The North Face is an American brand of outdoor apparel, accessories, and footwear. Douglas and Susie Tompkins, a married couple, founded The North Face in 1966. The couple took out a $5,000 bank loan in 1964 to launch The North Face.
Two years after the brand was founded, Kenneth Klopp bought the company and the Tompkins intended to concentrate on making adventure films after selling The North Face.
The company started concentrating on street couture in the late 1990s, which allowed it to reach a wider audience than just outdoor aficionados.
In 2000, The North Face became a fully owned part of VF Corporation after being purchased for US$25.4 million.
Since the 2000s, it has been recognized as a hallmark of streetwear style. The North Face now specializes in technical mountaineering gear and clothing, such as sleeping bags, hiking packs, tents, and skiwear.
Most North Face goods are not produced in the United States. The organization has locations all around the world, mostly in China and India. Additionally, they manufacture in Jordan, El Salvador, Cambodia, Guatemala, and Mexico.
Sustainability Rating: 4/10
Category: Clothing, footwear, accessories
For: Women, men, kids
Products: Tops, shirts, dresses, skirts, leggings, sweatshirts, jackets, hoodies, jeans, shorts, sportswear, underwear, swimwear, shoes, bags, accessories
Style: Outdoor
Quality: High
Price: $
Sizes: XS-3XL, 2-14 (US), 6-18 (UK), 34-58 (EU)
Fabrics: Cotton, viscose, elastane, recycled polyester, acetate, nylon, acrylic, knit, spandex, polyurethane, wool, rubber, leather, down
100% Organic: No
100% Vegan: No
Ethical & Fair: Yes
Recycling: Yes
Manufacturing countries: USA, China, India, Guatemala, El Salvador, Jordan, Mexico, Cambodia
Certifications: RDS
Interpretation Of The Sustainability Score
If a brand is rated 4/10, it means they are aware of the fashion industry's negative impacts and are starting to implement sustainability practices. They provide some relevant information but not enough to be considered sustainable.
What Are The Sustainability Practices Of North Face?
North Face seems dedicated to using manufacturing and material development advances to enhance the environmental performance of its products.
By incorporating more recycled plastic into their polyester fabric, The North Face is addressing a significant issue in the market: used soda and water bottles. By reusing those resources that already exist, they are also contributing to the reduction of reliance on fossil fuels.
Additionally, compared to virgin polyester, recycled polyester uses less water and air resources.
Furthermore, with a target of using 100% sustainable primary materials in clothing by 2025 and footwear and equipment by 2030, they are revolutionizing the way materials are made. By taking this action, they ensure that sustainability is at the core of their products and lessen their environmental impact.
They intend to cut the greenhouse gas emissions from their supply chain in half by 2030 by working with significant suppliers. By 2025, they also hope to eliminate single-use plastic packaging and cut down on waste from paper and plastic packaging.
Are There Any Ethical Practices Of North Face?
North Face claims to provide a secure and encouraging work environment for the men and women who produce their goods.
The North Face also maintains a Restricted Substance List (RSL) that lists the chemicals that are prohibited for their products due to safety, regulatory, or environmental concerns. This list serves as a clear representation of their standards for chemical safety to all of their suppliers.
They also claim to inspect all direct suppliers at least once a year to make sure they fulfill their requirements, and they audit new suppliers through the global supply chain and compliance framework of their parent business, VF Corporation.
Furthermore, according to the Fashion Transparency Index 2022, the brand scored 66% and was one of the highest scored brands in terms of transparency.
The company releases information about the results of supplier audits, a comprehensive list of suppliers in the last stages of manufacturing, and details regarding forced labor, gender equality, and association freedom.
However, we couldn’t find anything on the brand’s website that guaranteed that the workers in its supply chain were paid a livable wage.
How Does North Face Ensure They Are Not Using Child Labor?
To improve the protection of children's rights and end child labor across the global garment supply chain by 2025, VF Corporation, the parent company of North Face, announced the creation of a new Child Rights Action Pledge.
According to Julie Sutton, Senior Director of Global Impact and Government Affairs at VF, "Children are a key stakeholder in the betterment of both people and the planet as we look to deepen our commitment to our purpose-led mission."
"Our new pledge further demonstrates our aspirations to be a leading industry advocate for the rights of children and embodies all of the important work VF has done to date."
VF has pledged to incorporate the United Nations Global Compact, Save the Children, and UNICEF's Children's Rights and Business Principles. The Goals of the Principles are to minimize adverse effects on children and enhance good contributions.
Furthermore, VF intends to bolster its endeavors related to child rights by means of:
Enhanced diligence in the supply chain upstream of VF;
VF's formalized child rights policy, which includes steps to stop, lessen, and address child labor;
Expanded examination and evaluation of supply chain purchasing policies, pay, and working circumstances for parents and guardians to comprehend possible concerns associated with child labor;
Improved NGOs' collaborations with an emphasis on child welfare, education advancement, and tackling the underlying causes of child labor.
Are There Any Animal Welfare Policies at North Face?
VF Corporation, the parent company of North Face, announced that it will never utilize materials that are extremely cruel to animals, such as fur, angora, or exotic leather for its brands.
The VF Corporation unveiled its first animal welfare policy after collaborating with Fur Free Alliance members The HSUS, HSI, and LAV. This policy forbids the use of some of the cruelest materials in the apparel supply chain and states unequivocally that animal-friendly substitutes will shape fashion in the future.
North Face made a commitment in October 2014 to use the cooperative Responsible Down Standard to achieve 100% certified Responsible Down. It accomplished the aim a year ahead of schedule.
The Responsible Down Standard was initially developed by The North Face in collaboration with the NGO Textile Exchange and third-party certifier Control Union Certifications. It is a third-party standard for certified down and feathers.
The Responsible Down Standard (RDS) guarantees that their down is sourced from animals that have not been subjected to needless suffering, including force-feeding or live-plucking.
It also offers traceability across their supply chain and facilitates the validation and tracking of down used in The North Face products from farm to final garment.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_North_Face
https://www.thenorthface.com/en-us/about-us
https://www.thenorthface.co.uk/innovation/sustainability/product/manufacturing.html
https://allamerican.org/investigation/north-face/
https://www.thenorthface.co.uk/innovation/sustainability/operations/social-responsibility.html
https://www.thenorthface.com/en-us/sustainability
https://www.vfc.com/news/press-release/1765/vf-corporation-announces-child-rights-pledge-in-support-of
https://www.thenorthface.co.uk/innovation/sustainability/product/down-standard.html
https://www.thenorthface.co.uk/innovation/sustainability/product/recycled.html
https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2016/north-face-sources-only-cruelty-free-down/29181
https://d1io3yog0oux5.cloudfront.net/vfc/files/documents/Sustainability/Resources/VF_ADM+Policy_FINAL_9-1-2020.pdf
https://www.fashionrevolution.org/how-transparent-are-the-worlds-largest-fashion-brands/
