US-based apparel and footwear company, VF Corporation, which owns brands like Timberland and The North Face, has announced that it reduced its global carbon emissions by 12 per cent in 2011-2015, surpassing its original goal of 5 per cent during the five-year period.
“Surpassing our carbon reduction goal by such a large margin is further proof that VF is serious about sustainability and addressing the issue of climate change,” said Eric Wiseman, VF’s Chairman and CEO. The company has prevented more than 38,000 tonnes of carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere which is equivalent to the electricity needed to power around 5,710 homes for a whole year.
The reduction endeavours were focused on four operations – Manufacturing (24 owned- and operated-production facilities), Distribution (35 distribution centres), Retail (more than 1,460 retail stores operated by VF and its brands), offices and facilities (approximately 250 used by VF and its brands). Subsequently, VFC’s offices, facilities and distribution sites saw the highest carbon reductions, with a 30 per cent and 25 per cent drop, respectively.
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During the said period, VFC achieved half of its reductions by increasing its use of clean energy, renewable energy credits and carbon offsets. The other half came from smaller initiatives such as employee behaviour change programmes and various energy efficiency measures such as installing LED lighting in retail stores, technology upgrades in distribution centres and the construction of energy-efficient facilities.
It may be noted that the company didn’t achieve the results while halting its expansion, it added more than 500 sites to its global operations, a 40 per cent increase within the five-year plan. Also, the company made commitment in December 2015 when it joined the American Business Act on Climate Pledge that it will work towards cent per cent renewable energy goal across all owned- and operated-facilities worldwide by 2025.
