Timberland’s commitment towards a greener future

On the heels of Earth Day, celebrated on April 22, global outdoor lifestyle brand Timberland has released its 2018 corporate social responsibility (CSR) report, showing steady progress towards its 2020 sustainability goals in support of three key pillars – better product, a greener world and stronger communities.

The brand also announced it reached one of its key sustainability goals two years early – to plant 10 million trees by 2020. Timberland has a longstanding commitment to tree planting, with more than 10.2 million trees planted worldwide since 2001, and is now working to set aggressive new targets for its next reporting cycle.

“At the heart of the Timberland brand is the core belief that business can and should be a force for positive change, and that a greener future is a better future,” said Jim Pisani, global brand president, Timberland. “We’re very pleased with the progress we made in 2018, and hitting our tree planting goal two years early. But that doesn’t mean we’ll rest on our laurels. In fact, it only energises us to think about how we can make an even bigger positive impact in the future. And we see trees playing a crucial role.”

Timberland has long made a commitment to lessen its ecological footprint on earth while continuing to leave an indelible mark on the outdoor footwear and apparel industry. This season, the brand is making considerable strides in its mission thanks to the ReBOTL capsule collection of men’s footwear that uses the equivalent of 6 to 10 plastic bottles in each style. The ReBOTL capsule collection blends lightweight and breathable Recycled Knit technology with an outsole made from recycled plastic bottles. It comprises five silhouettes – including three oxford styles, a chukka and an alpine boot. Since 2009, the equivalent of 310 million plastic bottles have found a new life through the brands products.

Timberland in the UAE has joined efforts with Bee’ah, the region’s sustainability pioneer, in challenging local creatives to reduce their daily use of plastic. Bee’ah is creating a better quality of life for all cities and communities by focusing on sustainability and innovation. In hopes to create a healthier environment in the UAE and promote sustainability, Bee’ah and Timberland have joined forces to ask the UAE to take the #pledgenoplastic.

Four influencers nominated by Timberland, participated in the challenge to practice sustainable living by making a commitment to collecting the plastic products they had accumulated over the course of one week and documented their journey through their preferred media. Their plastic waste was then used to create an art installation in Al Serkal Avenue that showcases what an individual’s one-year use of plastic would look like, that amounted to 105kgs of plastic – an average person in the UAE uses a year. The challenge and art installation serve as a demonstration and reminder to the public on the detriments that daily usage of plastic products has on the environment.

Timberland is committed to leading the region towards a more sustainable future through the challenge. Participation is simple and open to the public; all members of society are welcome to join the Eco Force by using the hashtag #PledgeNoPlastic and tagging the brand to encourage their followers to follow in their ecological footsteps. Over time, the brand will continue to monitor the campaigns hashtags, build an “Eco Force” and identify new ways to help support the community in their efforts towards an eco-positive journey.