Lingerie giant Victoria’s Secret, famed for its racy bras and thongs, has pledged to trace the sources of its wood-based fabrics, joining the ranks of fashion companies addressing human rights and deforestation, its parent company, L Brands Inc, said.
In a policy statement, L Brands said it aimed to eliminate sources of wood pulp, used to make rayon, viscose and modal, that contribute to rainforest destruction or violate the rights of local people.
L Brands is the latest in a growing number of US fashion companies to commit to investigate its supply chain for products from destructive regions and stop using those sources by the end of this year, Rainforest Action Network (RAN) said.
Ralph Lauren Corp, whose designs are popular on Hollywood’s red carpets, adopted a similar policy earlier this month.
“Our Forest Products Procurement Policy is written to reduce threats to ancient and endangered forests and to avoid products that contribute to deforestation or human rights abuses,” L Brands said in a policy statement published on its Web site. “We will report on our progress publicly.”
Production of wood pulp can involve clearing forests to build eucalyptus plantations and taking land traditionally used by local communities, campaigners said.
The issue is particularly acute in Indonesia, a major producer of wood pulp.
The Victoria’s Secret catalog features voluptuous models clad in tiny thongs, push-up bras and “cheekini” panties, and its top models who appear in its popular fashion shows are known as its Angels.
It is one of several companies owned by L Brands.
Its other well-known brands include Henri Bendel, Pink and Bath & Body Works.
L Brands did not respond to a request for comment.
RAN said the new policy was posted on the company Web site late on Wednesday.
RAN, which helped develop the sourcing policies for L Brands and Ralph Lauren, has been waging an “Out of Fashion” campaign to publicize the impact of forest-based fabrics and call on major US brands to adopt stringent sourcing systems.
“It’s encouraging to see brands beginning to take responsibility for their supply chains,” RAN senior campaigner Brihannala Morgan said.
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