J.C. Penney is facilitating a more transparent supply chain with its latest certification.
On Wednesday, Oeko-Tex announced that J.C. Penney would be the first U.S. retailer to receive a Made in Green by Oeko-Tex label for one of its textile products, the J.C. Penney Home Quick-Dri bath towel.
Created by Oeko-Tex, the prestigious label ensures consumers that products are made in eco-friendly facilities and tested efficiently for harmful substances. Available at J.C. Penney locations nationwide, the bath towels are made with 100 percent cotton, highly absorbent and minimize the industry’s carbon footprint through a sustainable production process.
“J.C. Penney has a strong legacy of responsible corporate citizenship by advancing social, ethical and environmental standards across our operations and supply chain,” J.C. Penney VP and divisional merchandise manager Grant Shriver said. “The Made in Green label gives our customers new levels of transparency and visibility into the various stages of production, as well as the countries in which the textile was manufactured.”
With the traceable label, consumers can confirm the Made in Green certification through a unique ID code, scan the label’s QR code with their smartphones or enter the ID code on www.MadeInGreen.com for an unrestricted view of the product’s manufacturing process. These links quickly authenticate the label, while providing consumers with visibility to every step of J.C. Penney’s supply chain.
Products that contain a Made in Green label are tested for hazardous chemicals by a third-party laboratory. To assure that these products are manufactured in sustainable environments, facilities are thoroughly evaluated for their eco-friendly processing technologies and resource management. Factories associated with Made in Green labeled products are also inspected for fair labor conditions, including the exclusion of child labor and efforts to ensure optimal health and safety.
“Increasing global textile sustainability requires action from the entire supply chain, especially major U.S. retailers like J.C. Penney,” Oeko-Tex general secretary George Dieners said. “The J.C. Penney Home Quick-Dri bath towels are a wonderful way to make textile sustainability tangible for consumers and to visibly reinforce J.C. Penney’s commitment to responsible business practices.”