Annual sustainability report released with UGG’s progress and new commitments
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Our Environment stories
- UGG Commits to Measurable Progress in its Commitment to People, Planet and Product
- UGG launches UGGrenew
- UGG® commits to One Tree Planted
- How UGG scores in the Fashion Transparency Index 2021
- UGG SETS AMBITIOUS RESTORATION PLAN FOR EARTH DAY
- PART OF A FAMILY: OUR COMMITMENTS TO OUR ENVIRONMENT
- Fashion + Fact: getting closer to the data
- Farming: the future is regenerative
- TIME TO SEND WASTE PACKING
The latest sustainability report from UGG’s parent company Deckers Brands details our commitments to people, planet and product.
At UGG, we’re all about giving back more than we take from the planet. That’s why we’re on a journey to become a regenerative brand, reducing our negative impact and focusing on driving long-term, positive change instead.
The latest sustainability report from our parent company Deckers Brands outlines where we’re at on this adventure right now. It also offers a detailed look at the next steps we are taking with our FEEL GOOD strategy, giving clear direction on how we’re advancing our commitment to people, planet and product.
We believe in openly sharing our progress, which means being fully transparent about where we stand so far. So, the report gets down to the details on everything from our materials breakdown to our waste diversion percentages and our carbon accounting. You can read it in full here.
With data like this on hand, we can give ourselves robust goals that will accelerate our progress towards not only doing less harm, but making a positive contribution to our global community and the world we live in.
Here are some highlights of what we’ve achieved so far and where we’re headed next.
Do good for the planet
The first step towards reducing our impact on the planet is understanding it. This journey started when our parent company, Deckers Brands, partnered with climate experts The Carbon Trust to calculate a Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions baseline. From there, it filed Science Based Targets which were approved by the Science Based Targets initiative. As part of the Deckers Brands’ family, here’s what we’re doing at UGG to make sure we meet them:
- Over 99% of Deckers Brands’ carbon footprint occurs in its supply chain (Scope 3), and most of this happens at raw material level. With materials in mind, UGG has set internal goals to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from our footwear by 40% per pair and lower our energy usage by 35% per pair.
- In April 2021, we also committed to restoring 1,000,000 acres of land by 2025 through regenerative farming practices, going beyond simply reducing our negative impact to make a positive one instead.
- In November 2021 we launched UGGrenew to offer a repair service for our Classic boots. In partnership with America’s leading premium shoe repair company, NuShoe, it enables our consumers to keep their UGG Classics for longer, which is one of the most positive things that we can do for our planet together.
Make good products
This year, we have been focusing on finding more sustainable alternatives to our key fibers. We developed our first-ever 100% plant-based faux fur and scrim from FSC regenerated wood pulp with TENCEL™ Lyocell, and introduced it in our Plant Power Collection for SS21. Now, we’re expanding our material innovation strategy even further:
- We’re working towards increasing our use of recycled, repurposed, regenerated (plant-based), renewable (bio-based), and certified or preferred natural fibers by 35% among all material categories by 2027.
- We’re committing to only using hides that have been finished in Leather Working Group (LWG) certified tanneries or come from recycled sources by 2022.
- We’re working on sourcing 70% of the co-polyester fibers and films in our footwear from post-consumer, post-industrial, or renewable resources by 2027, and 50% for our apparel, accessories and home collections.
- We have set a goal to replace 100% of all faux fur in our footwear products with plant-based faux fur, bio-based faux fur, or recycled synthetic fibers by 2027.
Be good to people
In our mission to leave a positive impact, people, planet and product go side by side. That’s why we aim to ensure a diverse and inclusive workplace, promoting diverse communities by building thoughtful partnerships, increasing awareness, and leveraging learning and development content created in house. Here’s what we’re working towards:
- We have pledged to increase representation of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in positions of leadership by 25% in the United States by 2027. We’re also making our interview process more inclusive, and in one year, we saw an increase in representation from 4% to 16%. You can read more about how we’re working on this in Deckers Brands’ sustainability report.
- We’re committing to disability inclusion. In May 2021, we joined the Valuable 500 – a global movement that brings brands together who are putting disability inclusion at the forefront of their business. We are also continuing the UGG Universal Collection for Zappos, the adaptive range that makes our brand accessible to all.
- We’re committing to more inclusive and representative marketing and advertising. We have pledged to feature 60% BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and diversity of body types in the marketing materials we put out into the world.
- We want equity for the people who make our products. We have an ongoing partnership with HERproject, an initiative aimed at the empowerment and education of women in the workplace.
- We have donated $500,000 in 2020 and again in 2021 alongside our parent company Deckers Brands to ten non-profits that champion inclusivity, social and racial justice.
For us, being regenerative means moving away from conventional systems, instead looking at our brand in a holistic manner to reduce the negative aspects and promote positive, long-lasting impacts across the entire company.
We’ll be constantly reviewing our targets as we go, ensuring we’re pushing ourselves towards a future where companies like ours can be part of the solution.
