byLarry EderBrooks Sports, Inc. sent out its first corporate responsibility report. The company that coined the phrase Run Happy, is trying to make happy shoes, ecologically speaking. As Keith Peters, the Executive Director for the Council for Responsible Sport tells us, small changes mean a lot. We encourage other companies in the running business, a business built around a sport that makes one more aware of nature and surroundings, to look to green alternatives…
Brooks Sports, Inc. Takes Significant Step in Sustainability Journey with First Corporate Responsibility Report
Company Shares 2009/2010 Progress and Future Focus Areas
Bothell, Wash. – Dec. 8, 2011 –
Brooks Sports, Inc., parent of leading running brand Brooks and women’s
active lifestyle brand Moving Comfort, today released its first
corporate responsibility (CR) report. The report, Running Responsibly,
expresses the company’s philosophy on corporate responsibility and its
road map to achieve its CR goals. It also represents an important mile
marker in the company’s quest to become one of the most admired
companies in the world and a more sustainable business.
The
report, which includes the company’s first greenhouse gas emissions
measurement, highlights the corporation’s 2009 and 2010 environmental
and social performance, and the strides taken to manage the company’s
most material sustainability issues. The report also highlights
challenges and key focus areas around the bend.
“Through best-in-class gear, can-do service and Run Happy spirit, we strive to develop meaningful consumer
connections that ring far beyond the register,” said Jim Weber, Brooks
President and CEO. “We care about our customer’s healthy bodies and
minds, and our role in fostering an environment where life can thrive
for the long run. Our newly established sustainability baselines will
help us measure our future CR progress in what we consider a lifelong
marathon.”
The
CR report includes an in-depth eco-footprint of two of the company’s
top-selling 2009 products–the Adrenaline GTS 10 performance running shoe
and the Podium SS technical running top–that identifies, quantifies and
assesses the environmental impacts associated with these products’
different life cycle stages. The report also features sustainability
highlights from 2009 and 2010:
· BioMoGo
Midsole – A five-year study found that BioMoGo, the midsole materials
used for the vast majority of Brooks shoes, degrades in anaerobic
conditions 50 times faster than a standard EVA midsole.
· Cascadia
6 – Virtually every component of the Cascadia 6 has an
environmentally-friendlier feature, such as materials made of recycled
content, water-based inks and adhesives, and soy-based foams.
· CMP
Midsole – Brooks’ eco-friendlier compression molded preform (CMP)
midsole manufacturing process creates 50 percent less waste than
traditional midsole manufacturing methods.
· Green
Silence – Constructed with roughly half as many parts as a comparable
shoe, 75 percent of the Green Silence is made from post-consumer
recycled material. The shoe requires 41 percent less energy to produce
and uses 65 percent fewer volatile organic compounds.
· Packaging
Materials and Waste Reduction – Brooks examined every aspect of its
shoe box and determined several ways to significantly reduce packaging
materials and waste.
· Hazardous
Substance Reduction – In 2010, Brooks listed 193 chemicals on its
restricted substance list and actively tracked 67 of the highest risk
substances. All 49 of Brooks’ footwear component and material suppliers,
and contract factories have enlisted in its Restricted Substances
program to help make Brooks products as safe as possible.
· Factory
Performance – Brooks began auditing its contract factories in the early
2000s, driving steady and meaningful social improvements. From 2009 to
2010, the average number of violations against Brooks’ Code of Conduct
decreased in issues related to wages and benefits as well as heath and
safety.
· Factory
and Supplier Training – At Brooks’ annual training conference, the
company educates its factories and component suppliers, free of charge,
about its CR program, human rights, worker health and safety, and
environmental issues.
· Soles4Souls
– Brooks collects and donates product samples and gently worn shoes and
apparel for those in need through the Soles4Souls program. In two
years, Brooks donated more than 175,000 items.
· Brooks
and Moving Comfort Charitable Apparel Programs – Together, the two
brands donated more than $65,000 in 2009 and 2010 to various charities
through the sales of cause-related apparel collections.
Now
with a baseline measurement of its sustainability impacts, Brooks will
focus future CR efforts on five key areas that are most pivotal to its
business:
· Energy and water used to manufacture and assemble products and operate facilities
· Waste generated (particularly on materials that are used) in the manufacture of products
· GHG emissions associated with products and business operations
· Materials used that are harmful for people and the environment
· The well being of the individuals who work at Brooks and make its products
Brooks’
Running Responsibly report is written in accordance with the Global
Reporting Initiative (GRI) G3 Guidelines, the de-facto standard for
sustainability reporting. To see a copy of the entire report, please
visit www.brooksrunning.com/
About Brooks
Brooks
is a leading running company that designs and markets a line of
performance footwear, apparel, and accessories in more than 60 countries
worldwide. A subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., Brooks was founded
in 1914 and is headquartered in Bothell, Wash., near Seattle. The
company’s mission is to inspire everyone to run and be active by
creating innovative gear that keeps them running longer, farther, and
faster. Visit www.brooksrunning.com for more information, and to follow frequent brand updates on Twitter (@brooksrunning) and Facebook (Brooks Running).
About Moving Comfort
Established
in 1977 with the first women’s running short, Moving Comfort designs
and delivers fitness apparel and sports bras that support and inspire
women to get fit, be healthy, and achieve their own unique personal
best. Headquartered in Bothell, Wash., near Seattle, Moving Comfort is a
division of Brooks Sports, Inc. Visit www.movingcomfort.com for more information.
