dollars are most important

THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE IS FOLLY

I have reprinted it from the British online magazine Sportstextiles.com

VF Corp targets large-scale circularity

Timberland and The North Face owner VF Corp joined international leaders in New York for Climate Week, in the hope of using the scale of the business to “create change”.

What form of change are they interested in making?

Timberland organized an event supporting the Great Green Wall initiative (pictured) to grow an 8,000km span of trees across the width of Africa, The North Face called on US leaders to act on climate, Napapijri launched a circular jacket, and icebreaker is raising awareness about microfibres.

At this moment in time the worldwide weather has not changed for all intents and purposes. What do they think the elected leaders of the USA can do anyway?

“The global climate crisis is the biggest issue facing our world today,” said Jeannie Renne-Malone, VF vice-president of sustainability. “We believe we have an opportunity and responsibility to leverage the scale of our business and our workforce to create systematic change in our industry and beyond.

This Malone woman should take note of the fact that North Face makes a mountain of clothing items as well as hard goods like their “no sleep sleeping bags” that do not last a full season. Does she think the other companies in the industry should follow their lead; that is what is happening because sustainability of products from most of the clothing industry does not last more than one season anyway. So much for the sustainability concept.

“We have long worked to reduce our carbon footprint, scale back on water use and turn to renewable energy sources. But we are now leading the way toward new approaches that are creating new business opportunities. This includes developing a circular business method that focuses on limiting the use of virgin raw materials.”

Now we are hearing the real reason for their approach, creating new business. As for their reduced carbon footprint, they do not own as far as I know one factory any place in the world. All the factories they buy from are in third world countries and these factories will use power from where-ever they can get it. If you make nothing you have a small carbon footprint!!!

The group, which expects revenues to grow between 7% and 8% annually for the next five years, will launch its climate goals in December and has committed to the Paris Climate Agreement, even though US President Donald Trump withdrew the US from the agreement in June 2017.

As you can see their desire is to get the 7/8% growth annually for the next 5 years and they believe their political stance is the way to go. Not making good durable products that will last for more than one season.

Ms Renne-Malone added: “We are creating new business opportunities, designing for maximum product life cycles and using materials and processes that enable products to be deconstructed and fed back into our production cycle. By 2030, we strive to be leaders of large-scale commercialization of circularity in all facets of business.”

This last paragraph is number one supporting their desire to increase their business and the rest is unadulterated gibberish. I have heard the word circularity used by other companies in the textile business sand it pertains if I am not mistaken to making a product which someone uses and then gives it back to the original maker who in turn recycles it. I guess they want every garment sold recycled so no new materials will ever get used. I doubt that Ms R-M will be with TNF if they are still in business by 2030. She will probably be gone by 2021.

The whole of the textile industry is trying to demonstrate that they have political power I believe. They get their employees to do volunteer (?) work cleaning the oceans or trails and who knows what else. Do they do volunteer work or is it at the expense of their employment?

Timberland Boot Company wants to plant 8000 KM or about 5000 miles of trees across Africa, will that the one line of trees, they don’t say. Who will do the planting, Africans or domestics from the USA, Timberland employees? Again, they don’t say. Did someone in Africa ask for these trees to be planted and what species will be planted? Who knows, the shadow!!

If these companies have so much money to spend how about helping those who seem to have no hope in the USA. I find it wonderful to see so many professional athletes who donate their time and money in helping to educate so many young people who live in similar conditions that they grew up in.

Before you try and help the rest of the world take care of your own house and once done the rest of the world can be looked at.

I view VF Corp as joke with one concern and that is to satisfy their stock holders and I believe they make that clear in this article.