Commercial, Demand Management, Energy Efficiency, GHG Emissions, Industrial, Commercial, Industrial, Sourcing Renewables  -  December 12, 2016

VF cuts CO2 emissions 12% amid operations expansion

Apparel and footwear company VF Corp. has reduced its global carbon emissions 12% while adding 500 sites to its global operations between 2011 and 2015. 

The Greensboro, N.C.-based corporation, which has pledged to transition itself to run on 100% renewable energy, said Nov. 15 that the 12% reduction exceeded its 5% goal originally set for that 5-year period.

VF said its carbon reduction efforts focus on four areas of its global business operations that use the most energy:

• Manufacturing – 24 owned and operated production facilities;
• Distribution – 35 distribution centers;
• Retail – more than 1,460 retail stores operated by VF and its brands; and,
• Offices and facilities – approximately 250 used by VF and its brands.

VF’s offices, facilities and distribution centers achieved the highest percentages in carbon reduction during the period with a 30% and 25% drop, respectively.

Of the 12% total carbon reduction achieved by VF, the company says half resulted from increased use of clean energy, renewable energy credits and carbon offsets. The other half came from employee behavior changes regarding energy use, energy efficiency projects such as LED lighting in retail stores and technology upgrades in distribution centers, and the construction of energy efficient facilities, some of which achieved LEED certification.

"Surpassing our carbon reduction goal by such a large margin is further proof that VF is serious about sustainability and addressing the issue of climate change," VF Chairman and CEO Eric Wiseman said in a statement. "I'm extremely proud of the many individuals across VF whose actions — big and small — contributed to these exceptional results." 

VF has taken steps to be an industry leader in sustainability with its global carbon reduction efforts. The company recently received a "B" letter grade in the 2016 assessment of environmental performance and disclosure reporting by CDP, a global disclosure system for companies, cities, states and regions to manage their environmental impacts and for investors or purchasers to access environmental information for use in financial decisions.

VF's current goal of using 100% renewable energy to power all owned and operated facilities globally by 2025 was made in December 2015 when it joined the American Business Act on Climate Pledge. The company is one of 83 companies that have joined the RE100 initiative. 

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