Kontoor announced its official commitment to set a greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction target recently that is aligned with the United Nations Paris Agreement. Kontoor has confirmed its commitment with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), which aims to drive ambitious climate change action in the private sector by enabling companies to set science-based emission reduction targets.
Following the announcement, the company will develop, validate and publish a target next year, reinforcing Kontoor’s commitment to sustainability.
“The climate crisis requires bold actions not just by governments and NGOs, but also by corporations,” says Jeff Frye, vice president of procurement, product development, innovation and sustainability at Kontoor Brands.
The latest commitment builds on the progress Kontoor has made as a leader within the apparel industry since it first launched as a public company in May 2019. In 2020, Kontoor published its inaugural report on sustainability, outlining the company’s key opportunities in driving toward its sustainability goals.
The Science Based Targets initiative is a collaboration between CDP Global, the World Resources Institute (WRI), Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), and the UN Global Compact (UNGC). The 2015 Paris Agreement committed 191 world governments to lower greenhouse gas emissions and limit the rise in worldwide temperatures to no more than 2 degrees Celsius. The agreement is widely expected to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon world economy.
This latest announcement reflects Kontoor’s commitment to sustainability across the enterprise and combat climate change as an active member and stakeholder within the greater global community.
“We joined the Science Based Targets initiative to help create a more sustainable and just future and will continue to accelerate our efforts to ensure a healthy planet for generations to come,” Frye adds.
Earlier this year, Kontoor announced it is expanding its collaboration with Panda Biotech to bring traceability and scale to the textile-grade cottonised hemp grown and processed in the United States.