Goals

Upcoming Event: Kontoor Brands First Quarter 2024 Earnings Conference Call - May 2, 2024 at 8:30 a.m. ET - Webcast

Addressing Social and Environmental Impacts

At Kontoor Brands, we’re committed to a sustainable future for everyone. Our global sustainability goals address the environmental and social impact of our operations, supply chain, products, and people.

We believe that sustainability is not a destination but a continuous journey that results in progress over time, and our strategy and goals provide a strong foundation on which we build our approach and drive our sustainability performance.

Our Goals

At Kontoor Brands, sustainability means the dynamic process of continual improvement for people, for our product, and for the planet, enabling shared prosperity for all. We manage our progress through goals and measurable targets. Our measurable goals help keep us accountable and monitor our progress. Click each goal to learn more.

Energy

Power 100 percent of owned and operated facilities with renewable energy by 2025.

“Renewable energy” is defined as electricity generated from solar, wind, geothermal, small-scale hydro or tidal energy.

In addition to global facilities that are owned and operated, leased locations are also included. Facilities associated with licensed products are exempt and open-air retail, “shop-in-shops”, are out of scope for this goal

Performance Overview

2020

Shift to renewables for key Mexico facilities impacted by changes in local regulations. Actively explored alternative renewable power options for global operations.

2021

Continued to explore additional opportunities to shift our key operations to renewables.

2022

Signed agreement to source renewable energy for 80% of total energy requirement for Mexico manufacturing. Worked to finalize projects for our Nicaragua operations.

Emissions

Reduce absolute scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions 46.2% by 2030 from 2019 base year.

In September 2023, the Science Based Targets initiative validated our science-based targets for greenhouse gas emissions. Our near-term science-based targets are:

  • Kontoor Brands, Inc. commits to reducing absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 46.2% by 2030 from a 2019 baseline.
  • Kontoor Brands, Inc. also commits to reduce absolute scope 3 GHG emissions from purchased goods and services, fuel and energy-related activities, upstream transportation and distribution, and downstream transportation and distribution by 46.2% within the same timeframe.

Please view our Consolidated Performance Report for our GHG footprints from 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022.

Voluntary Carbon Market Disclosure

Worker Well-Being

Work only with factories that support a worker well-being or community development program by 2025.

Worker well-being programs must support a multi-dimension commitment by suppliers, covering at least two of our seven defined dimensions: Physical, Intellectual, Emotional/Mental, Social, Environmental, Financial Literacy, and/or Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI).

Factories are considered in-scope if it meets the following two requirements: (1) Forms part of the top 90% of Kontoor’s annual transaction value with factories and (2) have an existing business relationship with Kontoor of more than two years.

Performance Overview

2020

Set our brands' first worker wellbeing related goal in September 2020. Launched several worker well-being programs during the year, however, COVID-19 impact delayed additional programs into 2021.

2021

Began defining our worker well-being strategy and programs. Launched the BSR HerEssentials program in three facilities in Bangladesh and one facility in Pakistan.

2022

Finalized our multi-dimensional worker well-being approach. By December 2022, 43% of in-scope suppliers supported a worker well-being or community development program.

Materials

Source 100% Preferred Materials, including cotton by 2025 and synthetics by 2030.

Preferred Materials can be found on our Product page.

Performance Overview

2020

2021

2022

Cotton

50% of cotton sourced in 2020 complied with our Preferred Materials list, which includes materials selected based on environmental and/or social factors.

55.5%

57% of cotton sourced in 2022 complied with our Preferred Material list. Began developing our Global Design Standards.

Synthetics

Sourced at least 7 MT of synthetics that complied with our Preferred Materials list.

Continued to develop our Preferred Materials strategy and data systems.

.5% of polyester sourced in 2022 was certified recycled polyester. Polyester accounts for 7.8% of total materials sourced.

Chemistry

Achieve and maintain a minimum of 90% ZDHC MRSL compliant chemicals.

“Preferred Chemistry” is defined as chemicals that are compliant against the ZDHC MRSL.

Suppliers are required to upload their chemical inventory to a chemical management platform to verify compliance.

Any non-conformant chemicals must be replaced with ZDHC MRSL-compliant chemicals.

This objective encompasses all Tier 1 vendors and owned facilities involved in wet processing (laundries, printing, finishing, etc.) and Tier 2 fabric mills, excluding licensee products.

Performance Overview

2020

97% of in-scope suppliers participated in the CHEM-IQSM screening process.

2021

CHEM-IQSM program paused due to COVID-related disruption in 2021.

2022

By end of Dec 2022, 97% of in-scope suppliers participated in the CHEM-IQSM screening process. Achieved 76% overall chemical conformity.
Due to the dynamic nature of our supply chain and the increased availability of digital chemical management tools, this goal was updated in 2023.

**Excludes licensed business.
†Preferred Materials can be found on our Product page.

Emissions

Established science-based targets for scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions.

In December 2022, Kontoor submitted two science-based targets for greenhouse gas emissions to the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi):

  • Kontoor Brands, Inc. commits to reducing absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 46.2% by 2030 from a 2019 baseline.
  • Kontoor Brands, Inc. also commits to reduce absolute scope 3 GHG emissions from purchased goods and services, fuel and energy-related activities, upstream transportation and distribution, and downstream transportation and distribution by 46.2% within the same timeframe.

SBTi approved these goals in September 2023.

Water

Saved 10 billion liters of water throughout our supply chain from 2008 to 2023.

The scope of this goal included water consumption across Kontoor’s global supply chain. The goal was primarily achieved through water recycling and efficiencies at our internal manufacturing facilities with 9.3 billion liters saved from 2008 through 2022. An additional 725 million liters were saved through the Indigood™ program.

Performance Overview

2020

8+ billion liters of water saved since 2008.

2021

8.9 billion liters saved since 2008. Launched expanded Indigood® program.

2022

9.3 billion liters saved since 2008 through recycling and efficiencies at our internal manufacturing facilities and an additional 725 million liters saved in 2022 through the Indigood® program means we reached our 2025 goal three years early.

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Our sustainability efforts align with many of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We have identified the following areas in which we believe we can have the biggest impact.