Responsible business. Spools of string with fabric in the background.

SUSTAINABILITY AT
SUNDAY AFTERNOONS

MEASUREMENT & ASSESSMENT

A proud member of the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) and the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), Sunday Afternoons is actively working on a sustainability roadmap to measure progress and assess opportunities related to our supply chain, materials, and practices. Our connections within the industry guide us as we work to improve our environmental and social sustainability.

In 2018, we completed the Higg Index Brand and Retail Module. Developed by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, the Higg Index is a suite of tools that enables brands, retailers, and facilities of all sizes—and at every stage in their sustainability journey—to accurately measure and score a company's or product's sustainability performance. The Higg Index delivers a holistic overview that empowers businesses to make meaningful improvements that protect the well-being of factory workers, local communities, and the environment. We're committed to completing additional modules as they are released.

RESPONSIBLE DESIGN

We are proud to team up with reputable partners who help to ensure that selected textiles are safe, resource-efficient, and offer a lower-impact alternative to conventionally sourced fabrics. Both bluesign® and Oeko-Tex® 100 standard are third-party certifications for textile sourcing that measure and score fabrics against stringent consumer safety and environmental requirements.

Whether you like to hike, run, fish, garden, or just hang out outdoors, we are experts in protecting you from elements like sun, heat, rain, and snow so you can stay outside longer.

RECYCLED FABRICS

Eight adult styles and three kids’ styles in our SS20 collection are recycled. Many of our main body fabrics in our performance collection are recycled, and we are committed to increasing that number. All of our technical fabric mills are bluesign® certified or meet the Oeko-Tex® 100 standard, and approximately 98% of our fabrics are bluesign® certified or meet the Oeko-Tex® 100 standard.

PFC-FREE DURABLE WATER REPELLENT (DWR) FINISH

Durable water repellent, or DWR , is a coating added to fabrics to make them water-resistant (hydrophobic). The DWR we used previously was a long-chain (C8) fluorocarbon-based treatment that is effective and durable. Unfortunately, its byproducts, such as perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), are toxic and persist in the environment. When we learned about the potential negative impact of PFCs, we knew we needed to find an effective PFC-free DWR solution. Beginning with our SS20 collection, we’ve removed PFCs from our DWR treatments on all new styles and have transitioned to safer alternatives on carryover styles for human health and the environment.

WHAT IS DWR?

Durable Water Repellent (DWR) is a textile treatment applied to fabrics used for apparel and gear, including headwear. The treatment prevents water from saturating the fabric and instead causes water to bead up and roll off the surface,keeping your hat (and head) dry.

WHAT ARE PFCs?

Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) are widely used in carpeting, cookware, food packaging, clothing treatments, and more. PFCs increase the surface tension of fabric, which helps water bead up and roll off.

WHY REMOVE PFCs?

PFCs aren’t natural and don’t break down in the environment. Scientists have found traces of PFCs in the environment, and early studies have shown that they are harmful to living organisms. Research is still being done on how PFCs get into the environment, as there is a lot to learn.

CHEMICAL-FREE COOLING TECHNOLOGY

In addition to offering a wide variety of lightweight, breathable, well-ventilated designs, we’re proud to collaborate with Coolcore®, offering a patented chemical-free technology designed to keep you cool and comfortable in any temperature or condition. Coolcore® rapidly cools and wicks moisture through regulated evaporation. Best of all, it won’t wash out over time. Coolcore® cooling technology is built into the fibers of the fabric and keeps its cooling properties for the life of the garment. Look for Coolcore® in our new UVShield Cool Convert Visor and UVShield Cool Cap!

NATURAL FABRICS

Several of our woven styles offer a natural look with built-in breathability and durability from plant-based fibers. Choose from our UPF 50+ rated silhouettes made from raffia straw, a type of palm native to the tropical regions of Africa, or our 100% natural tripilla collection, hand-woven from Mexican green palm leaf straw fibers with a natural UPF 50+ sun rating. Added bonus: tripilla holds up to splashes.

SUPPLIER PARTNERSHIPS

Sunday Afternoons is committed to a safe, fair, and healthy working environment for all employees and our factory workers alike. With supplier partnerships across Asia and Mexico, we have been actively implementing code of conduct agreements, regularly scheduled third-party audits, and required compliance with the OIA Fair Labor Code of Conduct.

RESTRICTED SUBSTANCES

Sunday Afternoons is committed to eliminating chemicals of concern where possible in our fabrics, materials, and trims. To that end, we created a Restricted Substances List (RSL) in 2018 that meets or exceeds all applicable regulatory requirements, and we distributed it to all vendor partners. In 2019, we adopted the bluesign® RSL.

VENDOR COMPLIANCE

Sunday Afternoons has created a Vendor Manual with a robust Code of Conduct and distributed it to all of our factories. We completed the Higg Index Brand and Retail Module in 2017 and are committed to doing it annually. In 2019 we began working with specific vendor partners to complete the Higg Index FEM and FSLM. We are continuously reusing cardboard and shipping materials at our factories as we strive to lower our footprint.