Banana Republic take small steps with their new eco range - but is 5% organic enough?

Banana Republic, the upmarket chain belonging to Gap Inc. has launched a 50 piece eco-friendly line, and to celebrate Earth Day they will be donating 1% of all in-store sales to Trust for Public Lands, a not-for-profit land conservation organisation till the 27th April.

The company has said that it is committed to reducing its environmental impact ‘one step at a time’, but as the eco credentials of the range are called into question, we ask if this is enough.

Whilst the range does incorporate sustainable fabrics such as bamboo, organic cotton and soy/silk blend these fabrics are blended with other non-sustainable fabrics. The tank tops, for example are 87% conventional cotton, 8% spandex and only 5% organic cotton.

Alessandra Brunialti, Banana Republic’s vice president of design for women said, ‘A year ago, when we started this, we were trying to be super pure about it — have everything be completely organic,” she said. “And it was all becoming too much to do at once. Then our mantra became ‘One step at a time.’'

In the EU food and drink must be certified as organic before it can be sold as organic, however this regulation does not extend to textiles and the percentage of organic fibre in garments labeled as organic varies enormously. Retailers can describe clothing to be organic even if their organic content is minimal.

The Soil Association, the UK’s leading organic certification organization requires that a garment contains at least 95% organic fibre to be labeled ‘organic’, and at least 70% organic fibre to be labeled as ‘made from organic materials’.

Lee Holdstock, from the Soil Association said, ‘Given that an increasing number of manufacturers are producing certified organic textiles, it would seem that partially ‘eco’ products are unnecessary and misleading to consumers. To be sure that your clothes are truly ‘eco-friendly’ look out for the Soil Association logo.’

Whether you consider the Banana Republic range to be eco-friendly might depend on your outlook – is the cup 5% full or 95% empty? It’s great that Banana Republic has started to work with sustainable fabrics, but its clearly only a few steps into a long journey.