Timberland succeeded in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by a little more than two percent compared with the first quarter of 2009, according to the company’s latest CSR report. In Q1 2010, the company produced the equivalent of 4,172 metric tons of emissions, compared with 4,270 in Q1 2009, according to the report.
Timberland reports its CSR findings on a quarterly basis.
However, this puts the company well off targets to reduce emissions by more than a fifth from the previous year. Timberland’s target for 2010 emissions is 12,800 metric tons, down from 16,273 metric tons in 2009.
The company also made modest gains towards its goal of increasing the percentage of energy it derives from renewable resources. In Q1 2010, the company generated 11.17 percent of its energy from renewable resources, up from 9.88 percent in Q1 2009. However, Timberland had announced its goal for 2010 is to achieve 39 percent of its power from renewable resources.
“Energy efficiency is the least expensive way for us to achieve emission reductions,” the company said in the report. Timberland credited investment in energy efficiency as improving its emissions footprint while saving the company money. It also cited the high cost of renewable energy procurement as the primary reason it has been unable to achieve its goal in this area. “We continue to explore opportunities to purchase additional renewable energy, but anticipated 2010 projects are not expected to achieve our 39 percent target,” the company said, adding that since it has been able to achieve a greater reduction in GHG emissions from efficiency gains, it would continue to focus on efficiency improvements rather than seeking additional renewables.
Last year, Timberland reduced its GHG emissions by 36 percent in 2009 over its 2006 baseline from Timberland owned and operated facilities and employee air travel. It also became one of the six charter members of the Climate Counts Industry Innovators (i2) project and, along with Adidas, agreed to stop using leather imported from cattle raised on former Amazon rainforest lands.
