs, durability, waste and material inputs.
• In order to support our teams to make more circular decisions, the sustainability team have committed to developing a series of circular design guides. These guides will combine the learnings from 18 months of training into one usable tool that's expected to launch in Q3 of 2025.
• We are currently part of a large-scale durability study in collaboration with Textiles 2030. This early work has inspired our quality teams to carry out their own durability study to help inform their own decision making and progress to better.
• Our BDG denim team have worked with their key mill partners to embed 20% pre and post-consumer recycled content into 34% of their jeans (2024).
• Our casual team not only produced their first 100% recycled input puffer jacket, they also pushed themselves to work on multi-use products such as a skirt that doubles up a multi-wear bag.
• We have also invested in Clo 3D softwear which allows for patterns to be developed in 2D and adapted in 3D on one screen. This will enable us to reduce the impact of making and shipping samples from our factory partners to our London office.
• We launched the first in our care and repair content series in May 2024. From cleaning tips to storage hacks we want our customer to know how to laundry like a pro.
• In the US, we partner with our sister brand Nuuly, a subscription clothing rental company, to extend the life of UO clothing through renting and rewearing. See how Nuuly works here.
• We've delivered 500 hours of circular design training with our partners at the Centre for Sustainable and Fashion and London College of Fashion.
• In collaboration with the Centre for Sustainable Fashion, we have now trained our design, buying, planning, quality and marketing teams on the principles of circular design. This led to exploration of mono material and multi-use designs, durability, waste and material inputs.
• In order to support our teams to make more circular decisions, the sustainability team have committed to developing a series of circular design guides. These guides will combine the learnings from 18 months of training into one usable tool that's expected to launch in Q3 of 2025.
• We are currently part of a large-scale durability study in collaboration with Textiles 2030. This early work has inspired our quality teams to carry out their own durability study to help inform their own decision making and progress to better.
• Our BDG denim team have worked with their key mill partners to embed 20% pre and post-consumer recycled content into 34% of their jeans (2024).
• Our casual team not only produced their first 100% recycled input puffer jacket, they also pushed themselves to work on multi-use products such as a skirt that doubles up a multi-wear bag.
• We have also invested in Clo 3D softwear which allows for patterns to be developed in 2D and adapted in 3D on one screen. This will enable us to reduce the impact of making and shipping samples from our factory partners to our London office.
• We launched the first in our care and repair content series in May 2024. From cleaning tips to storage hacks we want our customer to know how to laundry like a pro.
• In the US, we partner with our sister brand Nuuly, a subscription clothing rental company, to extend the life of UO clothing through renting and rewearing. See how Nuuly works here.
• In 2024, 71% of UO EU apparel and homewear fibres were from an alternative source such as recycled fibres, Better Cotton and Lenzing to name a few. Cotton, our most-used fibre, has been a focus for us and we can proudly say that 100% of our cotton was alternatively sourced last year and we have reduced our conventioal fibre usage by 31%. These switches have resulted in a massive 65% reduction in our water footprint and a 6% reduction in our carbon footprint.
• We are always looking to better our inputs, to diversify our alternatives portfolio and are exploring regenerative farming for fibres such as cotton and hemp.
• We are always looking to better our inputs, to diversify our alternatives portfolio and are exploring regenerative farming for fibres such as cotton and hemp.
We joined in 2021 and connected on its mission to help cotton communities survive and thrive, while protecting and restoring the environment. Better Cotton trains farmers to care for the environment and respect workers' rights and wellbeing.
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We beat our 10% sourcing goal in February 2022; in 2024, we sourced 99% of our cotton through Better Cotton's mass balance system. By choosing these products from UO, you're supporting responsible production through Better Cotton.
We beat our 10% sourcing goal in February 2022; in 2024, we sourced 99% of our cotton through Better Cotton's mass balance system. By choosing these products from UO, you're supporting responsible production through Better Cotton.
In spring of 2024, we signed the Denim Deal. A collaboration between leading denim brands, denim mills, manufacturers and businesses that collect and sort used clothing for resale and recycling. All with one mission - to close the denim loop by making post-consumer recycled cotton the new norm. To make this vision a reality, we need to collaborate, experiment, innovate and commit with the overall mission to increase the use of post-consumer recycled content in jeans, reaching 1M pairs by 2030.
