Business news :Crocs Releases First Sustainability Report

Crocs, Inc. released its first sustainability report detailing the company’s sustainability-related accomplishments and objectives, and setting goals in three categories: workplace and supplier standards, environmental management and community engagement.

The report was developed using the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G3 reporting framework. These GRI “third-generation” sustainability reporting guidelines are used by more than 3,000 organizations worldwide to provide a common standard for producing sustainability reports.

“Acting as a responsible steward for the health and well-being of our people, our environment and our communities has always been a priority at Crocs,” said Scott Crutchfield, chief operating officer of Crocs. “With the release of our first sustainability report, we’re proud to be able to further define our approach to sustainability, share our progress to-date and establish baseline metrics against which our future progress can be measured.”

Crocs Sustainability Accomplishments and Goals:

Workplace and Suppliers

Key Accomplishments

• In the past year, Crocs has helped improve working conditions across its factory network by strengthening training for factories and suppliers on its Supplier Code of Conduct, first launched in 2009, with a particular focus on enforcing appropriate age restrictions for workers 
• The company has appointed leaders at all Crocs company-owned factories and key suppliers to conduct audits ensuring compliance with Crocs’ Supplier Code of Conduct and all relevant local statutes

Major Goals

• Standardize processes for auditing performance against the Supplier Code of Conduct across all company-owned factories and contracted manufacturers in 2013 
• Ensure at least 90 percent compliance with the Supplier Code of Conduct audit checklist for all factories and contract suppliers by the end of 2013
• Extend Crocs’ social and environmental compliance program to the company’s most important vendors by 2016

Environmental Protection

Key Accomplishments

• Achieved an average of 5 percent reused Croslite material, left over as scraps from the manufacturing process, in every Crocs shoe 
• Reduced packaging to save roughly 640,000 pounds of waste from going to landfills, the equivalent of more than 900,000 pairs of Crocs shoes

Major Goals

• Increase the average amount of reused Croslite material in each Crocs shoe to 10 percent 
• Reduce emissions of volatile organic compounds (from cleaners, primers and adhesives) used in manufacturing Crocs shoes by 10 percent in 2013 against a 2012 baseline
• Conduct a greenhouse gas emissions inventory based on emissions from the company’s headquarters and manufacturing processes

Product Innovation

Key Accomplishments

• Increased the amount of Croslite material scraps used to make new footwear
• Reduced packaging waste by reusing boxes at distribution centers, developing smaller shoe hangers and reducing paper and plastic inserts found inside new pairs of Crocs shoes

Major Goals

• Incorporate sustainability principles in the design process to produce future shoe styles that require fewer raw materials, resulting in improved end-of-life environmental impact
• Eliminate use of glue and cement to adhere footwear elements
• Develop and integrate outsoles made of 100 percent reused Croslite material

Community Engagement

Key Accomplishments

• Donated more than 3 million pairs of Crocs shoes to children and families in need around the world since the inception of Crocs Cares, the company’s social responsibility platform, in 2007
• Donated more than $840,000 to various nonprofit organizations in 2012

Major Goals

• Continue to foster success of Crocs Cares and expand its reach 
• Expand employee volunteerism program to encourage increased Crocs Caresemployee participation in all regions

The data included in the sustainability report covers Crocs’ six largest owned and contracted factories as of October 2012, as well as some data from its U.S. headquarters. These six factories together produced more than 95 percent of Crocs’ total production in the reporting year, which ranges from October 2011 – September 2012. A Compliance Council, including leaders from across the company, oversees the sustainability program and reports, through the chief legal officer, to the company’s board of directors.

( SportsOneSource Media )