In an effort to create a more circular and inclusive future for the fashion industry, American fashion brand Tommy Hilfiger has announced the launch of its Make It Possible Sustainability Program.
The program, part of Tommy Hilfiger’s mission to “Waste Nothing and Welcome All,” outlines 24 targets that the company intends to meet by 2030. Targets are aimed at improving a variety of predicaments currently faced worldwide, including climate change, resource scarcity, inequality, and prejudice.
The brand’s 24 goals have been divided into four categories on the Make It Possible website: Circle Round, Everyone Welcome, Made For Life, and Opportunity For All. Below is a snapshot of each.
Circle Round is centred on implementing circular business principles when it comes to the design, production, and distribution of Tommy Hilfiger goods. There are four targets within this particular category. The first is to make circular business models a significant part of how Tommy Hilfiger operates. Second is for all synthetic materials to be sourced from recycled materials and all-natural materials to be regenerative. The final two targets in Circle Round are to ensure their materials are capable of returning to biological or technical loops, and for all products to be designed and produced according to circular principles.
Everyone Welcome is the category of Make It Possible where the brand is going to strive to make themselves more inclusive and accessible to people of all ages, races, genders, sexualities, sizes, and abilities. To make this goal a reality, they plan to transform their current brand experience into one that is inclusive and accessible across all marketing platforms by 2030. They also intend to make their product categories available with inclusive versions of items, either as part of their stocked range or by special order. Lastly, they want the Tommy Hilfiger brand to be recognized globally as a brand that champions inclusion in the fashion industry and beyond.
Getting back to the environment, Made For Life is where Tommy Hilfiger has outlined its targets related to taking serious climate action. Their overall goals here are to significantly reduce their carbon footprint, minimize water usage, and to recycle or reuse all waste. They plan to achieve this goal as follows: By ensuring that all unavoidable waste will be reused or recycled at an equivalent or improved levels of quality, by reducing water use in their value chain as much as possible and by working with others to preserve water resources, and finally, by reducing their Scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas emissions beyond that of international targets.
The last category, Opportunity For All, involves just that, creating equal access to opportunities of all kinds of workers at Tommy Hilfiger. From farmers to factory workers, designers to models, Tommy Hilfiger pledges to make their work environments ones where their employees are able to speak up for themselves and maximize their potential. Specific 2030 targets within this category include that the makeup of the company’s employees matches the diversity of the countries in which they operate and sell (this is not only about race, but also gender and physical ability), and that the people who manufacture Tommy Hilfiger products are prepared and equipped for the changes to their work that will be brought about by the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Tommy Hilfiger has committed to providing regular updates on their progress for each goal. Within each target category, users can view Tommy Hilfiger’s achievements to date, or opt to click on the 2020-2030 Rolling Target Roadmap, where they can see the realistic dates that the brand has set to achieve each goal. According to the website, these dates will be updated as progress is made.
Despite their admittedly lofty goals (the Make It Possible website reads, “We know it’s a big ambition. We don’t know exactly how we’ll get there, but we’re determined to make progress”), their main goal or intention behind the campaign is as simple as its name, to make their vision a reality, person by person, stitch by stitch. That in and of itself is a noble mission, and one that the rest of the fashion industry will hopefully take a lesson from.
