HanesBrands, the parent of Champion and Gear For Sports, has voluntarily disclosed its carbon emissions and related information for the CDP 2017 Climate Change Report – marking the seventh year that the company has participated in this initiative.
Hanes earned a B score for carbon emissions in the CDP’s 2016 report. The company, unique in the apparel industry because it owns the significant majority of its manufacturing and supply chain operations, achieved the score for transparency, effectively managing emissions, implementing best practices and taking coordinated action on climate-change issues.
Hanes voluntarily discloses its environmental-performance data to the CDP because the company and its employees are committed to building a sustainable legacy, according to Michael E. Faircloth, Hanes’ president and chief global supply chain officer and a finalist in Ethical Corporation’s Responsible Business Awards for the 2017 Sustainability Leader of the Year.
“HanesBrands has significantly reduced its energy use and carbon emissions since 2007,” Faircloth said. “By embracing environmental sustainability and the conservation of natural resources, Hanes and its 68,000 worldwide employees are creating value for our company, our investors, our consumers and our communities. We are focused on continuing to make significant strides in protecting the environment, and publicly reporting progress against our goals is an important part of that effort.”
The company, an eight-time winner of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star partner of the year/sustained excellence award, has aggressive 2020 goals to continue reducing its environmental footprint.
Hanes is committed to a 40 percent reduction in energy use and carbon emissions, 50 percent reduction in water use, sourcing renewable energy for 40 percent of the company’s needs, and achieving zero waste by diverting company-owned supply chain waste from landfills.
The company reports progress against its environmental performance goals on an annual basis. Compared with its 2007 baseline, in 2016 the company reduced its energy use by 16 percent, carbon emissions by 16 percent and water use by 25 percent. Hanes also shifted 25 percent of the energy the company uses to renewable sources and diverted 84 percent – or 118 million pounds – of waste from its company-owned supply chain from landfills.
