Timberland Reveals 2015 CSR Results

Global lifestyle brand Timberland recently unveiled its 2015 CSR performance results, highlighting a year of progress and addressing a few challenges. The data is a powerful demonstration of the brand’s continued commitment to sustainability and transparency against its three key CSR pillars: product, outdoors and community.

Product:

• Eighty four percent of Timberland^® footwear included at least one material containing recycled, organic or renewable content, up from 72 percent in 2014. Timberland aims to have 100 percent of footwear include at least one material containing recycled, organic or renewable content by 2020.
• One million pounds of recycled PET was incorporated into Timberland^® footwear in 2015 alone – the equivalent of 47 million plastic water bottles.
• Timberland used 834,000 pounds of recycled rubber in its footwear in 2015 – equivalent to the average weight of 10 semi trucks.
• Ninety eight percent of Timberland^® footwear was PVC-free in 2015.
• Sixty three percent of Timberland production in 2015 occurred in factories meeting or exceeding Social Accountability International’s (SAI’s) Social Fingerprint level three.

Outdoors:

• More than 1.4 million trees were planted in 2015 – primarily in the Dominican Republic, China and Haiti. 
• Since 2001, 8.7 million trees have been planted by Timberland’s tree planting initiatives. 
• Data related to 2015 greenhouse gas emissions and renewable energy usage is being compiled and will be released with Timberland’s Q2 CSR Report.

Community:

• More than 73,000 volunteer hours were served through various environmental and social projects – that’s enough time to walk around the world 8.7 times.
• Seventy eight percent of Timberland employees engaged in service in 2015.
• Since 1992, one million hours have been served by Timberland employees in communities worldwide.

2015 Challenges:

• Use of organic cotton in apparel declined slightly, from 19 percent in 2014 to 18 percent in 2015, primarily due to cost constraints. Timberland has set new strategies in place to prioritize the use of more responsibly grown cotton in its apparel, with a goal of 100 percent of apparel cotton coming from organic, US-origin or Better Cotton Initiative-certified sources by 2020.
• While the company is working hard to be PVC-free across all footwear and apparel, 2015 results came in relatively flat compared to 2014, at 98 percent. Timberland continues to work on PVC-free material substitution in its industrial Timberland PRO^® line, and to review materials and manufacturing equipment updates to enable further PVC reduction in pursuit of being 100 percent PVC-free by 2020.

To share how Timberland is constantly working to be a more responsible business and to highlight all of the brand’s CSR and sustainability initiatives, Timberland also re-launched its Responsibility website, making it more informative and engaging for consumers and other stakeholders. To learn more visit https://www.timberland.com/responsibility.html.

You can download Timberland’s 2015 CSR Report here.

About Timberland

Timberland is a global leader in the design, manufacturing and marketing of premium footwear, apparel and accessories for the outdoor lifestyle. Best known for its original yellow boot introduced in 1973, Timberland today outfits consumers from toe-to-head, with versatile collections that reflect the brand’s rich heritage of craftsmanship, function and style. Timberland markets lifestyle products under the Timberland^® and Timberland Boot Company^® brands, and industrial footwear and workwear under the Timberland PRO^® brand. Its products are sold throughout the world in leading department and specialty stores as well as company-owned retail locations and online. Timberland’s dedication to making quality products is matched by an unwavering commitment to environmental and social responsibility – to make things better for its products, the outdoors, and communities around the globe. To learn more about Timberland, a brand of VF Corporation (NYSE: VFC), please visit timberland.com or follow us along the modern trail @timberland.