VF Corp. to eliminate single-use plastic by 2025

By

Jennifer Braun

Published
Feb 10, 2021

VF Corporation announced on Tuesday its goal to eliminate all single-use plastic packaging, including polybags, by 2025, as part of its latest sustainability goals.

The parent company of brands like Vans and The North Face noted that all remaining packaging will be reduced, originate from sustainable sources, and will be designed for reuse or recyclability.

Across the company, VF will eliminate all non-essential, single-use plastics “for which there is a viable product alternative” including from the company’s offices, throughout its direct operations, and from all company-sponsored events by 2023. 

Moreover, as of April 1, 2021, it said all VF-owned distribution centers will be zero-waste.

“With a portfolio comprising some of the world’s most iconic apparel and footwear brands, we recognize we play an important role as environmental stewards and can serve as a catalyst for industry movements that drive positive change,” said Jeannie Renné-Malone, VP of global sustainability for VF. 

“Our new global packaging goals are an example of how we can leverage our scale for significant impact. In just one year, we could potentially eliminate as many as 100 million polybags from our packaging waste.”

VF is a long-standing participant of Canopy’s Pack4Good initiative, where it pledged that its paper packaging doesn’t contain materials from Ancient and Endangered Forests or other controversial sources.

Likewise, its family of brands have equally embarked on their own sustainability initiatives. VF’s Timberland brand has outlined a vision for its products to have a net positive impact by 2030, while VF’s The North Face brand has been continuously partnering with TerraCycle since 2001, as part of its Polybag Brigade recycling program.