Biodegradable refers to a material that, under natural environmental conditions, tends to dissolve and break down into the chemical elements of which it is composed, through the action of biological agents such as bacteria, plants, animals or other components present in the nature such as water or sunlight. This process must take place over a period of six months with the material biodegrading by 90% and the resulting elements being absorbed into the soil in the form of water, carbon dioxide, mineral salts and other elements. Through this decomposition, the biodegradable substances that make up the material become soil nutrients.
The term ‘bio-based’, on the other hand, refers to all those materials or products that are wholly or partially derived from vegetable derivatives or plants.
The biodegradable materials used by Riri include organic cotton, cellulosic fabric yarn, hemp, linen, nettle and silk; all these materials are also bio-based with the exception of silk, which is a material of animal origin.
Carbon Footprint is a parameter that quantifies the greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions caused by a product, service, organization, event or individual, expressed in tonnes of CO2 equivalent.
Companies can calculate their footprint at product level through a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), or at corporate level.
According to the GHG Protocol (a global standard in measuring and managing emissions), GHG emissions are divided in three different scope / categories:
Further information about Riri Carbon Footprint are available in the Sustainable Report.
Climate Strategy means setting targets towards decarbonization and building a sustainability roadmap of interventions to reduce the carbon dioxide emitted in the atmosphere.
In 2023 Riri will define its climate strategy by setting targets of reduction based on the Science Based Target (SBT) initiative, the global reference for the leading brands committed to more sustainable production.
Global warming is not only determined by CO2 but also by other greenhouse gases, each with a different environmental impact, measured by Global Warming Potential (GWP).
CO2 equivalent is a metric that compares the potential effects of these gases on climate: the amount of each gas is converted to the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide through GWP, a measure of how much heat a given mass of greenhouse gas traps in the atmosphere, compared to the heat trapped by the same mass of CO2 over a specific time interval (usually 100 years).
For example, the GWP of methane (CH4) is 25 and that of nitrous oxide (N2O) is 298. This means that emissions of 1 million tonnes of methane and nitrous oxide are equivalent to emissions of 25 and 298 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, respectively.
Riri started measuring its footprint in 2015. In 2021 our overall corporate footprint amounts to 20.647 tonnes of CO2 eq. This data refers to the three divisions of buttons, zips and metal components (Cobrax Metal Hub). It does not include AMOM and DMC. In 2022, we plan to expand our measurement to include the newly acquired plants.
From 2021 data concerning corporate footprint are published in the annual Sustainability Report, based on some of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards.
FSC stands for Forest Stewardship Council. It is an international, independent, non-profit, non-governmental organization whose members include NGOs, environmental (WWF, Greenpeace) and social groups (National Aboriginal Forestry Association of Canada) as well as the wood and paper trading and processing industries (Tetra Pak, Mondi).
In fact, the FSC label identifies products containing wood from forests that are managed properly and responsibly according to the strictest environmental, social and economic standards.
All paper and cardboard packaging used by Riri is FSC-certified.
Greenwashing refers to the set of communication strategies and marketing initiatives – implemented by companies, organizations, or political institutions – aimed at building a green image in order to divert public attention away from the negative environmental effects caused by the company’s own activities or products.
Riri is committed to avoid greenwashing at all levels of communications through a transparent reporting and communication process and precision mapping of environmental “hotspots” regarding its products and activities.
Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) refers to an international standard used for the certification of natural fibers; it includes both ecological and social criteria. It consists of an independent certification system for the entire textile production chain.
GOTS certification guarantees that:
Riri uses GOTS certified organic cotton yarn as manufacturing standard for its cotton tape range.
GRS (Global Recycled Standard) is an international and voluntary product certification, promoted by the Textile Exchange, which sets out requirements to meet the needs of companies, ensuring that the content of their products comes from recycled sources and respects the most responsible social, environmental and chemical practices during the manufacturing cycle.
All products – at least 20% of which is made with recycled materials – can be certified according to the GRS standard. Only products that contain at least 50% of recycled materials can also be labelled as GRS.
Riri introduced its first recycled polyester tape in 2013; since then, it has been consistently increasing its use of GRS-certified recycled polyester resulting from recycled materials. In March 2021 Riri became the first manufacturing company in the fashion accessory industry to introduce the use of recycled polyester as production standard for its zip range.
A material is defined as recycled when it is composed of recovered material after having undergone a processing cycle in order to give it a new lease on life.
A material is recyclable when, at the end of its standard use, it can be recovered or reused in a variety of ways.
The recycled materials used by Riri include:
All metals used by Riri are recyclable; any scrap is sent back to raw material suppliers or specialized disposers to ensure its new use.
SBT stands for Science Based Target. It is a partnership between the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute (WRI) and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), established with the aim to help companies align with the commitments made during the Paris Accords to limit temperature rise to within 1.5° C compared to the pre-industrial age.
Joining this initiative means publicly committing to ensure that one’s Climate Strategy is in line with scientific goals, adhering to an internationally shared framework with similar goals for companies comparable in size or sector.
Following an updated assessment of its Carbon Footprint and emissions, Riri will establish its Science Based Target for emissions reductions and submit this for validation by the SBT Initiative.
