For sustainability to work, it has to be a way of corporate life.
Hilda McDuff, president of Interloop North America, and Lisa Diegel, director, global sustainability, Faherty Brand, spoke on a panel at the SJ Fall Summit on “The Benefits of Visibility” that was moderated by editor in chief Pete Sadera. While Interloop, a Pakistani apparel manufacturer, and Faherty, an apparel brand, has each taken a different sustainability route, one thing that’s core is how sustainability remains the guiding force for all decision-making.
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At Interloop, McDuff said reducing the company’s carbon footprint and water conservation are just two important components of the company’s operation. “Interloop as a manufacturer, [is] one of the largest manufacturers in Pakistan. And so what we do is important. We have to want to lead the way, the way we upgrade, the way we treat sustainability. And so all of these things are very important,” she said.
The company, which has four LEED-certified facilities, has set aggressive targets for reducing emissions. McDuff said the certification process “takes our interests and our commitment to another level” in terms of sustainable manufacturing practices. By 2032, Interloop will reduce two greenhouse gas emissions—Scope 1 direct emissions and Scope 2 indirect emissions—by 51 percent, with Scope 3 emissions reduced by 30 percent along its value chain. And as a vertically integrated supplier, Interloop will be the first large-scale business in Pakistan to do so.
While McDuff described the “very aggressive approach” as commitment from the organization, she said it really is “about leadership and about seeing everyone in the company as a stakeholder. We all own that process.”
At Faherty, which snagged B Corp certification earlier this year, the commitment to sustainability also starts from the top. “Our chief impact officer has a background in human rights, and is very passionate about intersectional justice and environmental impact. And so when you have leaders with that passion, it really trickles down into all parts of the business so we really have that as a base,” Diegel said.
She also said that being sustainable isn’t cheap. “We all know that [not] greenwashing is part of all of our jobs now to ensure that what we say is verified. And so that has to be prioritized with leadership, and it has to be put into the budget because it does take more time and it costs more to make sure that everything is verified,” Diegel explained.