People & Planet
We don’t just care about what happens on the pitch, not when there are challenges lying in wait all around us. We want to tackle the barriers to participation in sport and push ourselves to minimise our impact on the planet. Sport teaches us teamwork and determination to win. We’ll need to work hard, together, if we’re going to succeed.
A WORLD MADE
STRONGER BY SPORT
At its very best, sport can save lives. It’s proven that exercise promotes mental as well as physical health. The fields, tracks, courts and gyms teach us tough lessons in how to win and inevitably, how to lose with humility.
Sport can bring us together. Finding common ground and community where there may have been division and rivalry. It allows us to see a world where differences are encouraged and promoted, not excluded or prejudiced.
What’s more, the impact of sport on the planet’s health is profound. Travel, merchandise, consumption as a result of sporting events. As we work to grow participation, it’s our duty as a business to ensure that green spaces and sporting habitats are here for future generations to enjoy safely.
For that to happen, change is needed. Rugby, and in turn sport, has the power to lead the way. As individuals, as teams, as communities and nations, we all want to see a world made stronger by sport.
PEOPLE
BREAKING THROUGH
BARRIERS
Against the odds, the women’s game is gaining momentum. Record fans. A new audience inspired. And still, unequal access to grassroots rugby. Forward Fund is how we’re levelling the playing field, giving women and girls the chance to play: securing the future of the sport.
NO KIT? NO SPORT
In the cost of living crisis, P.E. kit is bottom of the pile for families across the UK. As a result, kids are missing out on sport and everything that comes with it. That’s not fair game. So we’re donating kit to kids who need it and we’re calling on you to pile on the pressure for other brands and business to do the same.
Get involved
PLANET
POSITIVE BUSINESS STRATEGY
We're part of Pentland Brands and contribute to the achievement of their Positive Business Strategy, which aims to help 100 million consumers live positive, active, sustainable lifestyles, improve the lives of one million people in our communities and reach net zero by 2032.
Planet-FIRST
PRODUCTS
Currently 80% of the custom products we produce use a minimum of 75% lower impact materials. We use recycled polyester which significantly reduces our carbon footprint and organic fabrics which emit less greenhouse gases by avoiding the use and manufacturing of synthetic inputs. We’re also committed to making 100% of our garment packaging, both on our products (swing tickets) and in transit (plastic bags and cardboard boxes), recyclable or made with recycled materials by 2024.
WHAT IS A SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT?
Uses a minimum of 75% lower impact materials (recycled polyester and organic cotton). All packaging is made with recycled content and/or is recyclable (in transit and on the product itself). Uses no harmful chemical finishes or applications.
IMPACT TARGETS
MADE TO LAST
Since day one, we’ve built kit that meets the demands of rugby, so we know what it takes for a product to last. We perform extensive wearer trials and independent lab-tests when introducing new products. Testing on the fabrics and trims includes strength, durability, colour fastness, pilling, snagging and lifetime wash durability. All of our range can be machine washed at 40 degrees, with 40% of products recommended as only needing a 30-degree wash cycle. We are proud to have a return rate of just 0.15%.
RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS
We ensure that we provide options for sustainable and carbon-reducing methods of moving products around the world. For example, we continue to increase the volume of products that we manufacture at our 100% renewable electric energy powered site in the UK, reducing carbon emissions from air and sea freight. We proactively plan our demand to place bulk orders that maximise capacity and efficiency on containers and vessels. All of our UK offices use 100% renewable energy too. We prioritise working with material suppliers who have accreditations in sustainability, chemicals management and manufacturing.
POSITIVE BUSINESS STRATEGY
We're part of Pentland Brands and contribute to the achievement of their Positive Business Strategy, which aims to help 100 million consumers live positive, active, sustainable lifestyles, improve the lives of one million people in our communities and reach net zero by 2032.
Planet-FIRST
PRODUCTS
Currently 80% of the custom products we produce use a minimum of 75% lower impact materials. We use recycled polyester which significantly reduces our carbon footprint and organic fabrics which emit less greenhouse gases by avoiding the use and manufacturing of synthetic inputs. We’re also committed to making 100% of our garment packaging, both on our products (swing tickets) and in transit (plastic bags and cardboard boxes), recyclable or made with recycled materials by 2024.
BUY ONE GET ONE TREE
For every purchase made on canterbury.com, we plant a mangrove tree. It’s our way of offsetting the impact of our sport and our business on the planet. Inch by inch, tree by tree, we’re gaining greener ground and pushing back against the climate crisis.
FIND OUT MORE
OUR IMPACT
IT'S BIGGER THAN RUGBY
Canterbury is a member of the Pentland family of brands. Pentland Brands has an enviable reputation for corporate responsibility and ethical trading as well as being a great place to work. You can read more about Pentland Brands’ ethical stance, credentials and values here.
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