Burton officially announced new industry-leading goals focused on sustainability that the company is committed to achieving by the end of year 2020. The new goals build on Burton’s already comprehensive sustainability efforts and focus on three major categories – product, people and playground.

“As snowboarders and people who love the mountains and winter, we take climate change personally,” said Donna Carpenter, CEO of Burton Snowboards. “Now more than ever, it’s critical that we speak up and say climate change is real, and we can do something about it. At Burton, we make products so we can stay outside longer and enjoy the outdoors and the mountains. Unfortunately, that process has a cost to the environment, so it’s up to us to really minimize that impact. And that’s why we’ve set very aggressive goals for 2020.”

The complete list of 2020 goals  touches every facet of Burton. Here are just a few of the highlights:

By the year 2020…

  • All Burton softgoods will use 100 percent Bluesign-approved materials, 100 percent sustainable cotton, 50 percent recycled polyester and will achieve 100 percent PFC-free durable water repellency.
  • 100 percent of Burton’s factories will meet Fair Labor Association standards and achieve silver or higher internal standards on sustainability, quality, performance and delivery.
  • Carbon emissions from the manufacturing of all hardgoods will be reduced by 20 percent by using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) software as a tool.
  • The CO2e footprint at global headquarters will be reduced by 20 percent (the company is currently installing a 300 kW solar array)
  • Burton will divert 75 percent of waste from landfill at global headquarters (it’s at 67 percent).
  • The company will establish an end-of-life program at retail.

These are just a few of the 2020 goals that build upon important work Burton has already achieved on the sustainability front. For example, to date, Burton has one of the highest percentages of bluesign®-approved materials in the world, and 100% of Burton’s snowboards are made with bio-based resins and sustainably harvested wood (FSC-Certified). All of Burton’s finished goods factories are regularly audited to meet the highest international labor and human rights standards, and the entire finished goods factory list for 2018 is available here.

In addition to focusing on developing sustainable product and greening our own house, Burton is also collaborating with other industry leaders to impact global policy through lobbying efforts at the state and federal level. Burton is proud to be one of the largest donors to Protect Our Winters (POW) and also partnered with the Ceres BICEP Network to join a coalition of iconic companies advocating for stronger climate and clean energy policies at the state and federal level in the U.S.

“Disruption and leading innovation on the mountain has always been a part of our DNA, and now we’re seeing that through the lens of sustainability,” said Carpenter. “We’re proud of what we’ve achieved so far, but we know there’s always more to do, which is why the entire company is working together to meet our 2020 goals.”

To learn more about Burton’s sustainability efforts and 2020 goals, check out the Burton Blog and Burton.com/sustainability.

Photo courtesy Burton