Kontoor Brands, which owns the Wrangler and Lee brands, has joined the Green Supply Chain Map in 2020; a move which means the firm will disclose the environmental information of all their suppliers located in China.

The online tool, launched in January 2018 by the The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs (IPE), makes the names, addresses and geolocations of supplier facilities readily accessible and provides real-time emissions data, feedback about corrective actions and resource usage information.

Kontoor, which span out of VF Corp last year, becomes the first company to join the Map this year and joins the likes of Nike, Puma, Adidas, Levi’s and Tesco in enabling a more transparent supply chain.

The NRDC and IPE have collaboratively developed the Green Supply Chain Map which collates data from the Chinese government and member brands to map out and monitor the individual performance of supplier factories based around China.

Users of the online tool are able to filter information by brand and assess details relating to air emissions and wastewater discharge from individual supply chains.

Information on suppliers – which primarily conduct wet processing operations, such as dyeing and finishing of fibres and leather – gives participating brands real-time information to ensure environmentally responsible operations from afar.

It also allows customers and other concerned members of the public to gain greater transparency around companies’ environmental impact.

In signing up, Kontoor Brands provides accessibility to the value chains of its Wrangler, Lee and Rock & Republic businesses.

Brands interested in becoming a member are required to fill out a supplier list template with relevant information about each supplier including both their Chinese and English names and their location.

Source: EcoTextile News