HanesBrands Releases Sustainability Summary Report
HanesBrands Inc. recently released its 2022 Sustainability Report, which put a spotlight on the progress the company is making as it focuses on “people, planet and product.” HanesBrands also said it was launching a program to encourage its associates “to do simple things to create major change.”
The associate sustainability campaign, titled “I’m In,” is designed “to further strengthen HanesBrands’ impact on improving the environment and fostering engagement among its internal teams to help create a more comfortable world for everybody,” HanesBrands said in a statement, adding that it has 50,000 employees worldwide.
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Steve Bratspies, chief executive officer of HanesBrands, said in a statement that the company continues “to build on our leadership position in sustainability by improving the lives of people, protecting the planet and creating more sustainable products. Our global associates are passionate about strengthening the communities where we live and work. I want to thank our teams around the world for their commitment to sustainability as we work together to achieve our ambitious goals.”
In regard to people, the company said it has been committed “to improving the lives of at least 10 million people through diversity and inclusion, workplace equality, health and wellness, education and community-improvement philanthropy.” On that front, the summary report noted that 2.7 million lives have been impacted by the company’s initiatives. Other milestones include 8.5 million pieces of clothing that have been given to people in need.
With inclusivity, HanesBrands said 50 percent of its senior manager and above positions are now held by women in the U.S.
The company’s planet goals were to set science-based targets “to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce energy and water use by 25 percent, move to 100 percent renewable electricity and take landfill waste to zero” by 2030.
The progress on that goal includes a 30 percent reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions while submitting emissions reduction targets through the Science-Based Target Initiative. HanesBrands also said it has diverted 92 percent of waste from landfills and noted that nearly 50 percent of the electricity the company consumes is from renewable sources.
With products, the goals are to use 100 percent recycled and/or biodegradable polyester and sustainably sourced cotton, cut packaging weight by 25 percent “and eliminate single-use plastics (what remains must be commonly recyclable or compostable)” by 2030. So far, HanesBrands said 70 percent of cotton used is sustainably grown. It has also implemented programs to cut single-use plastic by 34 percent and reduce packaging weight by 11 percent by 2025.
Chris Fox, chief sustainability officer of HanesBrands, said in a statement that the company is proud of its longstanding “history of ethical and responsible business practices and our ongoing commitment to ‘Do What’s Right.’ Our commitment to sustainability goes back decades, and we look forward to continuing the hard work toward achieving our ambitious 2025 and 2030 sustainability goals.”
Fox told WWD that reaching sustainability goals is a “top to bottom” effort. Everyone at the company has to be aligned and working toward the same expected outcomes. And it can’t be done without the support of the C-suite.
“It is critically important,” Fox said. “And with it, you can move mountains. Without it, you’re pushing a rock up the hill, probably perpetually.”
Fox, who has been with HanesBrands for nearly 25 years and in the sustainability space for about 20 of those years, said he “wouldn’t still be here doing this if I didn’t have the support of the senior team. And I’ve been lucky enough to have had it for really that entire duration. And with that support, I think, as you’re seeing, we’re making a lot of progress and moving the needle. And without it, it would be really, really difficult.”
Another key ingredient for success in sustainability is collaboration. HanesBrands has worked with P&G on educating consumers about incorporating sustainable practices in the home, and Fox said they’re looking to renew that relationship for another three years. The #TurnToCold campaign encourages consumers to use cold water washing to reduce emissions and make their clothes last longer while also saving money.
“I think there’s a tremendous amount that we can do together in communicating at the consumer level, which is where that issue, in particular, needs to be,” Fox told WWD. “You’re trying to change consumer behavior at the end of the day. And the more we collaborate together, the more that we sing that tune together, and sing it in very different places and in different mediums, the more likely we are to change that consumer behavior over time.”
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