WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — October 8, 2020 — HanesBrands, a socially responsible leading global marketer of everyday basic apparel, today announced new, wide-ranging 2030 global sustainability goals that include a commitment to setting science-based environmental targets, a goal of improving the lives of at least 10 million people, and addressing the use of plastics and sustainable raw materials in products and packaging.
The goals were launched via a new sustainability website, www.HBISustains.com, designed to increase company transparency and reporting on key metrics, including diversity, human rights benchmarks and risk assessments for investors.
The company’s efforts, which build upon its long-term success in ethical workplace practices, community building, energy and carbon emissions reduction and environmental sustainability, are being developed in alignment with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. The 17 U.N. SDGs address global challenges such as poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, good health and decent work.
Key highlights of the company’s 2030 global sustainability goals include:
- People: By 2030, HanesBrands will improve the lives of at least 10 million people through health and wellness programs, diversity and inclusion initiatives, improved workplace quality, and philanthropic efforts that improve local communities.
- Planet: By 2030, HanesBrands will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 25 percent to align with science-based targets, reduce water use by 25 percent, use 100 percent renewable electricity in company-owned operations, and bring landfill waste to zero.
- Product: At an even quicker pace, HanesBrands will eliminate all single-use plastics and reduce packaging weight by 25 percent while also moving to 100 percent recycled polyester and sustainably sourced cotton.
“Our 2030 global sustainability goals across all three people, planet and product platforms expand our efforts to address key challenges that will make the world a more comfortable, livable and inclusive place,” said HanesBrands CEO Stephen B. Bratspies. “As a global industry leader, HanesBrands has an opportunity to make a greater impact through our workplace practices, environmental stewardship and community building initiatives. We’re ramping up our efforts to pursue ambitious goals that will connect our strategies with the global priorities of the U.N. SDGs to improve the lives of people, protect the planet and ensure world-class sustainable products.”
As part of the company’s 2030 goals, HanesBrands has signed the Science Based Targets Call-to-Action Commitment Letter, pledging the company to develop science-based targets by 2022.
HanesBrands has a proven track record in demonstrating its commitment to environmental stewardship. The company has significantly reduced energy use and carbon emissions since implementing an energy management program in 2007. Other recent achievements include being named one of the 100 most sustainable companies in the nation by Barron’s; becoming the only apparel company in history to earn the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star Sustained Excellence Award; and earning a leadership level A- score for the second year in the CDP 2019 Climate Change Report.
The company also is building on its long history of employee volunteerism, which provides ample opportunities for its employees to give back to their communities. Through its 2030 goals, HanesBrands is encouraging its 63,000 employees in more than 40 countries to become actively engaged in their communities by volunteering their time.
HanesBrands’ Sustainability Website
HanesBrands’ new sustainability website, www.HBISustains.com, represents the next evolution in the company’s industry-leading corporate responsibility program. The website details the company’s historical progress on environmental metrics, workplace practices, diversity and inclusion initiatives, and long-term vision to promote the well-being of its people and their communities, the preservation of the planet, and the sustainability of its products.
The website is designed to increase transparency into the company’s operations, systems, processes and products to all HanesBrands stakeholders.
“As a global industry leader, it is critical for us to have a strong plan in place to become better stewards of our planet, advocates for our people, and to continue to develop products that are made from the best possible combination of sustainable materials and innovative technology,” said Chris Fox, vice president of corporate social responsibility, HanesBrands. “Our people are at the heart of everything we do, so we sustain our commitment to them and to being community-minded and environmentally conscious. Our 2030 global goals will lead our sustainability journey into the next decade.”
Increased Stakeholder Transparency and Disclosures in Corporate Governance
Unlike most companies in the apparel industry, HanesBrands primarily manufactures its garments in company-owned plants across the globe and operates a balanced supply chain across hemispheres, including fabric production and sewing. Owning the majority of its supply chain not only impacts cost, scale and flexibility, but also the ability to adhere to best-in-class management and environmental practices.
As part of the improved transparency the new website offers, HanesBrands will be providing insights on a number of key metrics including:
- Greater transparency around the depth of its human rights programs including Corporate Human Rights Benchmark disclosures;
- Global gender, U.S. gender and U.S. ethnicity data;
- Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) information on the financial impacts of climate-related risks and opportunities, including those related to the global transition to a lower-carbon economy; and
- Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) disclosures that will enable better comparisons of the company’s sustainability performance against those of others including environmental impacts and labor conditions in the supply chain and raw materials sourcing.
“The world needs all of us to do better, and we will,” Bratspies said. “We’ve done a lot, but we must do more. Whether you call it sustainability, or just being as good as we can be, it’s a big deal to me. And it’s a big deal to HanesBrands.”
Posted October 30, 2020
Source: HanesBrands