Run by our long-term partner WRAP, this project helps us become a more circular business whilst reducing our carbon by 50% and water by 30%, as well as overall waste impact. As partner members we sit on the circularity sprint group, the durability sprint group and the recycled content sprint group working to drive industry collaboration; understand consumer insights; and set up pilots to explore new opportunities for the industry.
Created by the Centre for Sustainable Fashion (CSF), this programme integrates circularity techniques into our products and shares knowledge about best practice circular design.
This programme is currently offered to our designers, but we aim to expand this offering to include our buyers and product technologists in 2023.
This programme is currently offered to our designers, but we aim to expand this offering to include our buyers and product technologists in 2023.
Every BDG jean has at least one sustainable input. Either 20% recycled content, coupled with Better Cotton, and/or low impact laundry techniques. Our product teams are constantly innovating with the best mills, laundries and factories to integrate better denim into their range. We have lots to share with you this year.
Vintage and reworked clothing have always been part of Urban Outfitters DNA, and the Urban Renewal team is dedicated to extending the lifecycle of unwanted clothes.
We believe that giving old styles a new lease of life is a vital part of improving circularity in the fashion industry. By sourcing styles that are already out there, we aim to curb the desire for brand-new products in order to help protect our planet’s precious virgin resources.
With mindful consumption the number one goal, the Urban Renewal team work to source original vintage pieces, upcycle existing garments and discover deadstock drops that still stand up to today’s trends.
Working together with our global vintage wholesalers, we save over 175,000 pieces of clothing every year that would otherwise be destined for landfill.
We believe that giving old styles a new lease of life is a vital part of improving circularity in the fashion industry. By sourcing styles that are already out there, we aim to curb the desire for brand-new products in order to help protect our planet’s precious virgin resources.
With mindful consumption the number one goal, the Urban Renewal team work to source original vintage pieces, upcycle existing garments and discover deadstock drops that still stand up to today’s trends.
Working together with our global vintage wholesalers, we save over 175,000 pieces of clothing every year that would otherwise be destined for landfill.
With denim at its core, BDG encapsulates the authentic quality of Urban Outfitters' heritage with a creative and progressive spirit. In 2023, 71% of BDG jeans were woven from alternative fibre sources and we continue to explore new technologies that can reduce the effect of denim production on our environment. BDG Jeans also focuses on incorporating mechanically recycled cotton into their denim cloths and are excited to increase the use of post-consumer recycled cotton in their collections to give pre-loved garments a new life.
EveryYouth is a UK-wide movement of local charities that have joined forces to tackle youth homelessness together helping 110,000 young people who find themselves in need every year. The organisation provides a national platform to raise awareness, share experiences and generate voluntary income for vulnerable young people.
What we've done so far:
• Donated £10,000 worth of stock for care packages in EY centres
• Provided Christmas gifts for 700 young people at the Centrepoint Soho shelter in 2020
• In 2020, 2021 and 2022, we donated 10% of sales from our gift cards to EY in-line with Giving Tuesday. In 2022, we donated £15,000
• Partnered with and funded the Wavey Garms Xmas Pop Up 2020 with all proceeds raised donated to Centrepoint Soho
• Donated profits from a range of D.A.R.E T-Shirt to EYH Health Fund
• In 2022, we wrapped and filled 50 gift boxes with UO apparel to send to EYH
What we've done so far:
• Donated £10,000 worth of stock for care packages in EY centres
• Provided Christmas gifts for 700 young people at the Centrepoint Soho shelter in 2020
• In 2020, 2021 and 2022, we donated 10% of sales from our gift cards to EY in-line with Giving Tuesday. In 2022, we donated £15,000
• Partnered with and funded the Wavey Garms Xmas Pop Up 2020 with all proceeds raised donated to Centrepoint Soho
• Donated profits from a range of D.A.R.E T-Shirt to EYH Health Fund
• In 2022, we wrapped and filled 50 gift boxes with UO apparel to send to EYH
Blueprint For All (BFA), formerly known as The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, works to create a more inclusive society in which everyone can succeed regardless of their background. Their high-impact programmes provide inspiration, opportunities and support to talented young people, empowering them to tackle disadvantages and discrimination for long-term change.
