The Timberland Company has announced the company’s CSR goals and forward-looking targets, which are positioned to align more strategically with its overall brand values. The updated goals and targets have been published on Timberland’s newly-launched CSR communications portal, which provides a dynamic, integrated experience that informs, inspires and engages consumers around the brand’s CSR efforts.
Timberland’s refined CSR goals focus on larger issues associated with each pillar—Climate,Product, Factories and Service. «We want to be proof positive in terms of the change we seek to influence through our business. Our updated goals now reflect this approach—and engaging employees and communities in this work is a critical part of our objectives,» said Mark Newton, Vice President of CSR for Timberland. «Our climate goal, in particular, is framed in a way that is ambitious, meaningful to consumers, and closely linked to our goal of becoming the number one outdoor brand.»
The new goals are not just aspirational—quantifiable performance metrics have been established for each pillar. For instance, to support Timberland’s bold product goal, the brand will work to increase the percentage of renewable, organic and/or recycled materials used in its products to more than 50 percent by 2015.
Timberland has also released its annual 2009-2010 performance data on the portal, which replaces printed CSR-related communications and will be updated quarterly, allowing visitors to view data against the company’s quantifiable CSR targets associated with each pillar.
In an effort to reach a broader consumer audience, the portal places data in the context of stories about how Timberland and its partners are enacting change to positively influence a variety of social and environmental issues. The site also allows readers to probe deeper and explore the progress Timberland is making against its groundbreaking initiatives, such as its Green Index® rating system, its commitment to plant 5 million trees in the next 5 years, and learn what opportunities and challenges lie ahead.
«This new tool offers us an opportunity to educate and inspire consumers to take part in our Earthkeepers philosophy, which encourages consumers to be good stewards of the earth and their communities,» said Jeff Swartz, President & CEO of Timberland. «Timberland is, and will continue to be, a values-based company. We see this new initiative as a way to integrate our CSR goals with the overall brand and engage a broader group of stakeholders in our commerce and justice mission.»
On the new portal, people can also follow Timberland’s CSR efforts in real-time and join the ongoing discussion through Timberland’s Bootmakers Blog, stakeholder engagement call podcasts, Voices of Challenge dialogue, Twitter and the brand’s YouTube channel.