The adidas Group to Use Nothing but ‘Better Cotton’ by 2018
March 24, 2011 On March 22, the adidas Group presented its Environmental Strategy, a five-year plan to reengineer the company’s approach to environmental management by focusing on significant improvements along the entire value chain. As part of the strategy, which was published together with the Group’s 2010 Sustainability Report, the adidas Group announced its commitment to use 100 percent “Better Cotton” by 2018.
The strategy is based on extending existing programs to deliver process efficiencies at every stage of the value chain, from product design, development and sourcing to logistics and IT systems. As a result, the improved value chain enables the company to offer more sustainable products to consumers, thus improving the Group’s environmental footprint.
“Implementing environmental performance across our value chain is an important step to deliver sustainable operations over the long term,” said Herbert Hainer, adidas Group CEO. “At the same time, our Environmental Strategy creates a sustainable platform for future performance improvements and innovations and is therefore essential for the success of our business.”
One of the milestones included in the Environmental Strategy is the company’s commitment to using 40 percent Better Cotton by 2015 and 100 percent by 2018. The adidas Group co-founded the Better Cotton Initiative which aims to improve the environmental impact in the mainstream cotton industry. The primary focus is on reducing water consumption and pesticide use in cotton farming.
“By supporting the Better Cotton Initiative, we want to contribute to making global cotton production better for the people who produce it, better for the environment it grows in and better for our consumers,” said Herbert Hainer. “Our goal is to use 100 percent Better Cotton in our products by 2018, and we are excited to work closely with the Better Cotton Initiative towards achieving this ambitious goal.”
Another flagship initiative evolving from the strategy is called “Green Company” and looks at the own sites of the adidas Group. During 2010, the Group’s headquarters in Germany and five North American sites worked together to create a shared environmental management system, certified to ISO 14001. All certified locations are managed in accordance with the international management system standard which allows global target-setting and management at HQ as well as a standardized approach to day-to-day environmental management at site level.
The launch of the strategy coincides with the publication of the 2010 Sustainability Report. The adidas Group has published eleven consecutive annual Sustainability Reports since 2000, which is unique in the industry. The 2010 edition contains an extensive chapter on the Environmental Strategy and its milestones. It can be found online only under the following link.
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