Solo New York announced it received the 2020 SEAL Business Sustainability Award which celebrates leadership, transparency and commitment to sustainable business practices.
Solo was awarded the SEAL Environmental Initiative Award for its Re:cycled collection of bags made from respun ocean-bound plastic, and for additional sustainability programs across the company.
The Environmental Initiative Awards honor specific sustainability and environmental initiatives using key criteria for selection including impact metrics, innovation and sharing of insights. For example, Solo plans to remove 40 million plastic bottles from landfills by 2024, its recycled fabric is certified by The Global Recycled Standard (GRS), and the company is now applying its learnings in recycled materials, packaging and waste reduction across the brand and its products.
While there are several ways to source discarded plastic, Solo worked hard to locate ocean-bound sources and landfills where plastic commonly ends up in oceans and waterways. The plastics are recovered, chipped and spun into the fabric used for its bag collection.
Although sustainability has always been part of the brand’s mission, 2020 marked a significant advance for Solo, with initiatives including launching the Re:cycled Collection, fully revamping its packaging to eliminate plastic, developing biodegradable tags made from FSC-certified recycled paper, and starting the process of replacing traditional poly-bags for shipping with a recycled option. The brand has also been a partner of the National Forest Foundation, helping replant thousands of trees in U.S. National Forests. And Solo’s headquarters in New York is 100 percent powered by rooftop solar and single-use plastics are banned at the campus.
“It is such an honor to be recognized by SEAL Awards. Solo is committed to the mission of sustainability and reducing our environmental footprint, which we know will be an ongoing process that requires constantly re-evaluating our processes and looking for innovative new materials. From our packaging to products, we are always looking for more efficient ways that we can do business and support our customers,” said Serkan Anders, vice president, Marketing, Solo New York. “The Solo Re:cycled Collection demonstrates that there is a demand from both consumers and retailers for more sustainable products. From a business standpoint, sustainability isn’t an option anymore, and we’ve demonstrated that it’s possible to develop more sustainable products at prices that are accessible to a broad group of consumers. We are confident that we’re the only company among our peers that is taking such significant steps for the environment.”
SEAL (Sustainability, Environmental Achievement & Leadership) Awards is an environmental advocacy organization that honors leadership through its business sustainability awards and environmental journalism awards while funding research and pursuing environmental impact campaigns.
“Over the past five years, corporations like Solo New York have increased their investment in sustainable business practices, and we are honored to have Solo among our Business Sustainability Award recipients,” said Matt Harney, founder, SEAL Awards. “Our mission at SEAL is to rigorously assess and then celebrate extraordinary sustainability leadership, and Solo has demonstrated that they are committed to sustainable practices.”
