Timberland is being refreshingly honest about not hitting its greenhouse gas-reduction goals. "We have to fix our business process fundamentally," CEO Jeff Swartz tells us. If they can't do it, though, how can anyone?
Companies scrambling to boost their environmental credibility have the tendency to make all sorts of impressive--and unrealistic--commitments to cut down on water use, CO2 emissions, and mowing down forests. They make a big announcement, everyone oohs and ahs, and then no one remembers to check in on how they did. That's because they generally did horribly and no one sends out a press release about that. So we'd like to commend Timberland, at least, for keeping it honest, if not for actually hitting their goals.
In 2006, the company announced a five-year, 50% reduction goal for greenhouse gas emissions associated with its owned and operated facilities and employee air travel. But that's not what happened. Timberland cut its...
Companies scrambling to boost their environmental credibility have the tendency to make all sorts of impressive--and unrealistic--commitments to cut down on water use, CO2 emissions, and mowing down forests. They make a big announcement, everyone oohs and ahs, and then no one remembers to check in on how they did. That's because they generally did horribly and no one sends out a press release about that. So we'd like to commend Timberland, at least, for keeping it honest, if not for actually hitting their goals.
In 2006, the company announced a five-year, 50% reduction goal for greenhouse gas emissions associated with its owned and operated facilities and employee air travel. But that's not what happened. Timberland cut its...
- 4/13/2011
- by Ariel Schwartz
- Fast Company
We all agree that the planet is in a perilous position. But what is the best way to save it? We name the 20 activists, filmmakers, writers, politicians and celebrities who will be setting the global environmental agenda in the coming year
From David Attenborough to Rob Hopkins, founder of the Transition Town movement, the Observer Ethical Awards has honoured many movers and shakers in ecological and social justice. So it seems fitting to launch our sixth awards by profiling the 20 global figures who'll exert influence in 2011. For those on our list, the coming year might best be described as "take your partners" time, as activists and corporates scramble for power – and we're predicting some unlikely marriages ahead. Commentators have noted that big business is taking an unprecedented interest in the environment and are pushing for conservation capitalism. The really big decisions from the climate-change conference in Cancun have effectively been...
From David Attenborough to Rob Hopkins, founder of the Transition Town movement, the Observer Ethical Awards has honoured many movers and shakers in ecological and social justice. So it seems fitting to launch our sixth awards by profiling the 20 global figures who'll exert influence in 2011. For those on our list, the coming year might best be described as "take your partners" time, as activists and corporates scramble for power – and we're predicting some unlikely marriages ahead. Commentators have noted that big business is taking an unprecedented interest in the environment and are pushing for conservation capitalism. The really big decisions from the climate-change conference in Cancun have effectively been...
- 1/16/2011
- by Lucy Siegle
- The Guardian - Film News
I think I'm the only person who moderated panels last week at both the Clinton Global Initiative in New York City and Opportunity Green, a green business conference in Los Angeles. While it may seem unfair to compare a gathering of the biggest machers in politics, philanthropy, finance, and the corporate world, to a scrappy little powwow of design startups and vegan caterers, there were some undeniable commonalities (like the attendance of folks from NBC and Coca-Cola). People in general, as they are at every conference, were far more interested in shmoozing and snagging as much free stuff as possible, getting onto the Wi-Fi and grabbing a power outlet, than they were in the sessions themselves. And more gravely, the ideas on the stage about how to make the world a better place, and in particular how to make big business more sustainable, were pretty played out.
Heaven bless Jeff Swartz.
Heaven bless Jeff Swartz.
- 9/27/2010
- by Anya Kamenetz
- Fast Company
Haitian-born musician Wyclef Jean has acknowledged officially that he'll run for president of Haiti, and he's leaving Yele Haiti, the Ngo he created in 2005.
Jean confirmed his presidential aspirations, speaking Haitian Creole on Radio Tropics this morning, saying, "For the 250,000 people who died in the earthquake, that's the reason we ought to see a change in the system." He still has to file paperwork by Saturday and prove to a nine-member board in Haiti that he's a native Haitian, has lived there consecutively for five years, and owns land there.
As for his departure from the charity, he said in a news release this morning:
For the past five years, Yele has been a huge part of life for me, my wife, Claudinette, and the rest of our family, and I am proud of what we've been able to accomplish for the country and people we love. I have learned...
Jean confirmed his presidential aspirations, speaking Haitian Creole on Radio Tropics this morning, saying, "For the 250,000 people who died in the earthquake, that's the reason we ought to see a change in the system." He still has to file paperwork by Saturday and prove to a nine-member board in Haiti that he's a native Haitian, has lived there consecutively for five years, and owns land there.
As for his departure from the charity, he said in a news release this morning:
For the past five years, Yele has been a huge part of life for me, my wife, Claudinette, and the rest of our family, and I am proud of what we've been able to accomplish for the country and people we love. I have learned...
