{"id":10744,"date":"2016-11-04T01:34:25","date_gmt":"2016-11-04T05:34:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digital.hbs.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/the-north-face-an-alpine-outfitter-in-a-warmer-world\/"},"modified":"2016-11-04T01:34:25","modified_gmt":"2016-11-04T05:34:25","slug":"the-north-face-an-alpine-outfitter-in-a-warmer-world","status":"publish","type":"hck-submission","link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/the-north-face-an-alpine-outfitter-in-a-warmer-world\/","title":{"rendered":"The North Face: An Alpine Outfitter in a Warmer World"},"content":{"rendered":"

The North Face is in the business of keeping people warm in the coldest conditions; and unfortunately, rising global temperatures are making it challenging for the company to keep its cool. Founded 50 years ago by seasoned mountain climbers, The North Face was made for those taking their \u201csearching for the finest in alpine equipment\u201d [1]. Though his mission seemed clear in 1966, Doug Tompkins could not have anticipated that the snow capped terrains he had built a brand around would be in jeopardy just a few decades later. Now, however, a U.S. Climate Risk Assessment states, \u201cwhen looking at climate change, it\u2019s particularly important to consider…the \u2018outlier\u2019 1-in-100 year event today will become the 1-in-10 year event as the Earth continues to warm\u201d [2].<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"graph\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In 2007, realizing the environment in which its consumers thrived and products excelled was at risk, The North Face began purchasing offsets for the greenhouse gas emissions from its production and shipping [3]. Soon after, President Todd Spaletto expanded the company\u2019s mission statement: \u201cto ensure we continue to have places to explore, we believe it is our fundamental responsibility to preserve the outdoors” [4]. Having tied the brand to protecting the landscape in its logo, The North Face has since pursued emission reductions, offsets, education, and innovation as avenues for change. The question, now, is how far this global brand should be going to ensure that there is a world for us all to explore moving forward?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

A Climbing Company Aims for New Lows<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

In 2008, The North Face declared its emission reduction goals and was similarly transparent when it failed to meet them. In 2013, the company had reduced its overall emissions by 21%, just missing its 25% goal as shown below [5].<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"chart\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Although the emissions reductions are significant, the graphic also highlights a concerning increase in retail emissions. While competitive brands like Patagonia decided to reuse buildings and retrofit existing stores to avoid new retail construction, The North Face simply outfitted its stores with LED lighting and stated \u201cwe needed greater reductions at these facilities to meet our goal but this is difficult at our leased stores\u201d–communicating a confusing message to consumers [6, 7, 8].<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The outfitter continued to purchase offsets and was able to successfully reduce all emissions related to business travel by 2007. All commuting emissions had been offset through a partnership with the Conservation Fund\u2019s Go Zero program, which planted enough trees to absorb an equivalent carbon output [9]. Again, the brand boasted a net decrease in emissions while obfuscating the purchase of offsets.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

When Flashy Programs Fall Short: Hot Planet\/Cool Athletes and The Backyard Project<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

In order to address the next generation of activists, the company established \u201cHot Planet \/ Cool Athletes.\u201d This program uses snow sport athletes to teach middle and high school students what climate change is, why it\u2019s happening, and what they can do to prevent or reverse its effects. Though this initiative, which accepts donations from consumers through a nonprofit known as Protect Our Winters (POW), communicates the brand\u2019s social responsibility–it notably reaches just 7,000 students a year in the U.S. and Canada; critically ignoring other geographies and climates [10]. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The company\u2019s education focus also fails to acknowledge developing countries–even those that are popular sport and expedition destinations. The World Bank notes, \u201cdeveloping countries will need about $100 billion of new investments per year over the next 40 years to build resilience to the effects of climate change…This enormous burden cannot be carried out by national governments…they will need the buy-in and participation of the private sector\u201d [11].<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to its education efforts, the company pursued change through product innovation. In 2014, The North Face launched \u201cThe Backyard Project,\u201d to design and create apparel wholly within the 150-mile radius from the company\u2019s Bay Area headquarters. Their website states, \u201cwhile we didn\u2019t meet our strict start-to-finish production goal, we did successfully collaborate with local farmers, producers and craftsmen to create something truly worth celebrating…There were challenges in garment dyeing the products due to the fiber pretreatment but working with the fabric was a valuable learning experience\u201d [12].<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Where to Climb From Here<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

