Timberland: tracking the environmental index of each pair of shoes

Eight water bottles can do all the lines and shoelaces needed for a pair of shoes. Passed shoes can be sent back to the store. Shoes, leather, rubber, and metal parts can all be refurbished and reused.

Timberland’s CEO and President Jeffrey Swartz pointed to a water bottle and a pair of shoes on the table and told reporters: “The laces and all the threads of this pair of shoes are made of recyclable plastic. ”

International outdoor sports brand Timberland is tracking the environmental index of each pair of shoes. And Timberland's environmental protection concept is also seen as a "good card" to enter the Chinese retail industry.

The "green index" of shoes

Timberland has established its own environmental protection system since 2006. They declared: All this is to "let consumers make the right choice."

The Green Index reflects the product's environmental impact in three aspects: climate impact (greenhouse gas emissions from production); harmful chemical effects (such as the presence of hazardous substances in PVC and solventborne adhesives); and resource consumption ( Whether recycling, organic and renewable energy materials are used).

An analysis of a pair of Timberland canvas shoes using the Green Index system will result in the following analysis: raw materials for canvas shoes, raw CO2e of 13.5 KG, and 3.5 KG of CO2e during manufacturing, according to the system formula, in terms of climate impact The score is 1.5.

In terms of chemical use, the chemical index of this pair of shoes includes the use of PVC and solvent-based adhesives. The final assessment value is 7.5. The raw materials used to produce this pair of shoes can be scored 9 points, including: 63% of renewable bamboo fiber and 55% of renewable hemp. Among them, the sole and the shoelace part are all made of renewable plastic.

After comprehensive evaluation of these three aspects of the index, the green index of this pair of shoes is 6.0, which will also be attached to the shoe box as a “nutrition label”. The score is generally 1-10 points, the lower the score of the more environmentally friendly products, the 10 points is the worst product.

According to Timberland, they are the only shoe maker to use a green evaluation system to evaluate their products. At the same time, they also use this index to send “green bonuses” to their employees. The better the rating, the more designers make.

However, since the application of the green assessment system in 2006, they have also found some problems. For example, in the tanning process, the use of chromium has always been unavoidable. "Because even if you use bio-tanned leather, you have to use more fossil fuels, you can't decide which method is more environmentally friendly. You can only remove the chromium measurement from the system," said Jeffrey Swartz.

Based on a green assessment of the product, Timberland found that 96% of the carbon comes directly from its product. The remaining 4% of emissions come from headquarters, including travel and construction.

According to this "homegrown" green evaluation system, Timberland has data calculation conclusions about its products and the company's own carbon emissions and resource utilization. For example, compared with products produced in Paris in 2007 and 2008, the carbon emission score has dropped by 40%, and the use of chemicals has also dropped by 8%, but in raw materials, the score has increased by 2%.

In affixing a green label to each pair of shoes, Timberland claims that its products will achieve a 20% reduction in carbon dioxide per year. Jeffrey Swartz thinks this is a very bold goal for Timberland.

Measuring Suppliers' Carbon Emissions Does environmentally friendly materials lead to higher costs?

Jeffrey Swartz did not worry about this. The use of environmentally friendly materials sometimes also reduces costs. The Timberland Green Evaluation System shows that the use of less material, or lighter materials, has greater benefits. For example: weight reduction can reduce freight costs. Minimizing the use of leather also means that the overall cost is low.

However, there are also many problems in material selection. For example, is cotton or polyester more environmentally friendly?

Jeffrey Swartz said that everyone thinks cotton is more environmentally friendly because polyester may use chemical compounds when it is manufactured. However, during the entire life cycle, cotton clothes need more water and detergent containing harmful chemicals.

In the choice of raw materials, leather is an irreplaceable raw material for shoe-making enterprises, Jeffrey Swartz bluntly, this part is "not good enough." For example, the pair of Timberland EK2.0 worn on his feet, said that the leather of these shoes is the highest standard of Timberland, produced in China, but still not environmentally friendly.

Timberland is a member of the LWG (Leather Working Group), which also has brands such as Clarks, New Balance, and Nike. Jeffrey Swartz told reporters: Timberland requires all leather suppliers to accept third-party testing provided by LWG. The assessment results directly affect their choice of suppliers.

At the same time, any Timberland contract manufacturers will measure their carbon emissions to urge them to reduce their own energy use.

To coordinate the entire industry chain, Timberland said that third-party associations are helpful in this regard. For example, the Outdoor Sports Industry (OIA) eco-environment work group is specifically responsible for coordinating and solving problems in the industrial chain.

At the same time, Timberland also exchanged information with the OIA's eco-environmental working group to better understand the environmental performance index of supply chain middlemen. They can also systematically track suppliers' environmental impacts on climate, chemicals and waste products.

Of course, joining other brands is also one of the ways in which the entire industry currently seeks solutions to problems.

"I don't like to sit down with Nike and Adidas." Jeffrey Swartz said with a smile: "I don't think they like Timberland either, but we must push this issue forward because the environment will directly affect our business."

The goal is still the market "You may be wondering why the CEO suddenly started to care about the environment?" Jeffrey Swartz said: "It's simple. Timberland sells outdoor products. Without mountains and forests, my business is gone."

Jeffrey Swartz told reporters: "Competing with many brands such as Nike, we hope to give consumers a more reasonable choice. Let consumers understand what's going on in the factory. They should know if manufacturers use environmentally-friendly materials and whether they use new energy every day. How much raw material is consumed?".

“I can honestly tell you that every CEO value business profit most, but there is not a CEO who ignores consumers’ demands,” Jeffrey Swartz told reporters. “Profit or environment is actually in the hands of consumers.”

In the past, China has always been an important production base in Timberland. The public data on its official website shows that a large number of footwear and clothing are produced in southern China.

Jeffrey Swartz told reporters that there was a suspected “pollution transfer”. “It used to be that U.S. companies came to China to transfer pollution here. But those days are gone and in China, environmental protection Has been raised to the height of the policy, you can't do business like that."

For the previously reported Timberland supplier Shanghai Fuguo Leather Co., Ltd., Jeffrey Swartz responded that "has been resolved."

Obviously, Timberland's emphasis on "green" is because China is their next "big market."

When asked about Timberland's future goals in China, Jeffrey Swartz told reporters: China will become Timberland's second largest market in five years, second only to the United States.

"We are not only selling products to China, but developing the culture of China's outdoor sports. China has vast forests, deserts, oceans, and mountains. These are potential markets for Timberland," said Jeffrey Swartz.

According to reports from the Wall Street Journal, sales from Asia currently account for only 10% of Timberland’s total revenue. Among them, Japan is the largest market.

In early November, Timberland announced that it achieved a net profit of US$52.20 million in the third quarter of this year. Among them, Asia grew by 19.7%, Europe by 5%, and North America by 3.6%.

Michael Harrison, Timberland’s senior vice president of international operations, said that the company has been evaluating the Chinese market over the past two years and is also looking for suitable partners to form a joint venture.

Prior to Timberland, there was the famous C&J Clark International, Polo Ralph Lauren Corp. And Nautica Enterprises Inc. Such big names in China first open up the market.

This time, "environmental protection" seems to be Timberland's "dominant card" in China's retail industry.

November 11, Timberland and cooperation with the Beijing Environmental Exchange, Lee Hom as its "Earth Hero" a spokesman for the country's first concert "carbon neutral" concert. At the same time, it is announced that Timberland will continue to plant trees in Horqin in the next decade.

"Every company in the world will not ignore the Chinese market." Jeffrey Swartz said that Timberland has moved its headquarters from Singapore to Shanghai.