Impact Report

How Sustainable Is EILEEN FISHER?

Founded in 1984 in New York by Eileen Fisher, EILEEN FISHER, Inc. is a renowned fashion brand celebrated for its timeless, high-quality collections.

EILEEN FISHER excels environmentally with low-impact fibers and emissions reduction, and socially with supply chain transparency, despite small gaps in animal welfare due to its use of conventional silk.

1. Environmental
Sustainability

EILEEN FISHER reduces its environmental footprint through responsible sourcing of raw fibers, waste reduction, use of renewable energy, and a successful track record of emissions-cutting.
IMPACT AREA 01

Materials
& Sourcing

  1. The raw material composition is fully transparent and available online for all of EILEEN FISHER's products.
  2. EILEEN FISHER uses a significant (>75%) share of preferred materials in its products, with organic cotton, organic linen, and TENCEL Lyocell as some of its most-used fibers.
  3. It is committed to transitioning to 100% preferred fibers by an undisclosed date. It is selective at labeling fibers as preferred, including only those third-party certified by GOTS, GRS, RWS, FSC, Land to Market, and ROC, aligning with Textile Exchange’s definition of “Preferred Fibers and Materials.”
  4. It was among the first brands to sign the CanopyStyle pledge to eliminate wood sourcing from ancient and endangered forests.
IMPACT AREA 02

Climate
& Emissions

  1. EILEEN FISHER’s annual emissions totaled 28,054 tCO2e in 2023, with 96% classified as Scope 3.
  2. It has set 2 near-term emissions reduction targets validated by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 100% and Scope 3 by 25% by 2025 (2017 base year).
  3. It has significantly exceeded its Scope 3 emissions reduction target by achieving a 51% emissions decrease by 2023. However, it is off track on its less impactful Scope 1 target due to finding additional emissions sources after calculating its base year.
  4. EILEEN FISHER purchases renewable energy credits (RECs) to offset 100% of the electricity consumption in its stores and offices.
  5. EILEEN FISHER submitted a joint letter to the governor of California supporting the Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act (Senate Bill 253), requiring brands to report Scope 1 and 2 and later, Scope 3 emissions.    
IMPACT AREA 03

Water
& Chemicals

  1. EILEEN FISHER became a Signatory Friend of ZDHC in 2024, signaling its intent to eliminate hazardous chemicals from its supply chain. However, it has not fully committed to the ZDHC Roadmap to Zero Programme by becoming a ZDHC Signatory.
  2. EILEEN FISHER is a Bluesign System Partner, accessing its tools and support to ensure chemical integrity, monitor supplier compliance, and ensure sustainable chemical practices throughout its supply chain.
  3. EILEEN FISHER maintains supplier chemical management guidelines and a restricted substances list aligned with Bluesign, requiring suppliers to eliminate and reduce chemicals of concern throughout its supply chain.
  4. In 2022, a high share (>50%) of EILEEN FISHER’s products used materials certified by third-party safe chemistry standards like Bluesign or OEKO-TEX Standard 100, and a smaller 19% share used materials verified for compliance with ZDHC’s restricted substances list.
  5. It is committed to eliminating toxic fluorinated Durable Water Repellent (DWR), a water-resistant coating, by 2023, identifying all remaining uses in its products in 2022. However, as of 2025, it’s unclear whether the target was achieved.
  6. Through partnerships with Bluesign and OEKO-TEX, EILEEN FISHER promotes safer chemical use in textile processing, indirectly addressing water contamination risks.
  7. EILEEN FISHER uses third-party assessments such as the Higg Facility Environmental Module (FEM) to track environmental performance in its supply chain. However, no quantified water reduction targets, water usage data, or specific supplier-level water conservation initiatives are disclosed.
IMPACT AREA 04

Circularity
& Waste

  1. Eileen Fisher operates a clothing take-back and resale program called “Eileen Fisher Renew” and a clothing repair program called “Eileen Fisher Repair Program.” In 2023, its take-back program collected 273,773 products, evenly reselling, donating, and recycling or downcycling them.
  2. Eileen Fisher Renew has recovered over 2 million garments since its inception in 2009, demonstrating a long-term commitment to circularity and garment reuse.
  3. The company actively works to identify responsible end-of-life solutions for damaged inventory, including participation in fiber-to-fiber recycling initiatives. In 2023, it recycled 64,142 damaged units through this method.
  4. While committed to a fully circular product lifecycle, Eileen Fisher acknowledges that circularity still represents a small portion of its total manufacturing and sales. However, it continues to explore new pathways for scaling circular initiatives.

