Phase A Raw Materials 

• At OpéraSPORT, our sustainability journey starts with working with sustainable textile fabrics during the design process. We choose our garment material carefully: at least 80% of each of our collections is made from recycled materials, and at least 50% of all materials used are mono-materials. 
• By working with recycled fabrics, it is less taxing on our environment by reusing material that already exists. 43 percent of the total CO2 emissions from the garment from its production to its end-of-use are concentrated in the textile fiber production phase. By working with recycled materials, it cuts down on the amount of CO2 output during the material production phase. By working with organic cotton, which does not use nitrous oxide-releasing fertilizers and pesticides and uses less mechanized farming practices, organic cotton creates 46% less CO2 emissions than conventional cotton. 

• When we work with organic cotton that is GOTs certified, we only work with mono fabric when creating a piece of clothing. By only working with mono fabrics, OpéraSPORT wants to give its garments the best chance of being recycled and turned into another wearable textile, therefore extending the garment’s life cycle. This represents our commitment to sustainability. 

Phase B Production Level 

• Here at OpéraSPORT, we try to use the same material every season to minimize fabric waste. For example, we have worked consistently with the material known as seamless silk to make different pieces. 
• Another initiative to minimize fabric waste is that we do not require the production of our garments with prints to be placed in the exact same location. When the placement of the print is unique, it minimizes fabric waste from the cutout process. 
• OpéraSPORT also minimizes overproduction of its garments by only placing the exact quantities that are ordered by its wholesale orders, a process known as "made-to-order." For our own e-commerce website, we only order what we are sure we can sell. 
• During the production phase, we require our producers to comply with our list of restricted chemicals, thus ensuring a safe working environment for the textile workers, and the safety of our own garments. 
• Our production facilities use a mix of electric power and solar cell renewable energy to produce garments. 
• In the future, we aim to improve the durability and strength of our clothes.

Phase C Transportation & Warehouse 

• Currently, all of our clothing bags are made from reusable plastic. 
• Hang-tags are made from recycled material, and the garment care tag is made from GOTS-certified cotton 
• Currently, we ship directly from our production in China to all eastern B2B customers.
• By 2024, we aim to ship directly from our production in China to all B2B customers outside of Europe. In addition, 80% of the production must be shipped by sea to our warehouse.

Phase D Our Operations 

• In the attic of OpéraSPORT’s office, we save all rolls of fabric that are sent to us from our producers that are left over from the production phase. These rolls of fabric are shipped to us through maritime shipping to minimize CO2 emissions. These fabrics are then reused in our runway show, our holiday pop-up shop, and in photoshoot campaigns for the upcoming editions. 
• All clothing samples that are sent to OpéraSPORT’s office are reused in shoots and resold to either employees or regular customers. 
• At OpéraSPORT’s office, we sort our trash into four categories: food waste, plastic, PAP, and regular trash. 
• Most of our employees cycle or walk to work.
• We do not print lookbooks but have digital lookbooks instead 

Phase E Runway Shows 

• OpéraSPORT‘s set design and show production are zero-waste. A zero-waste set design and show production means that all of our props, including signs, are used again and will be repurposed or recycled. We sort our backstage trash via a mandatory trash sorting service in collaboration with Copenhagen Fashion Week. 
• In addition, we do not utilize single-use plastic packaging backstage during fashion week but offer recyclable, recycled, or repurposable alternatives. We use our own reusable tote bags made of organic cotton and our own hangers made of wood. We have used Postevand for beverages for which the packaging is 96.6% plant-based. 
• We also offer to offset the carbon footprint of our show through a recommended partner at Copenhagen Fashion Week.

