The North Face scores 2 out of 16 at Rank a Brand: Empowering you to support socially responsible business

The North Face Info

Brand Owner: VF Corporation
Head Office: Greensboro, NC, USA
Sector: Fashion, Clothing & Shoes
Categories: Sportswear
Free Tags: Outdoors, Accessories, Footwear, Summit Series, Running

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2 out of 16

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Last Updated: 11 May 2010
Last Verified: 11 May 2010

The North Face Score Report

Questions about Carbon Emissions

1 out of 4


1. Is there a policy for the brand to minimize, reduce or compensate carbon emissions?	The North Face has various policy measures to reduce CO2 emissions, such as using highly efficient lighting in the headquarters, installing a solar panel array at its Visalia, CA facility, investing in renewable wind energy and offsetting emissions from employee commuting and business travel through tree planting and habitat restoration.	SOURCE
2. Has the brand (company) published the carbon-footprint of its 'own operations' and has the brand already reduced 10% of these emissions in the last 5 years?	VF Corporation (owner of The North Face) is a member of the EPA Climate Leaders program. Membership includes completing a corporate-wide inventory of greenhouse gas emissions, developing a formal annual GHG emission report and setting aggressive reduction goals. No (link to) carbon footprint found however.	SOURCE
3. Has the brand (company) set a target to reduce its ‘own operations’ carbon footprint by at least 20% before the year 2012?	VF Corporation is a member of the EPA Climate Leaders program. Membership includes completing a corporate-wide inventory of greenhouse gas emissions, developing a formal annual GHG emission report and setting aggressive reduction goals. No (link to) carbon footprint or targets found however.	SOURCE
4. Does the brand (company) also have a policy to reduce/compensate carbon emissions generated from the supply/production chain?	The VF Corporation has environmental compliance guidelines for manufacturers, but these do not mention any quantifiable objectives.	SOURCE

Questions about Environmental Policy

0 out of 4


1. Does the brand (company) use environmentally 'preferred' raw materials for more than 5% of its volume?	The North Face uses organic cotton and recycled materials, but percentage of total production is not clear.	SOURCE
2. Does the brand (company) use environmentally 'preferred' raw materials for more than 10% of its volume?	The North Face uses organic cotton and recycled materials, but percentage of total production is not clear.	SOURCE
3. Does the brand (company) use environmentally 'preferred' raw materials for more than 25% of its volume?	The North Face uses organic cotton and recycled materials, but percentage of total production is not clear.	SOURCE
4. Does the brand (company) report on its environmental policy related to the 'wet processes' within the production cycle, like bleaching and dying of fabrics?	The North Face is a member of bluesign, but bluesign is not acknowledged since no NGO's are in the board and bluesign is publishing promotional material that can be misleading. See also Env. Compl. Guidelines for VF Manuf. (Climate Change q. 4): 'BSR' has not yet been certified by a leading environmental NGO and chemical guidelines are not specific enough.	SOURCE

Questions about Labour Conditions/Human Rights

1 out of 8


1. Does the brand (company) have a supplier Code of Conduct (CoC) which includes the following standards: No forced or slave labour, no child labour, no discrimination of any kind and a safe and hygienic workplace?	All standards are mentioned in the VF Corporation Global Compliance Principles (principle 2, 3, 7, 8).	SOURCE
2. Does this CoC include at least two of the following workers rights: 1. to have a formally registered employment relationship 2. to have a maximum working week of 48 hours with voluntary paid overtime of 12 hours maximum 3. to have a sufficient living wage?	1. Not mentioned; 2. No, overtime could be mandatory and workweek exceeds 60 hours in extraordinary circumstances (principle 5); 3. No, mentioning of legal wage, living wage not mentioned (principle 4).	SOURCE
3. Does this Code of Conduct include the right for workers to form and join trade unions and bargain collectively; and in those situations where these rights are restricted under law, the right to facilitate parallel means of independent and free association and bargaining?	Freedom of association is mentioned, but nothing found about situations in which this right is restricted by law (principle 6).	SOURCE
4. Does the brand (company) have a published list of direct suppliers, that have collectively contributed to more than 90% of the purchase volume?	Not found on The North Face or VF Corporation website.	SOURCE
5. Is the brand (company) a member of a collective initiative that aims to improve labour conditions, or does the brand (company) purchase its supplies from accredited factories with improved labour conditions?	By mid-2005, almost all of the VF-owned and operated facilities (55 of 63) were WRAP-certified (Worldwide Responsible Apparel Production). In 2004 these factories represented 40% of the total production (see link, page 14). No recent information found.	SOURCE
6. Do independent civil society organizations like NGO's and labour unions have a decisive voice in this collective initiative or in these certification schemes?	WRAP is not acknowledged as a Multi Stakeholder Initiative (MSI).	SOURCE
7. Does the brand (company) annually report on the results of its labour conditions policy?	No recent data found, VF Corporation's most recent Global Compliance Report is from 2005.	SOURCE
8. Has the brand's labour conditions policy resulted in a 'compliance level' of at least 30% of the purchase volume, or a 'monitored level' of at least 80%?	No recent data found, VF Corporation's most recent Global Compliance Report is from 2005.	SOURCE