L.L. Bean
Durable, outdoor-inspired clothing, footwear, and gear
L.L. Bean's Sustainability Rating
Acceptable
Raw Materials
L.L. Bean makes products with high emissions fibers, including conventional cotton, elastane, virgin polyester, nylon, partially recycled nylon, and spandex. It also uses some lower impact materials, including RDS and Bluesign certified materials.
Energy Use & Production
L.L. Bean reports using renewable energy in its stores and offices, but does not provide specifics. L.L. Bean sources and manufactures its materials globally, which is standard practice in the fashion industry.
Packaging & Distribution
L.L. Bean has made efforts to reduce the amount of virgin plastic in its packaging. Its eco-friendly packaging materials include recyclable paper packaging. It has a goal to achieve 100% plastic-free packaging by 2025, and it has reported progress on this goal.
Repair & Care
L.L. Bean has a repair program for select items. L.L. Bean offers a 1 year warranty.
Take Back Programs
Commons could not find information on any take back programs.
Slow Fashion
L.L. Bean offers a core evergreen collection. It limits new additions and releases.
Marketing
Commons is still analyzing this brand's marketing emails.
Transparency & Reporting
L.L. Bean has a sustainability page with information about materials, packaging, current initiatives and progress, energy use, production waste, and labor practices. It is unclear how often this page or information is kept up to date. The brand does not publish its own annual sustainability report, but participates in the Outdoor Industry Association's annual disclosures.
Emissions Tracking
L.L. Bean internally measures and publicly reports its company-level emissions, including a breakdown by scope. Its 2023 estimated emissions footprint was 282,005 tCO2e.
Emissions Targets
L.L. Bean has science-aligned - but not SBTi-approved - emissions reduction targets for the short-term. It has shared progress on these targets in the last year, but it is not on track. Commons could not find verification that it offsets any emissions.
Supply Chain & Labor
L.L. Bean publishes the names and locations of most of its supply chain partners. It has a supplier code of conduct, which protects the right to collective bargaining and prohibits forced labor. It does not restrict subcontracting or mention a living wage.
Where L.L. Bean is doing well: L.L. Bean helps keeps products out of landfill by offering repair services and a warranty. It publicly reports on its emissions impact and has emissions reduction targets.
Where L.L. Bean has room to grow: L.L. Bean is still reliant on high impact materials. Its emissions reduction targets are not SBTi-approved. Its plans to further improve materials and reduce emissions are not publicly available.
Our ratings are based on a scale from 1 (bad) to 5 (best). How we rate →
https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/517991?page=sustainability&nav=F10t517991-518032
https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/518055?page=quality&nav=C6t518055-517991
https://outdoorindustry.org/progress-report/l-l-bean-2023/
https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/518049?page=service-plans
https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/513705?nav=ftlink-hp
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/17/why-ll-bean-ended-its-lifetime-return-policy.html#:~:text=Earlier%20this%20month%2C%20L.L.%20Bean
https://www.llbean.net/firstspirit/media/pdf_files/241024_FactoryList.pdf?nav=C3tbX-518056 Open Supply Hub
https://www.llbean.net/firstspirit/media/pdf_files/230713_LLB_Code_of_Conduct_revised.pdf?nav=C3taX-518056
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