What we've done so far:
• Donated £10,000 to the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust
• Donating all profits from the sale of books in our UO Book Club edit to BFA
• Supported the creation and delivery of the BFA ‘Changemaker Series’ that celebrates some of the people, grassroots groups and organisations BFA work with
• UO supported the Changemakers Student Project where we guided and judged work produced by students at Nottingham Trent University
• Offered UO Marketplaces to BAME businesses and charities in partnership with BFA
What we've done so far:
• Donated £10,000 to the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust
• Donating all profits from the sale of books in our UO Book Club edit to BFA
• Supported the creation and delivery of the BFA ‘Changemaker Series’ that celebrates some of the people, grassroots groups and organisations BFA work with
• UO supported the Changemakers Student Project where we guided and judged work produced by students at Nottingham Trent University
• Offered UO Marketplaces to BAME businesses and charities in partnership with BFA
All fibres that have been certified to have lower environmental impacts than their conventional counterparts.
These fast growing plants need no harmful chemicals or artificial irrigation. They can be processed into lots of great materials including a biodegradable alternative to plastic.
Better Cotton is sourced via a system of mass balance which isn't physically traceable to end products, but helps to train its farmers to respect workers’ rights and wellbeing.
bettercotton.org
bettercotton.org
Biodegradable materials break down into tiny pieces over a period of time but are not necessarily compostable.
Designing goods to be used more and creating them from safe, recycled and renewable materials so they can be made to be be made again.
Products that can be recycled into the same thing e.g. our polybags will be remade into polybags again.
Compostable materials break down naturally in the right conditions into non-toxic components.
Items which have not had any of their materials or ingredients tested on animals.
With denim at its core, BDG encapsulates the authentic quality of Urban Outfitters' heritage with a creative and progressive spirit. In 2023, 71% of BDG jeans were woven from alternative fibre sources and we continue to explore new technologies that can reduce the effect of denim production on our environment. BDG Jeans also focuses on incorporating mechanically recycled cotton into their denim cloths and are excited to increase the use of post-consumer recycled cotton in their collections to give pre-loved garments a new life.
An energy intensive way of plating metals, commonly used on metal trims for jeans.
Environmental Impact Measurement score refers to the wash and drying process of garments and is measured by the amount of water, chemicals and energy used and ensures better environments for workers.
Look out for our jeans that use new technology and allows us to finish our garments with less water, energy and harmful chemicals, verified with Environmental Impact Measurement Score.
www.jeanologia.com
Look out for our jeans that use new technology and allows us to finish our garments with less water, energy and harmful chemicals, verified with Environmental Impact Measurement Score.
www.jeanologia.com
Our metal hardware contains 50% recycled brass and are not conventionally electroplated, saving water and energy.
‘Forest Stewardship Council’ is an international non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting responsible forestry.
A natural fibre made from the stalks of Cannabis Sativa plants. It’s better for the environment as it doesn't need harmful chemicals or much water to grow.
marmarahemp.com
marmarahemp.com
Cellulosic materials that are certifiable and sustainably sourced.
This innovative indigo dye process reduces water consumption by at least 75% and uses 0% fresh water during the process.
Innovative techniques of dyeing garments require less water, energy through reduced temperatures and fewer harmful chemicals.
An organic product is made without the use of harmful chemicals.
Cotton grown without the use of toxic fertilisers and pesticides, using no genetically modified seeds.
www.soilassociation.org
www.soilassociation.org
Salvaging waste and reimagining it into new materials. Recycling stops products going to landfill and keeps materials in circulation for longer.
Recycled cotton is taken from cotton waste and reprocessed into new fibres to help reduce the impact of virgin resources on the environment.
saentis-textiles.com
saentis-textiles.com
Products which can be used again, often reducing the need for single use items.
A cellulose fibre from sustainably sourced natural raw material wood. It's Lenzing-branded - a brand that uses sustainable forests and closed-loop processes to create this material.
www.lenzing.com
www.lenzing.com
Items made without the use of animal products.