North Face 2013 Annual Report Download - page 31

For any company, sustainability is a journey that begins
with a question: “What kind of company do we want
to be?” At VF, the answer starts with the kind of company
we already are. Sustainability is a fundamental business
platform, an essential part of our core values. It’s also
an area where we aspire to lead by reducing our
environmental impact and by innovating to deliver
groundbreaking sustainable products and services.
For us, sustainability comes down to a promise  creating
tangible value by providing a company-wide platform for
identifying new opportunities, reducing and managing
risks and lowering our costs. In that context, we view
sustainable operations both as a competitive advantage
and an opportunity to help move the apparel and footwear
industry toward a more sustainable business model.
Of course, we understand that what matters on this front
isn’t what we say. It’s really what we do. On our own
and in collaboration with others, we’re focusing on doing
what matters most and addressing things we can control
and influence: resource efficiency  including our use
of energy, materials and water  as well as sustainable
products, and employee and community engagement.
As an important part of these efforts, we’re working
to increase our energy efficiency and begin the move
to renewable, clean energy resources. By 2015, we
plan to have reduced our greenhouse gas emissions
by 5 percent from our 2009 baseline year.
We’re looking across VF and our brands to identify
ways to be more innovative and sustainable with the
materials we use in our business, as well as to recycle,
reuse or compost what we cannot reduce to keep it out
of landfills. We’re also committed to using water wisely
and efficiently.
In 2014, we’ll share our sustainability aspirations,
goals, measurable achievements and targets in VF’s first
corporate responsibility report. As we move forward,
we expect to be held to high standards of achievement.
And that’s as it should be.
GROWING BETTER COTTON
“Cotton is one of VF’s most important raw materials. In fact, our apparel and footwear products use
about 1 percent of the world’s production. Accordingly, cotton is a main focus of our sustainability
activities. VF has joined the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) as a “fast-track member” and has aligned
our activities with Solidaridad — an organization that works to improve farmers’ livelihoods by
promoting sustainable cotton. These organizations seek to make global cotton production better
for the people who produce it, better for the land where it grows and better for the future of our
industry. This is one way VF is helping to shape the future of apparel, sustainably.”
Letitia Webster
Senior Director – Corporate Sustainability
Inspired by the Timberland® brand and its longstanding
commitment to community service, VF’s Outdoor & Action Sports
coalition holds an annual Earth Day community-service event.
All VF brands are active serving communities where their
employees live and work around the world.