Burlington enters the new decade “energized and with an elevated focus” on sustainable innovation, eco-friendly fabric performance and responsible manufacturing globally,” said the company.
“Sustainability is at the core of Burlington’s performance fabrics collection,” said Allen Smith, president Burlington, Safety Components & A&E Americas. That includes a commitment to explore new fibers, recycled content and advanced manufacturing processes within Burlington Labs R&D incubator and with likeminded partners.
Burlington operates as part of the new Elevate Textiles which announced last year 2025 sustainability commitments focused on responsibly sources fibers, reducing water consumption and lowering greenhouse gases.
Elevate predicts its brand products will be produced using at least 80% sustainably sourced cotton and 50% recycled polyester content, Elevate manufacturing operations will reduce its water intensity by 25% per unit of production, and it will join other pacesetters within the industry to join the Science Based Target (SBT) Program and set a specific greenhouse gas target of achieving a 2.5% per year reduction trajectory.
“We believe repurposing waste and exploring more environmentally friendly content are ways we can do our part to lessen our environmental footprint and make sure future generations have more opportunities for a healthy environment,” continued Smith.
Smith pointed to Burlington’s Restora collection of eco-conscious fabrics and collaborations with innovators of recycled and sustainable content including CiCLO, Eco Circle, Seaqual and longstanding partner REPREVE.
Burlington operates a global manufacturing platform across the United States, Mexico and China. The Jiaxing Burlington Textile (JBT) operation in Jiaxing, China serves as the company’s flagship in sustainable manufacturing. The facility is a bluesign system partner, having earned its designation in 2013, and it also produces a wide range of products that meet the Oeko-Tex Standard 100. JBT has completed the Higg Index 3.0 certification and has been recognized as a model facility by the Jiaxing City Economic Development Zone. JBT was awarded the first Star Enterprise in Jiaxing for both environmental responsibility and hygiene performance.
The facility’s advanced infrastructure includes an Ultra-Filtration (UF) and Reverse Osmosis (RO) water system that is the first of its kind within the Zhejiang province and allows for 30%-40% of the plant’s water demand to be recycled, said Burlington. The facility has reduced Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and consistently reduces utility usage on a per unit of production basis year over year, said the companies.
