Napapijri's Superlight Parka is free of fur and down

Themes of sustainability and respect for nature are, and continue to be, strategic for Napapijri, which has always distinguished itself by its projects linked to the protection of the environment, said the company in a press release.

The 'Make it Better' mindset of the company embraces product innovation to enable solutions that improve consumers’ lives, while making a meaningful contribution to the world.

Napapijri began its journey towards becoming fur free in 2017. The company first decided not to use fur in its children's garments and then decided to phase out raccoon dog fur. The 'Make it Better' philosophy became an even more tangible reality, with Napapijri continuing to monitor its use of fur and looking at eco-fur alternatives which maintain a high-quality product standard and meet consumers’ expectations. A key turning point came with the replacement of real fur with cutting-edge innovative Eco-Fur Kanecaron fibres.

In 2015, implementing lessons learned from the fur free approach and remaining strongly committed to 'Make it Better', Napapijri began its journey to become down free. Through product innovation, Napapijri developed a down free insulation replacement called Thermo-Fibre. This was initially introduced in Napapijri’s FW15 outerwear collection before being rolled out across the FW16 collection – making 99 per cent of Napapijri products down free. Today, Napapijri is 100 per cent down free. This was not only a sustainability success story, but also a business one; delivering significant commercial impact and proving that consumers stand behind Napapijri’s commitments on animal welfare and its product innovations.

Napapijri’s efforts are in line with VF’s stance on animal welfare. Last month VF released its first-ever Animal Derived Materials Policy and announced that its brands will no longer use fur, angora or exotic leather in their products. This progressive new policy, developed in partnership with The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International, outlines which animal materials are prohibited and sets formal guidelines for the procurement and use of approved materials by VF’s brands and global supply chain partners.

"At Napapijri, we are sensitive towards animal welfare issues, we are adapting our practices and products accordingly and we are always looking to innovate and make our products better. We are very proud to announce that our FW17 is 100 per cent down and fur free. In coming years, Napapijri will continue to research materials and production methods which decrease our environmental impact. We are dedicated to continually improving our production practices and policies in order to ensure that our products reflect our ‘Make it better’ value," said Kathy Hines, vice president marketing, e-commerce and strategy VF Corp, Napapijri Brand. (KD)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India