- 8/5/2010
- by Tyler Gray
- Fast Company
Judging by the recent actions of companies like Walmart and Samsung, sustainability indexes (aka green supply chain rating systems) are the next big thing in corporate social responsibility. So it isn't all that surprising that a group of 100 retailers and apparel brands are joining together to form an industry-wide Eco Index--a software-based tool that allows companies to track product impacts through a series of questions on labor and environmental efforts.
As expected, "crunchy" brands like Rei, Timberland, Columbia, and Patagonia signed up immediately, but the Eco Index has also gained some other supporters, including Target, Nike, and Levi-Strauss. No luxury brands have signed up as of yet, according to the Wall Street Journal. But for the companies involved, the Index has been a long time coming.
In a column for FastCompany.com, Timberland CEO Jeff Swartz explained why the apparel industry needs an Eco Index:
The electronics industry pulled this off; the fashion industry hasn't,...
As expected, "crunchy" brands like Rei, Timberland, Columbia, and Patagonia signed up immediately, but the Eco Index has also gained some other supporters, including Target, Nike, and Levi-Strauss. No luxury brands have signed up as of yet, according to the Wall Street Journal. But for the companies involved, the Index has been a long time coming.
In a column for FastCompany.com, Timberland CEO Jeff Swartz explained why the apparel industry needs an Eco Index:
The electronics industry pulled this off; the fashion industry hasn't,...
- 7/23/2010
- by Ariel Schwartz
- Fast Company
About a year ago, we began to build a relationship with a powerful celebrity artist--Wyclef Jean. We were introduced by a mutual friend who figured that Timberland's passion for environmental stewardship could use a little less earnestness--and a little more connection to relevant emotion. And the word was, while Wyclef is a celebrity and an artist, he is also a for real authentic warrior for social justice, especially on behalf of his homeland--Haiti.
Through a series of conversations, we built a pretty cool business plan for mutual benefit--Timberland committed to reforestation projects in Gonaives, a community west of Port-au-Prince that had been utterly deforested. Wyclef committed to helping us design a small hip collection of boots and connected us to a team of Haitian artists in residence at the Fosaj art center in Jacmel. The artists would design t-shirts, we would produce and sell the boots and t-shirts,...
Through a series of conversations, we built a pretty cool business plan for mutual benefit--Timberland committed to reforestation projects in Gonaives, a community west of Port-au-Prince that had been utterly deforested. Wyclef committed to helping us design a small hip collection of boots and connected us to a team of Haitian artists in residence at the Fosaj art center in Jacmel. The artists would design t-shirts, we would produce and sell the boots and t-shirts,...
- 2/1/2010
- by Jeff Swartz
- Fast Company
Timberland CEO Jeff Swartz on how to make socially-responsible investing appeal to Wall Street.
Every 90 days, I report to Wall Street and our shareholders on the financial health of our company--called to the carpet when results are bad, receiving a pat on the back (if memory serves) when numbers are good.
Many years ago, we put corporate social responsibility on the agenda for these quarterly financial calls, because as a critical component of our effort to be a responsible business--fiscally and socially--it felt not only appropriate, but necessary.
Guess how many times I've been called to the carpet by shareholders for not delivering satisfactory Csr results, or how often we've received a comment or question about our Csr programs on these quarterly calls? Never. The silence isn't an indication that we've perfected corporate responsibility--far from it--it's an indication that shareholders don't find Csr performance relevant.
Now, I understand clearly that...
Every 90 days, I report to Wall Street and our shareholders on the financial health of our company--called to the carpet when results are bad, receiving a pat on the back (if memory serves) when numbers are good.
Many years ago, we put corporate social responsibility on the agenda for these quarterly financial calls, because as a critical component of our effort to be a responsible business--fiscally and socially--it felt not only appropriate, but necessary.
Guess how many times I've been called to the carpet by shareholders for not delivering satisfactory Csr results, or how often we've received a comment or question about our Csr programs on these quarterly calls? Never. The silence isn't an indication that we've perfected corporate responsibility--far from it--it's an indication that shareholders don't find Csr performance relevant.
Now, I understand clearly that...
- 8/31/2009
- by Jeff Swartz
- Fast Company
In a values-driven company, it's relatively easy to engage employees: they sign up and show up for our annual global service days, use their Path of Service benefit (paid time off to volunteer) and are actively involved in community-based impact and awareness programs. We don't have to mandate civic engagement or force them to act on issues they care about--whether by nature or self-selection or, some might suggest, drinking too much of our Kool-Aid--employees here just "get it."
In recent years our board of directors has challenged us, in the way boards do, on the actual value of being a values-driven company. All well and good that you've got an entire organization that cares about the social and environmental issues of the world, they said, and even better that you've been able to successfully mobilize that passion into meaningful action--but why aren't you talking about any of it with your consumers?...
