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VF Corporation’s $2 billion purchase of Timberland has the potential to put the resources of a major conglomerate behind Timberland’s sustainability work, while spreading the outdoor gear company’s deep-green expertise to VF’s stable of businesses.

Timberland will be joining VF’s other clothing and outdoor brands, including The North Face, Wrangler, Nautica and JanSport. But more than bringing another logo to the roster, Timberland brings a long commitment to and action on sustainability.

The company has shown significant year-over-year emissions reductions (36 percent in 2010, 38 percent in 2011), which it has achieved in part by improving energy efficient at retail stores and purchasing renewable energy.

Timberland is also working on responsible supply chain issues, with its an initiative to source leather exclusively from tanneries rated highly by the Leather Working Group, and an emphasis on purchasing organic cotton. And the company is working on greening the outdoor retail industry, through its Green Index product label. Referred to as a nutritional label for products, the Green Index lists greenhouse gas emissions related to products, chemical use, and what organic, recycled or renewable materials were used.

And Timberland has become known as a leader in — if not the single best example of — CSR reporting. The company has issued quarterly corporate social responsibility reports since 2008 (its first CSR report was issued in 2000), and last year won Ceres’ Best Sustainability Report award for its efforts.

We’ve sent out interview requests to both companies to learn more about what their new relationship will mean for sustainability at both organizations. In the meantime, the companies issued the following statements about the news:

“VF will benefit from Timberland’s rugged outdoor footwear expertise, international penetration in markets such as Japan, and leadership position in sustainability,” said Eric Wiseman, chairman and Chief Executive Officer of VF Corporation, in a statement.

Timberland CEO and President Jeffrey Swartz said, “Timberland is proud of its rich heritage, its track record of success and its reputation as a responsible and environmentally-conscious global citizen, all of which will be preserved and enhanced by becoming part of the VF family of brands.”

The purchase, announced today, is expected to close in the third quarter, with VF offering $43 a share, a 43.4 percent premium over the stock’s closing price last week. Timberlands shares went up $13.01, to $43, in afternoon trading today following the news, The Associated Press reported.

VF said it’s aiming to increase revenue at Timberland 10 percent annually, and expects the purchase to add $700 million to its 2011 revenues. The addition of Timberland to VF’s stable expand its “outdoor and action sports” offerings, making those businesses responsible for 50 percent of VF’s total revenues this year, and expecting them to account for 60 percent of revenue by 2015.

Source : http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2011/06/13/what-does-timberland-2-billion-sale-mean-apparel-sustainability

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The history of our three “new” brands starts with Iron Age, and is almost as old as the history of shoes. When H. Childs & Co. was founded in Pittsburgh in 1817 a shoe was basically a shoe. Unless it was

a boot or a moccasin. There were no “safety shoes”; no “athletic shoes.” Not even any “fashion shoes.” People wore the same shoes … from field to fair … and expected them to last a lifetime.

By the time World War I erupted,

H. Childs & Co. had established a line of work shoes branded with the name Iron Age. When the Great War was over in 1918, they introduced the first protective toe footwear featuring hard fiber protective toe caps, later changed to steel toe caps in 1925. Iron Age flourished through depres

sions and another world war, and by the late 90s was a $100 million brand.

In 1980 H. Childs & Co. and the Iron Age brand were purchased by an investment group in England, which was itself bought in a hostile takeover nine years later by a British boot retailer who shortly thereafter put the US assets up for sale . During the period between 1986 and 1998, Iron Age Corp acquired 23 independent shoe distributors, one of which was Knapp Shoes.

The Knapp Brothers Shoe Company was founded in 1921. By 1985, they were selling over 120 styles through their Knapp Shoes Catalog and were one of the largest direct selling companies in the world. Knapp became a trusted brand for sturdy, durable protective footwear for nearly any job. For professionals who work on slippery surfaces, Iron Age developed a special slip resistant outsole, named “Grabbers,” which later became a highly successful

slip?resistant footwear brand in its own right. By 2007, Iron Age Corp,

now owned by a sixth investment group and facing mounting financial difficulties was forced to declare bankruptcy, close all its plants and lay off some 450 employees. In 2010, Warson Brands purchased all three brands, and is pleased to have the former CEO, Bill Mills, from Iron Age’s “glory days” now on our management team . As a 20+ year old protective footwear company, we will relaunch these brands with the same quality, comfort, and protection, that Iron Age, Knapp, and Grabbers customers have worn and loved for decades, and market them effectively with our other brands, Converse, Rockport Works, and Florsheim.

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Shock, electrocution, arc flash, and arc blast are responsible for one fatality every workday in the U.S., and some 8,000 workers are treated in emergency rooms for electrical contact injuries each year. Now NFPA 70E–the Standard developed for OSHA–is revised to address safety gaps and increase electrical worker protection, while helping companies comply with OSHA 1910 Subpart S and OSHA 1926 Subpart K. Major changes recognize new hazards and address safety gaps.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) protects personnel and can significantly reduce the risk of injury in an arc flash. To help electrical engineers calculate incident energy–the vital first step in determining the correct type of PPE for a given task–revised Annex D consolidates all equations, adds new tables, and offers more options to detailed calculations.

Improved work practices reduce risks.

• To further reduce the risks for second-degree thermal burns, cotton outerwear is no longer permitted for energy levels below 2 cal/cm2.
• An expanded Table in Article 130 covers added tasks such as thermographic imaging, and new equipment including arc-resistant switchgear.
• Added Article 350 provides first-time requirements for the protection of electrical personnel in R&D labs.
• A new exception verifies that 240 V and less power systems fed by a single transformer less than 125 kvs no longer require an arc flash hazard analysis.
• Expanded requirements for multi-employer relationships address potential areas of oversight.
• New recordkeeping requirements for training and safety program audits answer OSHA’s need for records.

Annexes expand knowledge about electrical safety.

• Understand the Hazard/Risk evaluation procedure with clarification and sample worksheets in Annex F.
• Evaluate layering of PPE with new Annex M–Layering of Protective Clothing and Total System Arc Rating
• Develop and review plans for compliance using new Annex O–Safety-related Design Requirements.
• Follow safe work practices with new Annex N–Example Industrial Procedures and Policies for Working Near Overhead Electrical Lines.

Buy BULWARK Safety Clothing

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Bates Delta-9 Desert Tan Boots

Bates E02950 Men’s

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Bates Delta-9 Gore-TeX Side Zip and Delta-6 Gore-Tex Side Zip Boots

Bates E02900 Men’s
Bates E02905 Men’s

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Red Kap PT10 Red E Prest Work Pants

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Red Kap SP24 Men’s Industrial Work Shirts

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