Social Responsibility, Sustainability and Environmental Volunteering: VF Corporation Demonstrates its Commitment to Local Communities Worldwide with a Series of Service Projects

STABIO, Switzerland, July 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

As one of the largest apparel and footwear companies in the world, VF has a responsibility to help build a better future for the industry, company, employees, and the communities where we operate. One way VF does this is by encouraging and empowering associates to get involved in initiatives in the communities where they live, work and play. In 2016, 1600 EMEA employees from VF's corporate headquarters and its brands volunteered more than 15,000 hours in their local communities.  

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VF strongly believes that an actively engaged local citizen is good for both the community and business: for this reason, employees give their time and experience to volunteer in the local community. Each region and brand creates their own programs based upon community needs and employee desires.

"We are happy and proud to see so many of our employees rally to support the various projects, dedicating an entire day to the community," commented Anna Maria Rugarli, Senior Director, Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility EMEA. "Our VF Community Days are part of a series of voluntary initiatives that our group organizes all over the world to support the communities where we work."

Some examples of the projects include the following: 

• VF Community Day in Ticino, on July 11^th, 12^th, 13^th: Three days of environmental and social volunteering during which hundreds of employees of VF Corporation will support local causes and charities. VF employees in Stabio (Switzerland) office held their first VF Community Day in July 2014.
• VF Community Day in Italy, in Pederobba, on April 6^th in celebration of Earth Day. The project involved employees in different activities supporting LIPU (Italian League for Bird Protection), an Italian organization protecting nature and biodiversity. A group of volunteers helped restore the LIPU center for education while others cleaned up park trails.
• My Playgreen by Timberland®: Timberland® has teamed up with the King Baudouin Foundation to create a grant program supporting the creation, maintenance and improvement of greenspaces in five European cities over the course of five years. In March, My PlayGreen funded 14 projects across London. In May, it was launched in Milan, where it will provide grants of up to €5,000 for local grassroots projects which improve access to green spaces for children of all backgrounds. To kick off the Milan edition of My Playgreen, 120 Timberland employees volunteered at 3 urban greening projects in Milan.
• VF Community Day, in Nottingham, coinciding with UK National Volunteering Week: last May, approximately 80 employees from across all major brands joined several service projects across Nottinghamshire to support the local communities in which employees work and live.
• #VFit: last year, VF Corporation partnered with London-based grassroots non-profit organisation, PhotoView PVCL Creative Learning Company (PVCL), to support at-risk students in gaining vital skills to help them get work. The initiative, #VFit, targeted students between the ages of 16 and 20 who were at risk of falling behind or dropping out of mainstream education. The goal was to reduce the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) in the city. A total of 16 students have completed a range of photography, film, editing and writing tasks as well as creating a real-life business brief with support from specially-trained VF store managers who served as business coaches.

Sustainability and Responsibility are an integral part of VF's operations. By dedicating ourselves to using the earth's resources efficiently and thoughtfully, VF will remain competitive in a resource-conscious marketplace and will help to ensure the future generations live in a cleaner, healthier world.

For VF, focusing on sustainability is the only possible key to the overall growth of the business in a responsible manner: by the way the products are made, to projects preserving environmental resources, to supporting local communities in which VF operates.

VF Corporation recently announced several initiatives supporting the environment. A few highlights include:

• Planet:  
  • VF is committed to source 100% renewable energy by 2025 (including owned and operated facility)
  • VF Corporation released its first-ever Forest Derived Materials Policy, setting formal guidelines for the company's purchasing preferences and use of sustainable forest materials and products. VF's forestry policy aims to avoid the issues associated with deforestation and forest degradation including the loss of ancient and endangered forests, loss of biodiversity and habitat, use of forced labor in making forestry products and loss of indigenous peoples and local community rights.
  • VF Corporation supports the Paris Climate Agreement, the 2015 landmark accord aimed at combating climate change. 
• Sustainable Products: 
  • VF Corporation also released its Animal Derived Materials Policy: VF brands will no longer use fur, angora or exotic leather in their products. The progressive new policy, developed in partnership with The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International, outlines which animal materials are prohibited and sets formal guidelines for the procurement and use of approved materials by the company's brands and global supply chain partners.
  •  "Make It Better" represents Napapijri®'s mindset to embrace product innovation to enable solutions that improve the lives of those around us, while making a meaningful contribution to the world. The brand's entire FW17 collection is proudly 100% fur and down free.
  • VF signed a commitment letter during the last Copenhagen Fashion Summit in May 2017 to define a circular strategy. With this letter, they have agreed to set targets for 2020 and to report on the progress of implementing the commitment. The company is committed to being a part of a fashion industry that can lead the transition to a circular system, which restores and regenerates materials while offering new opportunities for innovative design, increased customer engagement and the capturing of economic value.

VF brands launched an in-store take back initiative to recycle and extend the lifecycle of clothing and footwear.

• "Clothes the Loop", by The North Face® is a project first started in the US in 2013, aimed at helping customers recycle their unwanted clothing and footwear. The North Face® has rolled the program out to all owned & operated stores in Germany and UK. At the end of July 2017, the program will also be launched in all stores owned and operated in France, Italy, Spain and Denmark."
• "Second Chance", by Timberland® is an initiative activated across Timberland stores in Europe to re-use or recycle shoes brought in by consumers. In less than one year, Timberland helped to recycle more than 1,800 kgs of unwanted shoes.
• "Skate and Donate", by VANS® was established in December 2016. This program gives customers the opportunity to return unwanted shoes to participating Vans stores in Germany and Austria.
• VF headquarters in Stabio promoted "Time to Give Back", which gave associates a chance to donate old clothes for recycling or reuse, supporting "VestiTiVesto", a project promoted by charity association Fondazione Amici della Vita.

VF Corporation 

VF Corporation (NYSE: VFC) outfits consumers around the world with its diverse portfolio of iconic lifestyle brands, including Vans^®, The North Face^®, Timberland^®, Wrangler^® and Lee^®. Founded in 1899, VF is one of the world's largest apparel, footwear and accessories companies with socially and environmentally responsible operations spanning numerous geographies, product categories and distribution channels. VF is committed to delivering innovative products to consumers and creating long-term value for its customers and shareholders.  

VF International, based in Stabio (Switzerland), serves as the headquarters for the company's EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) and APAC (Asia-Pacific) business.  

For more information, visit http://www.vfc.com