The North Face introduces fall 2016 line with 100% responsible down

By

Obi Anyanwu

Published
Jan 10, 2016

The North Face announced on Friday its fall 2016 line with over 500 down styles made with 100% certified responsible down through the Responsible Down Standard (RDS). The company intended on including 100% responsible down in its fall 2017 collection, and was able to do so earlier.

 
“We’re thrilled to see complete integration of RDS-certified down into The North Face down products this fall,” said Anne Gillespie, Director of Industry Integrity for Textile Exchange. “Over the last year, many farm groups, processors, garment factories and trading units all became certified by RDS, providing a surge in the availability of responsible down to the growing number of brands who are demanding it. The North Face has been a real driver in creating the demand that has fueled the momentum we are seeing.”
 
The North Face fall 2016 collection incorporates over 500 down-insulated apparel pieces globally including the North Face Morph Jacket, an 800 fill, weather resistant, woven-baffle constructed piece. The company first partnered with nonprofit Textile Exchange and Control Union Certifications, an accredited third-party certification body, to create the RDS, in order to improve animal welfare and traceability in the down and feather supply chain since 2012.

The RDS is put in place to prevent practices like force-feeding and live plucking, and places strict requirements on issues such as food and water quality, housing, stock density, outdoor access, animal health, hygiene and pest and predator control among others. Since launching in 2014, over 40 brands from the outdoor, apparel and home industries have initiated certification for their supply chains to the RDS, an estimated 500 million birds are under RDS certification at the farm level and over 1,200 sites in Europe, Asia and North America are certified by RDS to date including 900 industrial farms.