Water
From cotton production to fabric manufacturing, from finishing our products to keeping them clean, we rely on abundant sources of clean water. Just as important is the need for potable water to sustain the health of the workers who produce our apparel. Like water itself, our responsibility to manage it sustainably courses through every aspect of our business.
We drive business practices and influence public policies that improve water supply and quality in the places where we do business. We were the first in our industry to establish and implement water quality standards for our suppliers. These Global Effluent Guidelines (GEG)
mandate maximum wastewater contaminant levels for our manufacturing locations worldwide.
In 2008, we started working with Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) and 12 other companies to extend the GEG to our second-tier suppliers of bulk fabric and sundry items. Future efforts will go beyond keeping water clean to comprehensive water management programs, including water reclamation, water efficiency, and reuse.
Our product lifecycle assessment shows the importance of responsible water management not only throughout the manufacturing process, but also during cotton production and customer care.
- Water footprint analysis. Findings from water footprint analysis, begun in 2008, have already led to water reduction activities in our distribution centers and owned manufacturing facilities. We are finalizing a methodology for analyzing the water footprint of our supply chain partners, to be deployed in 2010.
- Business for Social Responsibility (BSR): The Sustainable Water Group. This partnership of companies is committed to managing water use and wastewater discharge in global textile supply chains.
- CEO Water Mandate. Launched in July 2007, this unique public-private initiative assists companies in the development, implementation and disclosure of water sustainability policies and practices. Read our CEO Water Mandate progress report.