As a large commercial retailer, the breadth of The North Face\u2019s commitment to climate change alleviation is commendable. That said, as a retailer with such close ties to environmental appreciation and cold weather climates–we should expect more. The future of The North Face should include more rigor in its existing programs as well as internal product quality scorecards–like those at Patagonia–to assess durability of products, requirements for sustainable or recycled materials, and perhaps a b-corp certification to create external accountability around environmentally safe practices. Perhaps these changes will better hold their feet to the fire [13, 14].<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Words: 792<\/span><\/p>\n

Works Cited:<\/span><\/p>\n

[1] The North Face Company, \u201cOur Story,\u201dhttps:\/\/www.thenorthface.com\/about-us\/our-story.html<\/span><\/a>, accessed November 2016.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

[2] Michael R. Bloomberg et al., \u201cThe Economic Risks of Climate Change in the United States,\u201d The Risky Business Project<\/span><\/i> (June 2014), p. 11, <\/span>http:\/\/riskybusiness.org\/site\/assets\/uploads\/2015\/09\/RiskyBusiness_Report_WEB_09_08_14.pdf<\/span><\/a>, accessed November 2016.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

[3] The North Face Company, \u201cClimate Change,\u201d https:\/\/www.thenorthface.com\/about-us\/responsibility\/operations\/climate-change.html<\/span><\/a>, accessed November 2016.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

[4] The North Face Company, \u201cOur Story,\u201d https:\/\/www.thenorthface.com\/about-us\/our-story.html<\/span><\/a>, accessed November 2016.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

[5] The North Face Company, \u201cClimate Change,\u201d https:\/\/www.thenorthface.com\/about-us\/responsibility\/operations\/climate-change.html<\/span><\/a>, accessed November 2016.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

[6] Ibid.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

[7] Patagonia, \u201cClimate Change,\u201d https:\/\/www.patagonia.com\/climate-change.html<\/span><\/a>, accessed November 2016.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

[8] The North Face Company, \u201cFacilities,\u201d https:\/\/www.thenorthface.com\/about-us\/responsibility\/operations\/facilities.html<\/span><\/a>, accessed November 2016.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

[9] Conservation Fund, \u201cLegacy of Go Zero,\u201d http:\/\/www.conservationfund.org\/carbon-and-climate\/legacy-of-go-zero<\/span><\/a>, accessed November 2016.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

[10] Protect Our Winters, \u201cAbout Us,\u201d http:\/\/protectourwinters.org\/about-us\/<\/span><\/a>, accessed November 2016.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

[11] Dimitris Tsitsiragos, \u201cClimate change is a threat \u2013 and an opportunity \u2013 for the private sector,\u201d http:\/\/www.worldbank.org\/en\/news\/opinion\/2016\/01\/13\/climate-change-is-a-threat—and-an-opportunity—for-the-private-sector<\/span><\/a>, accessed November 2016.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

[12] The North Face Company, \u201cThe Backyard Project,\u201d https:\/\/www.thenorthface.com\/about-us\/responsibility\/product\/backyard.html<\/span><\/a>, accessed November 2016.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

[13] Patagonia, \u201cClimate Change,\u201d https:\/\/www.patagonia.com\/climate-change.html<\/span><\/a>, accessed November 2016.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

[14] Certified B Corporations, \u201cWhat Are B Corps,\u201d https:\/\/www.bcorporation.net\/what-are-b-corps<\/span><\/a>, accessed November 2016.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How an outdoor retailer, named after the rock faces it encourages people to explore, is trying to preserve snow for sport.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2478,"featured_media":10759,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[1640,1641,240,1250,1639],"class_list":["post-10744","hck-submission","type-hck-submission","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-climbing","category-mountains","category-retailer","category-snow","category-the-north-face"],"connected_submission_link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/assignment\/climate-change-challenge-2016\/","yoast_head":"\nThe North Face: An Alpine Outfitter in a Warmer World - Technology and Operations Management<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/the-north-face-an-alpine-outfitter-in-a-warmer-world\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The North Face: An Alpine Outfitter in a Warmer World - 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