Angela Velasquez
4 min read
In This Article:
OshKosh B’Gosh, the 130-year-old children’s denim brand, is embracing sustainable technology.
Last week, Carter’s Inc, the American heritage company behind Carter’s, OshKosh B’gosh, Little Planet, and Skip Hop brands released its 2024 Impact Report, offering key insights into its sustainable initiatives and progress.
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The company’s “Raise the Future” sustainability strategy includes commitments to provide more sustainable product offerings, reduce the company’s carbon footprint, and support workers and communities. Developing apparel made from more sustainable materials, setting company-wide climate targets verified by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), and enhancing traceability and social compliance programs are central to this strategy.
Ozone washing is helping OskKosh reduce its water usage. In late 2024, the company introduced ozone washing technology for the iconic denim brand’s “World’s Best Overalls.” The company said it plans to implement the technology across denim production for playwear products and Little Planet in 2025. “This innovative wash approach marks a significant shift from conventional washing methods,” Carter’s Inc. stated in the report.
To track progress and gain visibility into washing processes, the company has implemented Jeanologia’s Environmental Impact Measuring (EIM) software. “We expect EIM to complement our goal to utilize the Higg Index and further reduce water usage in the manufacturing and washing of our products in 2025 and beyond,” Carter’s stated in the report.
The company’s efforts to reduce water usage extend beyond denim. Though the number of styles needing additional garment washing increased slightly from 2023 to 2024, the company reports that it has reduced this number by 59 percent since 2019.
Sustainably sourced cotton continues to be a challenge for the Atlanta-based children’s apparel stalwart.
Cotton is Carter’s Inc.’s primary fiber, accounting for 70 percent of the company’s fabrics in FY 2024. However, its use of sustainably sourced cotton (Better Cotton and certified organic cotton) declined to 28 percent. In 2023, the company reported that more than 40 percent of Carter’s cotton was from either sustainable or recycled fibers.
Carter’s said the decline was largely due to the “lag time” in the transfer of Better Cotton credits from its suppliers and an updated accounting methodology. The firm pointed out that the process is expected to be more consistent and accurate going forward as it works toward achieving 100 percent sustainably sourced cotton by 2030.
