The Aldo Group has become the first footwear and accessories brand to be certified climate neutral, a leading developer of climate projects announced on Wednesday.
Not only has the Canadian operator of the Aldo, Call It Spring and Globo brands offset 100 percent of the carbon emissions generated by its corporate stores, offices and distribution centers in 2017 but it will “continue this commitment moving forward,” said South Pole, which helps fund emissions-reductions projects around the world.
“We applaud the Aldo Group for its steadfast commitment to reducing the environmental impact of its business and working to create a sustainable society,” Renat Heuberger, co-founder and CEO of South Pole, said in a statement. “We are proud to have worked with the Aldo Group in its journey to climate neutrality, and we hope that its actions will inspire other retailers to join the movement by also setting ambitious targets and committing to bold climate action.”
For the Aldo Group, calculating its carbon footprint and setting a “baseline for improvement” in 2013 was only the first step. Since then, the company has made strides to improve the energy efficiency of its offices and corporate stores, including converting all of its store lighting to LEDs, implementing an energy-management system and sourcing renewable energy. In addition, it has pursued organization-wide initiatives to rein in business travel and product transport, paring back on what energy experts dub Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions.
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To cancel out the rest of its unavoidable emissions, the Aldo Group says it purchases Renewable Energy Certificates (RECS) from wind farms in Europe and North America, where its corporate offices are based, and invests in carbon credits that support small, low-impact hydroelectric projects in sourcing countries such as China. These projects, it notes, create jobs locally while supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy.
Now, the firm says it’s embarking on the next phase of its “low-carbon journey,” during which it’ll set an “ambitious” emissions-reduction course for 2030, explore the improvement of indirect emissions upstream in its supply chain, source eco-friendlier materials that will contribute to fewer greenhouse-gas emissions and partner with the Sustainable Apparel Coalition to develop product footprint tools that better measure and mitigate footwear’s environmental impacts.
The Aldo Group’s social responsibility philosophy stems from its desire to “create a world of love, confidence and belonging,” said David Bensadoun, the company’s CEO.
“This is what motivates us to make positive change in the world that goes beyond our brands, products and the services we sell,” he said. “We recognize the impact our industry has on global climate change and are motivated to attack this problem head-on.”
As a business, Bensadoun said the Aldo Group “strongly believes” that a low-carbon future is possible.
“Our goal is to make it easy for our customers to stay fashionable and to choose good,” he added.