American Eagle

Jun 10, 2022

American Eagle Outfitters is an American clothing brand and fashion retailer founded in 1977 and headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It creates fast fashion for young women and men.

American Eagle makes clothing, accessories, shoes, swimwear, and jewelry. It owns other brands such as Aerie, Todd Snyder, and Tailgate Clothing.

American Eagle has many clothing stores operated internationally in countries such as the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Hong Kong and ships to 81 countries worldwide through its websites.

The American clothing retailer offers an eco-friendly collection made from more sustainable raw materials, like recycled fibers, called Real Good. It uses more sustainable techniques with a majority of materials sustainably sourced.

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Sustainability Rating: 3/10

Rating FAQ

Category: Clothing, accessories, shoes, bags, jewelry

For: Women, men

Type: Basics, denim, activewear, underwear, loungewear, swimwear, outerwear, sandals, boots, sneakers, heels, flats

Style: Casual

Quality: Low

Price: $

Sizes: 2XS-2XL, 0-14 (US), 2-16 (UK), 32-44 (EU), 4-18 (AU)

Fabrics: Cotton, linen, hemp, jute, lyocell, modal, viscose, acetate, polyester, nylon, spandex, acrylic, neoprene, polyurethane, rubber, leather, wool, silk

100% Organic: No

100% Vegan: No

Ethical & Fair: No

Recycling: Yes

Producing countries: not transparent enough

Certifications: BCI, FSC

Sustainability Practices

American Eagle is committed to accelerating sustainability improvements across the company to reduce its impact on the environment, preserve natural resources, and promote the well-being of its communities.

It aims to decrease its carbon emissions and reduce the contribution of toxic chemicals to the environment by eliminating them from all of its products.

American Eagle only uses a small proportion of organic materials such as organic cotton and hemp or recycled materials such as recycled polyester and regenerated nylon.

American Eagle dedicates very few of its collections to sustainable fashion. "Real Good" is its collection of sustainable clothing pieces made from organic or recycled fibers with lower impact.

Most of the fabrics it uses are either natural without relevant certifications, such as regular cotton or linen, or synthetic petroleum-based fibers such as polyester, nylon, acrylic, and more.

American Eagle also uses a small amount of semi-synthetic fibers or regenerated cellulosic fabrics such as Tencel lyocell, modal, acetate, and viscose.

Tencel is an eco-friendly fiber made with wood pulp from certified sustainable forests. But only a tiny proportion of the materials used by American Eagle are environmentally friendly and sustainable.

American Eagle doesn't publish a list of its manufacturers on its corporate website. It discloses very little information regarding how it chooses its network of suppliers.

The 2021 Fashion Transparency Index gave American Eagle a score of only 16% based on how much the group discloses about its social and environmental policies, practices, and impacts.

The clothing retailer doesn't show any labor certification standard that ensures good working conditions, decent living wages, health, safety, and other crucial rights for workers in its supply chain.

American Eagle has a Code of Conduct that applies to all its suppliers and subcontractors. It assesses social compliance through semi-announced audits and works with factories to remediate every finding.

American Eagle doesn't use exotic animal skin, hair, fur, or angora. But it uses leather, wool, and silk to manufacture many of its clothing pieces.

These animal-derived materials are cruel and unethical. They also harm the environment by producing greenhouse gases and waste. More sustainable alternatives exist.

Sustainability Goals

American Eagle has committed to more sustainable practices and responsible sourcing. It will reduce its environmental impact to limit climate change and preserve resources.

American Eagle plans to source 100% more sustainable cotton (BCI, recycled, and organic cotton) by 2023. It's committed to eliminating all Poly- and Perfluorinated Alkyl Substances toxic to human health from its products by 2024.

American Eagle aims to become carbon neutral in its owned facilities (offices, stores, distribution centers) and employee travel by 2030. It plans to reduce carbon emissions by 40% by 2030 and 60% by 2040 for manufacturing.

It will source 100% renewable energy by 2030 and will finish installing energy-saving LED lighting in its distribution centers by the end of 2022.

Buy Here

Discover American Eagle's sustainable collections at Ae.com.

Reviews And Experiences With American Eagle

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