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Is Forever 21 sustainable?

As a family-owned fast fashion business, Forever 21 strives to have a positive impact on the climate and its stakeholders. Due to its rather timid sustainability-focused actions so far, which include the use of recycled and upcycled materials, sustainable packaging and solar energy usage in its Los Angeles headquarters, we have rated Forever 21 as an "eco newbie" company. This means that Forever 21 is currently taking steps towards more environmentally friendly practices, but there is a lot of room for improvement.

Environmental footprint of Forever 21

Forever 21 showcases a brief selection of items made of organically-grown cotton on its website, such as tops, bottoms and underwear for men, women, girls and boys. Some of the Forever 21 shopping bags are also made of more environmentally-friendly materials, such as 100% recyclable plastic and paper.

Moreover, the Los Angeles headquarters stands as one of California's largest solar power installations, and the company decided to switch to shipping its products via sea instead of airfreight to reduce carbon emissions. Nowadays, the newest Forever 21 stores include energy efficient lighting systems aimed at cutting down on energy usage. Similarly, the company recycles its shipment boxes on a daily basis at its distribution center and in its stores.

Many fast fashion brands that are readily available on the market use unsustainable materials when making their products, and Forever 21 is no exception. Even though Forever 21’s items are made of environmentally unfriendly fibers, such as polyester or nylon, the company aims to launch a new collection made with more environmentally-friendly materials in the near future.

Animal welfare at Forever 21

In 2004, Forever 21 established a permanent no-fur policy and has worked with animal welfare authorities, such as PETA to meet the guidelines of avoiding animal cruelty and improve its operations. This company also banned the use of Angora in 2014 and mohair in 2020.
As far as other fabrics are concerned, Forever 21 signed the Cotton Pledge in 2016, which means that the company is committed to ending forced labor in the cotton industry in Uzbekistan. However, Forever 21 made sure that none of its third-party vendors obtained their cotton supply from Uzbekistan ever since 2013.

Ethical working conditions at Forever 21

Forever 21 is making efforts to ensure fair, legal and safe working conditions for all its staff and factory workers. Therefore, the company only collaborates with vendors who meet the criteria listed on the Forever 21 Social Responsibility Code of Conduct. 
According to this, both Forever 21 and its vendors agree to only employ qualified workers, pay them salaries that are legal and fair in their jurisdictions and restrict the use of forced, slave, child or prison labor. For more details on Forever 21's ethical working conditions, please refer to the company's website.

Other eco-friendly practices at Forever 21

Forever 21 is striving to make a positive impact on the local communities by partnering up with charities. Over the years, the company collaborated with organizations such as Give to Love, Love to Give through which it has donated clothing to those who needed it the most. Forever 21 has also developed collaborative products with profits benefiting charitable organizations. An example of that is the partnership with Project Level - a non-profit organization which supports the creative needs of at-risk inner-city young population in the San Francisco Bay area.

Moreover, Forever 21 has consistently supported the local community nearby its Los Angeles headquarters. The company has funded college scholarships and aided summer camp opportunities for young people in the LA region and continues to support the Los Angeles Police Department’s Hollenbeck PAL Program.