Harkirat Singh, Managing Director, Woodland
Woodland is a leading manufacturer and supplier of apparel and accessories, and a strong supporter of sustainability in the fashion and apparel world. It originated in Quebec, Canada and has become a leading outdoor brand today. Environmental impacts have remained a major question for the company executives since a long duration.
According to you, what steps are being taken by Woodland to improve environmentally sustainable practices?
At Woodland we believe, every brand must give back to the community as it grows and succeeds, and we always look for ways in which we can give back. So, it is not enough for Woodland to make the absolute best boots, or shoes, or clothing in the world. We recognize we must also serve. Everything we do, everything we sell has an impact on the communities in which we live and work. While it is essential that Woodland create profit for our shareholders, it is just as essential that we create value for our communities.
Each year as we grow, we become more capable of working towards tangible, positive changes in our environmental practices. We have already made strong steps in the right direction and continue to explore new ways to become better stewards. We have partnered with several national and international organizations and introduced alternatives under our Proplanet initiative to reduce our operational impact on the environment and consciously work towards a sustainable future. We continue to search for eco friendly materials and processes that meet or exceed our performance standards.
Our goal is to substantially reduce the amount of materials used over time, and the energy consumed to manufacture and distribute those materials and products.
Can you let us know about the importance of economic, environmental, cultural and social development globally with the efficient use of waste products as well as sustainable raw materials?
Woodland strives to continually become more aware of and sensitive towards environmental impact of our business practices. We evaluate our processes and continually implement new strategies to improve efficiencies and minimize our ecological footprint.
Woodland designs and constructs products to perform better and last longer. We believe that a high quality product that retains its performance properties and aesthetic appeal for many years is more environmentally responsible than one that must be replaced frequently due to inferior materials or poor workmanship.
All our product hangtags, as well as our company business cards are printed on certified 100% post consumer recycled paper. To reduce the total amount of paper used in our marketing materials, and the energy consumed to make and recycle them, we are moving towards more electronic billing, publishing and communication. This will offer consumers greater information at their fingertips, while reducing the volumes of our printed materials.
We feel that the goals of economic and social development must be defined in terms of sustainability in all countries - developed or developing, market-oriented or centrally planned. Interpretations will vary, but must share certain general features and must flow from a consensus on the basic concept of sustainable development and on a broad strategic framework for achieving it. The narrow notion of physical sustainability implies a concern for social equity between generations, a concern that must logically be extended to equity within each generation.
Woodland will maintain an unwavering commitment to innovation, sustainable business practices and keep its tradition of promoting outdoor and adventure sports worldwide while reinforcing the Woodland brand mantra, Explore More.
Apparel manufacturing is a water-intensive industry with tremendous amounts of water used to grow fibers, wash, treat and dye fabric. We need to work as a brand and as an industry to develop solutions to address the projected increases in water scarcity that will occur alongside expected population growth.
What is the importance of transparency in sustainable production for textile supply chain?
We feel that with the increase in demand for sustainable textile and clothing products by consumers, several brands, retailers and manufactures are adopting sustainable textile production process. However, in order to achieve transparency in sustainable textile supply chain, it is important to balance between financial and social factors. It is extremely important to have clear calculation about the cost and there must be profit in the system, since it is hard to focus social and environmental factors without proper financial balancing.
Talking about the increasing demand for sustainable products in the market, at the present time, consumers not only want high-quality textiles which are harmless to health, but also consider an environmentally friendly and socially responsible production of the products they buy to be increasingly important.
How do you see the innovation-driven textile industry following sustainability?
As the world grapples with environmental challenges, manufacturers are actively integrating sustainability principles into their business. Beyond earlier concerns of reputation management, companies now realize that sustainability programs can make a positive contribution to their competitive edge and bottom-line. In the textile and garment industry, the production chain – from fiber manufacture to finished product – has many environmental impacts.
