VF Corporation, parent company of major apparel and accessory brands like JanSport, Timberland, North Face and Supreme, announced a new initiative to eliminate all single-use packaging, including polybags, by 2025.
According to Fibre2Fashion, all future packaging will “originate from sustainable sources, and be designed for reuse and recyclability.”
By 2023, VF Corporation said that any single-use plastics it uses will be 100% recycled, “bio-based” material or a combination of the two. All paper packaging will be a minimum of 80% recycled, third-party confirmed virgin content, or a combination of the two, by the same year.
VF announces goal to eliminate all single-use plastic packaging, including polybags, by 2025. Read more about our sustainability commitments: https://t.co/G6DZOBAIny pic.twitter.com/aCzCtgNbRV
— VF Corporation (@VFCorp) February 16, 2021
“With a portfolio comprising some of the world’s most iconic apparel and footwear brands, we recognize we play an important role as environmental stewards and can serve as a catalyst for industry movements that drive positive change,” Jeannie Renné-Malone, vice president of global sustainability for VF Corporation, said in a press release. “Our new global packaging goals are an example of how we can leverage our scale for significant impact. In just one year, we could potentially eliminate as many as 100 million polybags from our packaging waste,”
The company’s Timberland brand plans to design 100% of its products for the purpose of circularity, aiming for zero waste. The Icebreaker brand plans to be completely plastic-free by 2023 by removing all synthetics from its entire product line. The North Face has been working to recycle polybags for the last 10 years, and has recycled more than five million to date.
In addition to its product base, VF Corporation announced that it will eliminate single-use plastics from its offices and sponsored events.