Stand.earth applauds PVH Corp’s renewables pledge, but demands more on supply chain climate pollution

The announcement, while a good first step, misses the mark for apparel industry commitments that would adequately address supply chain pollution.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Earlier this week, PVH Corp announced plans to join global initiative RE100 and tackle the climate pollution in its owned-and-operated stores, headquarters, and distribution centers, by sourcing 100% renewable electricity by 2030. PVH Corp also pledged to join the Science Based Targets initiative, which helps companies set greenhouse gas reduction targets, but didn’t announce any concrete targets.

The announcement, while a good first step, misses the mark for apparel industry commitments that would adequately address supply chain pollution — where up to 90% of the apparel industry’s climate pollution is hiding — and fails to meet the pledge made by denim giant Levi Strauss & Co just months ago.

International environmental organization Stand.earth has been calling on the fashion industry to clean up its global climate pollution — which includes overseas factories, not just owned-and-operated locations. From December 2017 to August 2018, the group ran its “Too Dirty to Wear” campaign against Levi’s, pushing the company to clean up the climate pollution throughout its entire supply chain. In July 2018, Levi‘s announced it would reduce 40% of greenhouse gas emissions in its supply chain by 2025.

Stand.earth issued the following statements in response to the announcement:

“Last month, denim giant Levi’s responded to the climate crisis and Stand.earth’s ‘Too Dirty to Wear’ campaign by setting the apparel industry standard for reducing climate pollution in its entire supply chain. It’s time for the rest of the apparel industry to follow suit. PVH Corp’s pledge, while a good first step, doesn’t go nearly far enough. The pledge ignores up to 90% of climate pollution concentrated in its supply chain — something the company must address as soon as possible through the Science Based Targets process.” -Todd Paglia, Executive Director, Stand.earth

“PVH Corp’s climate announcement only focuses on a small portion of its global climate impact and ignores the pollution from its 800 factories around the world. In an era of deadly forest fires, heat waves, tropical storms, and other climate-related disasters, commitments that ignore global supply chains just don’t cut it. If the apparel industry were a nation, it would be the fourth largest climate polluter on Earth. For decades, PVH Corp and other apparel companies have made huge profits while polluting with reckless abandon, and it’s going to take far more ambition to clean up the mess they’ve created.” -Kristina Flores, Climate Campaigner, Stand.earth

BACKGROUND

Stand.earth has been calling on the fashion industry to clean up its global climate pollution.

From December 2017 to August 2018, Stand.earth ran the “Too Dirty to Wear” campaign against Levi’s, calling on the denim giant to clean up the climate pollution throughout its supply chain.

The group called on Levi’s for a leadership-level climate commitment that would:

• Meet or beat the targets of the UN Paris Agreement on climate change — which Levi’s publicly supports — with a 40% absolute reduction in total greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 for its full supply chain.
• Transition its entire supply chain to renewable energy, with a minimum of 50% of energy sourced through renewables by 2035.
• Commit to a long-term carbon emission reduction of at least 66% by 2050 for the entire supply chain.
• Become a vocal advocate for full climate action within the industry, working to bring other big brands and their supply chains on board.

In April 2018, the group released its “Too Deadly to Wear” report, detailing the fashion industry’s and Levi Strauss & Co’s outsized role in the deadly impacts of climate change and air pollution across the globe.

In August 2018, Levi’s made a commitment to reduce 40% of greenhouse gas emissions in its supply chain by 2025, setting a new standard on climate commitments in the apparel industry. Stand.earth applauded the announcement as a new apparel industry standard.

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Media contact: Virginia Cleaveland, Press Secretary, virginia@stand.earth, 510-858-9902