In recent years our board of directors has challenged us, in the way boards do, on the actual value of being a values-driven company. All well and good that you've got an entire organization that cares about the social and environmental issues of the world, they said, and even better that you've been able to successfully mobilize that passion into meaningful action--but why aren't you talking about any of it with your consumers?...
- 7/17/2009
- by Jeff Swartz
- Fast Company
In business school, everyone wanted to be the CEO--you know, the infallible one in the suit, with years of experience and wisdom, the one with all the answers.
What a bogus model. Turns out, the best leaders are the ones with the questions, the ones capable of forging collaborative networks.
Limiting problem solving models to the intelligence and experience that lives either in your head or even in your own organization is inadequate, if you engage in issues like minimizing environmental impact and carbon emissions across the global value chain. No, to problem solve on that scale, I think the leader has to start with a vision and a passion ... and the humility to recognize that the only way to solve the challenge is by assembling and motivating a group of disparate talents in a collaborative fashion. Ycch. It was much easier in the old days...
These days, we slog away at building effective,...
What a bogus model. Turns out, the best leaders are the ones with the questions, the ones capable of forging collaborative networks.
Limiting problem solving models to the intelligence and experience that lives either in your head or even in your own organization is inadequate, if you engage in issues like minimizing environmental impact and carbon emissions across the global value chain. No, to problem solve on that scale, I think the leader has to start with a vision and a passion ... and the humility to recognize that the only way to solve the challenge is by assembling and motivating a group of disparate talents in a collaborative fashion. Ycch. It was much easier in the old days...
These days, we slog away at building effective,...
- 7/16/2009
- by Jeff Swartz
- Fast Company
Like it or not, for most major shoe manufacturers, China is the place to be. Pretty much whatever you need to make shoes--from factories with trained and available labor, to the largest concentration of leather tanneries on earth, to component suppliers of the mundane and the exotic--you can find in Guangzhou Province. As a "one-stop shop," China offers efficiency both in time and resources--scarce commodities from any CEO's point of view. And not just efficiency--our Chinese suppliers meet our quality standards consistently and deliver on time, as promised. They have the knowledge and the infrastructure to support the business, make quality product and meet our expectations. It makes for a pretty compelling case to do business in China.
Of course, competing in the global economy is not about simple choices--and sourcing from China, with issues of environmental practice and respect for the dignity and human rights of workers, serves as...
Of course, competing in the global economy is not about simple choices--and sourcing from China, with issues of environmental practice and respect for the dignity and human rights of workers, serves as...
- 7/15/2009
- by Jeff Swartz
- Fast Company
In an economy as whacked out as this one is globally, the tired "customer is king" adage is actually a wicked understatement. Consumers have seemingly infinite choices from good brands--many of them desperate to move the merchandise to generate cash and survive. In an unforgiving marketplace like the one we are enduring, brands better build products and services around real, differentiated and defensible insights. "Here's what I hope you want to buy" is a merchandising strategy for failure.
Earning real insight into consumers in a rapidly changing world, too interconnected by social network technologies... this is not the business context my grandfather encountered when he launched our company in the last century.
But the fun only begins when you capture insight. In a consumer reality that is pathologically fast, competitively jam packed with hungry brands, and as a result mercilessly efficient, the value chain becomes this simple:
Discover real, differentiated...
Earning real insight into consumers in a rapidly changing world, too interconnected by social network technologies... this is not the business context my grandfather encountered when he launched our company in the last century.
But the fun only begins when you capture insight. In a consumer reality that is pathologically fast, competitively jam packed with hungry brands, and as a result mercilessly efficient, the value chain becomes this simple:
Discover real, differentiated...
- 7/14/2009
- by Jeff Swartz
- Fast Company
Imagine the food industry without nutrition labels: how could you shop without some sense of the nutrition or chemicals or ingredients in your macaroni and cheese?
Having access to specific information about the food we buy is a given. We all know what a nutrition label looks like, what calories are, how to decipher a list of ingredients. The labels are standardized and regulated by governments, and serve consumers seeking to make thoughtful choices about their consumption.
Why doesn't the same thinking apply to fashion purchases? Watching the organic food business grow up from earnest activism to broad consumerism, we asked ourselves--what would happen if nutrition labeling came to our industry?
We did some informal research, and the answer came back sharp and clear: consumers want brands to be transparent, to tell the truth about where the product is made, and how it's made, and what goes into making the product that's for sale.
Having access to specific information about the food we buy is a given. We all know what a nutrition label looks like, what calories are, how to decipher a list of ingredients. The labels are standardized and regulated by governments, and serve consumers seeking to make thoughtful choices about their consumption.
Why doesn't the same thinking apply to fashion purchases? Watching the organic food business grow up from earnest activism to broad consumerism, we asked ourselves--what would happen if nutrition labeling came to our industry?
We did some informal research, and the answer came back sharp and clear: consumers want brands to be transparent, to tell the truth about where the product is made, and how it's made, and what goes into making the product that's for sale.
- 7/13/2009
- by Jeff Swartz
- Fast Company
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