VF Corporation will protect trees

VF Corporation, parent company for several major American clothing brands, has joined Canopy, which focuses on tree and forest conservation.

Recycled materials

Including VF Corporation, owner of The North Face, Lee, Wrangler and Timberland, Canopy now joins 96 fashion brands with a combined turnover of 112 billion dollar (106 billion euro). As part of the CanopyStyle Initiative, these brands commit to no longer use materials that come from endangered forests. 

Alongside this news, VF Corporation also revealed its Forest Derived Materials Policy, describing what it will do to combat deforestation. “Deforestation and forest degradation continues to be a global issue affecting climate change and human rights,” said Letitia Webster, VF’s Vice President of Global Corporate Sustainability. “This policy provides clear guidance across our many purchasing categories and it enables us to play our part in protecting the world’s forests.”

One of the major policies is to use recycled materials wherever possible. It will also only use products approved by the Forest Stewardship Council. “When an apparel giant like VF expands its forest commitment with a policy like this, it adds incredible momentum to global forest conservation and climate efforts,” said Nicole Rycroft, Executive Director of Canopy.

VF Corporation already has an internal policy to use as many sustainable materials as possible, collaborating not only with Canopy, but also with several other NGOs.