The magnitude of the climate crisis is more apparent than ever and it is clear that the private sector will continue to play an integral role in global environmental concerns – from climate change to conservation – and we consider it our responsibility to help build a more sustainable future. As companies and organizations answer the urgent call for change, equally pressing is the need for concrete actions to make progress possible on an individual and systemic level. Committed to driving fashion forward for good, PVH is turning words into actions and working to address key issues on the world stage and in its own value chain.
More Than Words: Taking Action in the Face of Climate Crisis
PVH speaks to its Forward Fashion strategy and sustainability issues.
LEADING BY EXAMPLE
PVH, one of the largest apparel companies in the world, is committed to playing its part in the global fight against climate change, which means using its influence to inspire action in others. Earlier this month, CEO Manny Chirico expressed PVH’s continued support of the Paris Climate Agreement to combat climate change. This statement of support, signed by more than 75 American business leaders, reaffirms the vital importance of the mission set forth in the 2016 agreement and aims to encourage policy action within the U.S. government. PVH, the first U.S.-based company to commit to the G7 Fashion Pact, a coalition of more than 30 global fashion and textile companies pledging to reduce the environmental impact of the fashion industry, recognizes the power of partnership to take on this challenge. Focusing on the three key areas of climate, biodiversity and oceans, the Pact establishes actions against each aimed to safeguard the planet.
In December 2019, global policymakers and world leaders gathered at the United Nations’ annual Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP25) in Madrid to focus on strengthening the implementation of the Paris Agreement and taking the next crucial steps in the UN climate change process. PVH was on the ground at the conference where Marissa Pagnani McGowan, Senior Vice President, Corporate Responsibility, delivered a Communique alongside other Fashion Pact peers, urging cooperation between industry and government policymakers to increase availability of renewable energy and called for collaboration around initiatives targeting Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions reduction. While PVH’s path towards the transition to renewable energy continues to evolve, sharing this progress at COP25 is an example of the action-oriented leadership needed to truly drive change.
To achieve its climate-related targets, PVH is increasing its use of renewable energy sources.
A NEW STANDARD: PVH'S FORWARD FASHION STRATEGY
Progress against climate change starts with external measurements and accountability. Earlier this month, PVH announced that its absolute GHG emissions reduction targets – initiated through PVH’s Forward Fashion strategy – were approved by the Science Based Target initiative. These targets are in line with the most ambitious level of decarbonization, 1.5 degrees Celsius, set out by the Paris Agreement. This serves as a stamp of approval from a third-party expert and validates our current course of action. With the ambition for business operations to generate zero waste, zero carbon emissions and zero hazardous chemicals, and for three of the most commonly purchased products to be circular, the GHG targets specifically identify that:
-
All PVH offices, warehouses and stores will be powered by 100% renewable electricity by 2030, which will reduce emissions for the company’s Scope 1 and 2 GHG footprints by 71%
-
PVH will drive a 30% reduction in its global supply chain (Scope 3) emissions by 2030
To continue reaching these targets, PVH pursues energy efficiencies and renewable energy deployment, in line with its commitment to RE100, a global corporate leadership initiative moving businesses toward 100 percent renewable electricity. Steps being taken at PVH facilities include engagement with suppliers operating the most energy-intensive facilities to set targets and reduce GHG footprints, particularly through the Higg Facility Environmental Module. We are working to develop products with lower environmental impact and collaborate with suppliers to drive renewable energy transitions. Through mill improvement programs developed by our partners at the Apparel Impact Institute, we are continuing to promote energy efficiency. Also important to this work is our participation in and support of the United Nations Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action working groups centered on policy, finance and logistics.
PVH signed the Arctic Shipping Corporate Pledge, which prohibits its products to be shipped on vessels that navigate the arctic shipping routes.
BACKING PROMISES WITH POLICIES
We know that policy support and reform is critical to meaningful progress in the fight against climate change. Therefore, PVH continues to establish new policies to ensure the company’s future actions align with its commitment to the common good. Most recently, PVH published a Forest Protection policy in partnership with Canopy, an international not-for-profit environmental organization dedicated to protecting forests, species and climate.
In order to reduce the threat of climate change, PVH acknowledges the importance of preserving and protecting the planet’s ecosystems. Forests play a crucial role in mitigating climate change by helping to remove and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, protecting watersheds, and reducing soil degradation and erosion. To that end, this new policy outlines the actions the company will take to transform its packaging and viscose supply chains to become more forest-friendly, such as eliminating Ancient and Endangered Forests fibre from viscose and packaging, reducing overall packaging and advancing conservation in high-carbon value and bio-diverse forests. Aligning with this type of policy proves that long-term investment and planning are focused on making positive changes for the environment.
Similar to our planet’s forests, another ecosystem in grave need of preservation is the earth’s polar ice caps. Earlier this year, PVH proudly signed the Arctic Shipping Corporate Pledge, in partnership with Ocean Conservancy, an agreement that as a collective group, we will not allow our products to be shipped on vessels that navigate the arctic shipping routes, acknowledging the climate risks threatening these ecosystems. Signatories to the pledge support the development of precautionary arctic shipping practices, a ban on heavy fuel oil use in these waterways and ongoing evaluation of low-impact shipping corridors, further combatting potential increases in carbon emissions.
“The Arctic plays a critical role in regulating global temperatures and counteracting climate change. As an area of such importance to our planet, knowing that in the future this could be something and someplace that is exploited, requires us to take proactive action now.”
— MARISSA PAGNANI MCGOWAN,
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY, PVH CORP.
PVH is proud of the actions made, which will fuel further progress in years to come.
2020 AND BEYOND
2019 was filled with major milestones in PVH’s journey to drive fashion forward for good. But perhaps the most important shift this year was a sense of true commitment and accountability within the company. At every level, PVH employees are tasked with thinking differently and acting with the environment in mind. This feeling of personal responsibility and passion for doing what’s right, in concert with broader policy changes and public engagement, will fuel this work in the coming year and into the future.