With release of the company’s most recent global sustainability report, Gap Inc. commits to reducing absolute greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across all global owned and operated facilities by 50 percent from 2015 levels by the end of 2020
SAN FRANCISCO, 2016-Jan-22 — /EPR Retail News/ — As a strategic investment to foster cleaner global business, Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS) today announced an ambitious new goal to reduce absolute greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across all owned and operated facilities globally by 50 percent from 2015 levels by the end of 2020. With this new emissions target, Gap Inc. joins the international effort to tackle climate change, building upon the momentum of the landmark Paris Agreement reached last month by the 2015 United Nations climate change summit, COP 21.
Gap Inc.’s new climate goal was announced as part of the company’s most recent Global Sustainability report, “Our Futures are Woven Together,” which outlines the company’s steadfast commitment to protect human rights and improve working conditions in garment factories across the company’s supply chain; to advocate for greater equality and opportunity across its global enterprise; and to change the lives of one million women through P.A.C.E., its award-winning women’s life skills education program by 2020.
Recognizing Gap Inc.’s commitment to equality, inclusion and diversity, the leading nonprofit Catalyst announced today that Gap Inc. would be presented with the prestigious 2016 Catalyst Award at their annual awards dinner on March 16.
CEO Art Peck opens the new report, reflecting on the social and environmental challenges collectively faced by Gap Inc. and the people touched by its business, as well as on the opportunities and promise that lie ahead. “Change is not just possible, but imperative – our futures are tied together and we can’t afford not to act,” Peck writes.
“At Gap Inc., we believe that environmental issues are fundamentally human rights issues. We also believe that creating a more sustainable environment is critical to our company’s business success,” said Melissa Fifield, Senior Director of Sustainable Innovation at Gap Inc. “As we look to integrate our sustainability efforts more deeply into our business strategies and policies, we recognize the potential to create tremendous positive change for the people touched by our business while unlocking new possibilities to grow our global enterprise. We recognize that much work lies ahead of us, but we remain steadfast in our commitment to help ensure the safety and well-being of the people who make our clothes, to advocate for greater equality, and to foster more sustainable communities in the places we live and work.”
Gap Inc. has set its new emissions goal after having achieved its previous goal, which called for reducing absolute greenhouse gas emissions across U.S. operations from a 2008 baseline by 20 percent by the end of 2015; the company is reporting today a total of approximately 37 percent emissions reduction during the 2008-2015 timeframe. Gap Inc. today also announced a companion waste goal for its U.S. facilities to divert 80 percent of waste from landfill by the end of 2020.
“With our new environmental goals, we are stepping up to join the unprecedented global effort to tackle climate change and create a healthier, low-carbon future. As a global fashion company, we rely on the same vital resources that are critical to the health of the communities that support our business. We recognize that embedding our new emissions and waste goals into our company’s priorities and practices is not only the right thing to do, it will allow us to further drive innovation and cost savings across our business,” said Shawn Curran, Executive Vice President of Global Logistics at Gap Inc. and Executive Sponsor of Gap Inc.’s Environmental Council.
The new report details the company’s most recent sustainability initiatives, and covers data from fiscal years 2013-2014. Gap Inc. was one of the first apparel companies to issue a comprehensive social responsibility report in 2003, and the company continues to re-examine the progression of this work as it learns more about the root causes of the challenges across the global value chain and strives to identify, test and implement solutions that can help achieve even greater positive impacts.
Report highlights include:
Environment
- Setting a goal to reduce absolute greenhouse gas emissions in our owned and operated facilities globally by 50 percent by the end of 2020
- Committing to a goal of 80 percent waste diversion from landfill across our U.S. owned and operated facilities by the end of 2020
- Working towards phasing out the use of hazardous chemicals in the making of our products by 2020, as a founding member of the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals group
- Partnering with fabric mills to fight pollution and conserve water through our partnership with the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Sustainable Apparel Coalition
- Providing access to clean water for 17,000 people in India through our new Women + Water program
Working Conditions
- Consistently visiting the factories that make our clothes, about 1,000 factories each year, to assess and improve working conditions for garment workers
- Expanding Gap Inc.’s P.A.C.E. (Personal Advancement & Career Enhancement) program, our signature, award-winning life skills education program, to more factories and communities to give one million women worldwide by 2020 the opportunity to gain the skills and confidence to change their lives
- Improving the lives of the people who make our clothes and forging industry-wide change through innovative partnerships with leading organizations focused on improving workplace conditions and labor standards, such as Better Work and Verité
Equality and Opportunity
- Establishing Gap Inc. as the first Fortune 500 Company to disclose that we pay our female and male employees equally for equal work across our global organization
- Announcing plans in 2014 to raise the hourly minimum wage to $10 for more than 60,000 U.S. employees in 2015, making Gap Inc. one of the first U.S. retailers to make this investment in our frontline talent
- Gap Inc. employees volunteered more than one million hours over 2013 and 2014; this new record was set with the support of more than 2,000 Community Leaders across the world, who lead a wide range of volunteering projects for their teams
- Creating opportunities for more than 2,000 youth and young adults since 2006, by providing job training and store internships through our This Way Ahead program; our investments in nonprofit organizations have reached 270,000+ teens and young adults in the past three years
- Standing up as a voice for marriage, racial and gender equality; in 2015, women made up more than 70 percent of our senior leadership, and we sponsored six employee resource groups to promote diversity and inclusion
- Signing the Women’s Empowerment Principles, developed by UN Women and United Nations Global Compact to advance gender equality; one of the first acts by Art Peck as chief executive officer in February 2015
- Receiving the 2016 Catalyst Award, a leading nonprofit organization with a mission to expand opportunities for women and business; Gap Inc. is being recognized for its commitment to equality, inclusion and diversity
To learn more, please visit gapinc.com/sustainability, where you can also download a copy of the report.
About Gap Inc.
Gap Inc. is a leading global retailer offering clothing, accessories, and personal care products for men, women, and children under the Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Athleta, and Intermix brands. Fiscal year 2014 net sales were $16.4 billion. Gap Inc. products are available for purchase in more than 90 countries worldwide through about 3,300 company-operated stores, over 400 franchise stores, and e-commerce sites. For more information, please visit www.gapinc.com.
SOURCE: Gap Inc.