2. Social
Sustainability

EILEEN FISHER upholds strong ethical labor standards with fair wages, safe working conditions, and supply chain transparency. It fosters an inclusive work environment and promotes social equity. Silk, a widely used fiber in the brand's portfolio, currently lacks third-party certification, but the brand is developing an organic silk supply chain.
IMPACT AREA 05

Animal
Welfare

  1. Animal-based materials account for a medium share of (up to 25%) of EILEEN FISHER's total material usage. It uses silk, leather, wool, cashmere, mohair, alpaca, down, and feathers.
  2. EILEEN FISHER’s animal welfare policy is publicly available and aligned with The Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare. However, it excludes animal welfare in silk sourcing, one of Eileen Fisher’s most used animal-based materials.
  3. Its animal welfare policy forbids animal fur and hair, exotic skins, and leather from live or aborted animals, as well as materials obtained from animals raised in cages, domesticated or feral dogs and cats, and protected, threatened, or endangered species.
  4. Silk is the most widely used animal-based fiber in EILEEN FISHER’s products, with no evidence found of the fibers being third-party certified for animal welfare. Currently, the brand is transitioning from conventional to organic silk, but it’s unclear if this will improve animal welfare since the strategy likely still kills silkworms in cocoons.
  5. Leather is used in a small share (up to 5%) of EILEEN FISHER’s products, with 100% third-party certified by LWG or equivalent criteria. However, animal welfare falls out of the scope of the LWG, focusing instead on environmental impacts.
  6. Wool is used in a small share (up to 5%) of EILEEN FISHER’s products, with 54% of the fibers third-party certified for animal welfare. 37% of its wool is RWS-certified and 17% is both RWS-certified and Verified Regenerative. Although it emphasizes a ban on mulesing as one of its objectives, it’s unclear whether the remaining 46% share of wool is non-mulesed. 
IMPACT AREA 06

Workplace
Practices

  1. In 2020, during the COVID pandemic, EILEEN FISHER laid off 24.7% of its workforce, offering an undisclosed severance package to affected employees.
  2. It scored a slightly above-median 19.7 out of 40 in the "Workers" category of its 2024 B Corp Impact Assessment, which evaluates its support for employees’ financial security, career development, workplace conditions, and culture.
  3. EILEEN FISHER employees receive voluntary benefits such as paid time off, wellness reimbursements for education and fitness, bonus opportunities, and an employee stock ownership plan, with 40% of the company's shares held by its employees.
  4. Emphasizes diversity, equity, and inclusion as a company priority and reports that 44% of its United States hires are BIPOC. All employees participate in DEI training.
IMPACT AREA 07

Supply Chain
Workers’ Rights

  1. EILEEN FISHER traces 100% of its Tier 1 and 2 manufacturers, mills, and dyehouses. It voluntarily discloses full information about all facilities in its supply chain, including the facility name and type, address with coordinates, processing methods used, product types, and worker numbers (View on Open Supply Hub).
  2. EILEEN FISHER is an SLCP signatory, measuring social and labor conditions in its supply chain by having facilities complete Higg FSLM or Better Work self-assessments, verified by third-party on-site audits. As of 2023, 94% of its Tier 1 manufacturers and 29% of its Tier 2 mills and dyehouses were audited.
  3. 20% of EILEEN FISHER’s products were made in Fair Trade-certified facilities in 2023.
  4. EILEEN FISHER was among the 149 signatories of The Turkmen Cotton Pledge, prohibiting the use of forced labor cotton from Turkmenistan.
•••

Sources

  1. Eileen Fisher Renew – Learn More
  2. Eileen Fisher – Science-Based Targets (PDF)
  3. Open Supply Hub – Profile
  4. Science-Based Targets – Companies Taking Action Dashboard
  5. Blab Impact Production Document
  6. Eileen Fisher – Careers
  7. Canopy Planet – From Zero to 100 for Forests: A Canopystyle Timeline
  8. Eileen Fisher – Benefit Corp Report 2023 (PDF)
  9. Eileen Fisher – Benefit Corp Report 2022 (PDF)
  10. Eileen Fisher – Benefit Corp Report 2021 (PDF)
  11. Eileen Fisher – Benefit Corp Report 2020 (PDF)
  12. Eileen Fisher – Our Factories Mapping Supply Chain
  13. SL Convergence – Signatories
  14. Roadmap to Zero – ZDHC Committed Community Announcement
  15. Eileen Fisher – Responsible Sourcing of Animal Products (PDF)
  16. Eileen Fisher – First Life
  17. Ceres – Major Companies and Institutions Support SB 253 (PDF)
  18. Stern NYU – Eileen Fisher Case (PDF)
  19. Cotton Campaign – Turkmen Cotton Pledge