Phase F Individual Consumers 

• While shooting campaigns for upcoming editions, we ensure that pieces from the new editions are styled together with pieces from previous editions. We want to encourage our customers to reuse what is already in their closet and extend the life cycle of their OpéraSPORT garments. 
• Through our own e-commerce website and garment care label, we communicate our clothing care guide to encourage customers to take care of their clothes, thereby extending the longevity of each piece of garment. 
• OpéraSPORT is currently developing our own washing bag to prolong the life-cycle of our garments that can be machine washed. 
• OpéraSPORT does not offer free returns in order to encourage consumer behavior changes and reduce purchases with the intent to return in order to minimize CO2 output from transportation. We also encourage customers to reuse the original packaging when making a return to minimize CO2 output from the return process. 
• OpéraSPORT has also developed a size and fit guide to reduce returns due to size and fit issues. Industry wide, 3–5% of all returns are not fit for resale and may lead to textile waste, which also contributes to CO2 emissions. 
• OpéraSPORT is hoping to provide guidance to all customers located in greater Copenhagen on how to recycle their textile products by the end of the year. We are looking at sorting and recycling facilities, and we hope to suggest drop-off points for textiles for all consumers in Copenhagen. We are also looking at donation facilities where our consumers can drop off their garments if the piece has reached its end-of-life cycle. We are also looking into recommending local tailors to prolong the life of our garments.

Phase G Sustainable Development Goals 

As a brand with a global audience and customer base, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) guide our business practices. The SDGs offer OpéraSPORT a clear guideline to ensure our sustainability strategy is aligned with global efforts in this area. We have identified three key SDGs that we are currently working on. 

Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth 

• Here at OpéraSPORT, we promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth by only working with factories that are GOTS, BSCI, and WRAP certified in order to ensure decent working conditions and secure fair and decent wages for all employees. This positively contributes to economic growth in local societies in the developing country that we operate in. 
• In addition, we have a code of conduct and ask all external manufacturers and suppliers to sign a compliance commitment in which we outline our commitment for all workers to receive a minimum and livable wage, limit overtime, work in a safe and inclusive environment, and protect worker’s rights and working conditions. We ensure equal work for equal pay between men and women, people with disabilities, and minorities. We also outline our zero-tolerance policy towards forced or child labor of any kind. 

Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production 

• Here at OpéraSPORT, we encourage responsible consumption in multiple ways. First, we have developed a size and fit guide to ensure a perfect fit and reduce garment return rates. Second, by reducing our e-commerce return rate by not offering free shipping return labels to our customers to encourage them to reduce purchases with the intent to return, We also encourage our customers to return our garments in their original shipping packaging to reduce packaging consumption. Third, we do not discount during campaigns such as Black Friday to encourage consumption based on needs rather than temporary markdowns. 
• OpéraSPORT also offers garment care items and is in the process of developing a series of garment care videos that will be made available on our e-commerce website by the end of 2023. We aim to extend the longevity of our garments by giving our consumers guidance on how to care for their garments to extend the life cycle of our garments. We encourage washing in cold temperatures and open-air drying to reduce the CO2 emissions of our garments during their active use phase. 
• OpéraSPORT also encourages responsible consumption through our REPEAT strategy. Our REPEAT strategy consists of rewear, repair, and recycling. Our rewear strategy comprises styling garments from the new editions with garments from previous editions to give our customers inspiration to wear what they already own. It encourages our customers to reuse what is already in their closet and extend the life cycle of their beloved OpéraSPORT garments. Our repair strategy, which is currently in development, comprises recommending local tailors near you and offering an on-request service through our webshop to offer you button and zipper replacements to extend your OpéraSPORT garment’s longevity. Our recycling strategy consists of recommending places to drop off your garment donation and or textile recycling facilities on our e-commerce website.
• OpéraSPORT’s production facilities use a mix of solar and electric energy to produce our garments, and our production facilities produce garments that use raw materials that are either organic and GOTs certified or recycled materials. We aim to reduce textile waste by offering our B2B customers made-to-order products, which reduce the volume of garments that are unsold at the end of the season or can only be sold at significant discounts, thereby adding volume and emissions without contributing much value. 

Goal 15: Life on Land 

• OpéraSPORT aims to help combat global poaching and trafficking by not working with exotic animal skins and not using animal leather products. We only work with vegan leather made of recycled PU or water-based PU. We also aim to protect animals on land by only working with recycled wool and cashmere products that already exist on the market. 
• OpéraSPORT only works with recycled materials to ease pressure on land use. We only use GOTs-certified cotton in order to prevent the use of pesticides, protect and sustain the quality of the soil, promote biodiversity, and reduce CO2 emissions. 
• Within the daily operation at OpéraSPORT, we only send out digital lookbooks to our B2B customers and digital invitations to our fashion week attendees to reduce our use of paper.