Gavin Thompson: Parkas and polar bears
The role that Gavin Thompson plays at Canada Goose includes helping the outdoor brand connect effectively with important partners. These range from designers in Inuit communities, with whom it has developed limited-edition collections, to the science community that works to preserve the habitats of polar bears. The brand’s ambition is to keep people warm and, at the same time, keep the planet cold.
What changes, if any, will the upheaval of 2020 force Canada Goose to make to the commitments in the environmental impact strategy you published in the spring?
We launched our Sustainability Impact Strategy in a moment of unprecedented change. Sustainability at Canada Goose remains a strategic corporate priority regardless of what is happening in the world around us right now and our teams will adapt and pivot where needed to deliver on these goals. Canada Goose has made a conscious decision to be a positive part of the change that’s ahead and hope that the goals we have made will continue to inspire our people, our suppliers, and our customers to come together to protect the world outside. As it has for many global brands, 2020 has presented numerous challenges. With one of the largest apparel manufacturing infrastructures in Canada, we were uniquely positioned to re-tool our facilities and refocus our teams to produce a variety of personal protective equipment. We created the Canada Goose Response Program, reopened all our factories and set out to manufacture more than 2 million units of PPE for those in need. We believe our commitments to be even more important than before and we are forging ahead. Internally, our employees are committed to continuous improvement with regard to sustainability. Our commitments to the Responsible Down Standard (RDS), the introduction of reclaimed fur and bluesign certification are moving much faster than we had projected, and this is because of our internal appetite to move faster, fuelled by our employees’ passion to always do better.
Post-covid, to what extent do you expect the public’s attitude towards sustainable consumption to change?
We believe strongly that consumers now more than ever, are interested in strong brands with purpose-driven, authentic products and in making purchasing decisions that do not negatively impact the environment. They are looking for high-quality products that last for years, not seasons. This is part of Canada Goose’s brand commitment and our history. With the launch of our Sustainable Impact Strategy we set strong goals to ensure the future of our planet. We committed, for example, to becoming carbon-neutral by 2025 with net zero direct and indirect emissions by implementing detailed action plans. These include compre- hensive recommendations on everything, from adding more renewable energy, to adopting more recycled materials, and reducing waste.
What is Project Atigi and what is the cultural significance of it for a Canadian brand and Canadian consumers?
Project Atigi is one of our newest initiatives to support and honour the North. Canada Goose was born in the North; the North is our heritage and our history. For generations we have been inspired by its people, communities and landscapes so this project is incredibly special to us. In 2019, we commissioned 14 designers and this year we worked with 18 designers that represented nine communities across the four Inuit regions to create bespoke and unique parkas using their traditional skills and designs with our materials and fabrics. Over the last two years, Project Atigi has developed as a social entrepreneurship platform for Inuit designers by leveraging our global platform to showcase their extraordinary designs. Sewing is important in Inuit culture and tradition, and with Project Atigi we are showing the world the incredible craftsmanship of these talented designers. As Canadian consumers we should feel proud to be honouring the North, and celebrating its people and our heritage. It is important for Canada Goose to continue to raise awareness of our ongoing relationship with the North and support of its communities.
What is the best way to explain to consumers today the important role natural fibres can play in producing performance outdoor apparel?
There are a few reasons why we are interested in using natural fibres in technical outerwear. First, there is the sustainability component. As a brand it is critical that we take responsibility for the full lifecycle of the product that we put into the world. For us this means building high-quality, durable products and extending their lifecycle for as long as possible through repair. At the end of a product’s lifecycle, natural fibres allow for biodegradability. That is why, as part of our first Sustainable Impact Strategy, one of our goals is to introduce reclaimed fur into our supply chain by 2022. Reclaimed fur is existing fur that is already in circulation. As with many of our products and projects, we’ve been inspired by the people of the North. Sewers in Inuit communities will often repurpose fur year after year, to create new designs for traditional handmade parkas and accessories to keep themselves and their families warm. Reducing, reusing, recycling are foundational elements of sustainability; using reclaimed fur is our commitment to putting this mantra into action. We have always believed that real fur is the best choice, for protection and for the environment, and now reclaimed fur makes a sustainable resource even more sustainable, further reducing our impact.
What other reasons would you point to?
The second is performance. There are many great inherent performance attributes of natural fibres, from wool being naturally temperature -regulating and antimicrobial, to fur resisting freezing in extreme conditions. Our products have always been designed for functions first, ahead of everything else. The Expedition parka, which was designed for scientists working in Antarctica’s McMurdo research station is a good example. This brings me to the third reason we are interested in using natural fibres: heritage. No matter where they are worn now, our products perform like no other. There is a great example of our heritage-driven performance in one of our recently released special collections where we have used Ventile, a 100% cotton, tightly woven textile that was developed for trans-Atlantic sailors and arctic explorers in the early twentieth century. Because of its tight weave, once the cotton fibre gets wet, it expands and creates a highly water-resistant textile that was a precursor to many of the modern three-layer laminated fabrics. There is a familiarity and a history of natural fibres in performance apparel and we love tapping into that tradition; it resonates with our consumers.
In your time working on programmes for the North with Canada Goose, have there been observable changes to the environment there? If so, what has your reaction been to these changes?
For more than a decade, Canada Goose has supported Polar Bears International (PBI), the only organisation dedicated solely to conserving wild polar bears and their habitat. Dwindling sea ice and global warming are threatening these great creatures of the North. To date we have raised over $4 million Canadian dollars to support research. PBI and a team of scientists published a report in July in Nature Climate Change. The report, ‘Fasting Season Length Sets Temporal Limits for Global Polar Bear Persistence’, predicts that if business-as-usual greenhouse gas emissions continue, it’s likely that all but a few polar bear populations will collapse by 2100. Canada Goose has put a stake in the ground, setting more aggressive goals than ever and committing the company to real action. The time to protect our planet is now. We believe sustainability is a moral obligation and that businesses have the responsibility to drive long-term change to ensure a future for our planet.
