Sustainability

Climate Action at PVH

2020 brought forth challenges that put a spotlight on the need for businesses and governments to prioritize climate action and reduce negative environmental impacts. We have always recognized the importance of partnerships in driving lasting change and measurable progress in the fight against climate change.

As organizations around the world answer the urgent call for climate action, we are proud to have reaffirmed our environmental commitments, advocated for and piloted solutions through cross-sector collaboration, and continued to actively evolve our business practices to prioritize climate-friendly raw materials and investment in renewable energy.

Marking the fifth anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement, and recognizing the progress made and the work left to be done, we endorsed America Is All In, the most expansive coalition of leaders ever assembled in support of climate action in the United States. Working alongside the federal government, thousands of private and public sector entities mobilized to raise domestic and international climate ambition, working toward a healthy, prosperous, equitable, and sustainable future.

We joined our peers in signing the UNGC’s “Business Ambition for 1.5°C Commitment Letter” as well as a Statement from Business Leaders for Renewed Global Cooperation, recognizing the critical need for multilateral partnership in overcoming challenges and finding climate solutions. Published in conjunction with the UNGC, Science-based Targets Initiative (SBTi) and the We Mean Business Coalition (WMB), the statement is the largest-ever, UN-backed, CEO-led climate advocacy effort. By joining the signatory, companies reaffirmed their own science-based commitments to achieving a zero-carbon economy and urged governments across the globe to match their ambition as they finalized stimulus packages to support economic recovery.

We supported multiple climate advocacy initiatives calling for climate-smart policies to be prioritized in the development of post-pandemic recovery strategies. We became a signatory of RE100’s letter to EU policymakers calling for corporate renewables to be built into the EU’s COVID-19 economic stimulus package. Organized by RE100—a global corporate renewable energy initiative of which we’ve been a member since 2018—signatories called for a policy framework to boost corporate renewable electricity sourcing across the continent, not only generating hundreds of thousands of jobs and ensuring a sustainable energy transition, but helping the EU deliver on its goal to reach climate neutrality by 2050. In line with this, what is believed to be the most powerful solar rooftop was installed at our Netherlands-based Venlo Warehouse and Logistics Center. With more than 48,000 solar panels on-site, the location is “HollandseZon” certified, enabling the buyback of solar energy produced in order to indirectly power all of PVH Europe throughout The Netherlands with 100% renewable energy.

As a founding member of SAC’s Aii, we have continued to explore opportunities to engage strategic fabric mills on scaling adoption of Aii’s Clean by Design programming. The program partners apparel brands with local and global NGOs, expert service providers and factories to improve energy, water and chemical reduction. Manny Chirico PVH Chairman and Board Member of the United Nations Global Compact In 2020—using baseline data established in 2019—we conducted online trainings and recommended Clean by Design programming to two of our key factories in India, where the teams completed seven projects, began an additional nine and developed plans to implement 17 more, all with the goal to decrease their energy and water footprints. Investing in this crucial programming drives industry-wide progress in the fight against climate change and reinforces our commitment to partnering with our suppliers where possible to achieve our collective environmental goals.

As we look ahead to COVID-19 recovery and the continuation of our ongoing environmental efforts, our commitment to climate action and the preservation of our planet’s resources is only strengthened by our industry’s continued dedication to building back better for everyone.