Kontoor Brands announces first set of ambitious sustainability goals

By

Robin Driver

Published
Sep 30, 2020

Kontoor Brands, Inc., the Greensboro, North Carolina-based owner of Wrangler and Lee, has revealed its first set of sustainability goals, unveiling ambitious targets concerning water usage, renewable energy and responsible sourcing.

 
The denim company’s new sustainability goals focus on three pillars – planet, product and people – and are based on specific, measurable targets that are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
 
Kontoor’s planet-oriented goals, for example, include saving 10 billion liters of water by 2025, using 100% renewable energy in its company-owned and operated facilities by the same year, and establishing a science-based climate target by 2022.

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As part of its product goals, the company also intends to source 100% sustainable raw materials, including both forest and animal-derived materials by 2023, cotton by 2025, and synthetics by 2030. The group plans to use 100% preferred chemistry by 2023.
 
The main goal for Kontoor in terms of people is to work exclusively with factories that support a worker wellbeing or community development initiative by 2025.
 
“Denim is known as being tough, durable and long-lasting. But the production process historically has been resource-intensive,” explained Kontoor Brands CEO and president Scott Baxter in a release. “We’re facing this challenge head-on by scrutinizing every aspect of the denim lifecycle and investing as needed to develop more sustainable processes.”

Along with the announcement of its new sustainability goals, Kontoor also released its first sustainability report on Tuesday as part of its efforts to promote transparency concerning its operations.
 
In August, Kontoor reported second-quarter results registering a 43% year-over-year decline in revenues, which totaled $349 million, and an operating loss of $22 million, as the Covid-19 pandemic took its toll on the company’s operations.