Decline in recycled content in Timberland apparel
Timberland has announced a 16% improvement in its factories for the second quarter compared with the first: 36% of 320 are now rated ‘accepted’.
The use of renewable, organic or recycled content in apparel was roughly 12.7% of total textile weight in the second quarter. For 2014, this figure was 19%, down from 37% in 2013.
The global average grams of volatile organic compounds used in footwear production was 55.4 grams per pair, 2.7 grams more per pair than the Q2 2014 result (52.7 grams).
Nearly all - 99.6% - of Timberland's leather volume came from tanneries scoring silver or gold in their Leather Working Group audit.
In 2014, there was a 9% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to 2013 (15,874 vs. 17,514), which is a 46% reduction over its 2006 baseline. This decrease can be attributed to lower energy usage in several of our European and Asian sites, and a decrease in emissions related to employee travel.
Timberland said: “Our use of renewable energy decreased slightly in 2014, from 16.7% in 2013 to. 18.7%. This can be partly attributed to several sites in Europe with expired renewable energy contracts. We are working to re-establish contracts in those locations that previously had them, and 2 large US locations are new procuring renewable energy.”
During this year, Timberland is transitioning the measurement of suppliers' environmental and social/labour management to the Sustainable Apparel Coalition's Higg Index, consistent with parent company VF Corporation. The focus will be on the top 250 suppliers across all VF brands.
The full report can be found on Timberland’s website.
