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<\/p>\nClimate change poses a threat to many industries and retail is no exception. Companies, such as Adidas, rely on a global supply chain to procure the raw materials they need to manufacture its products. Of these raw materials, cotton, which according to a McKinsey report accounts for about 30 percent of all textile consumption, may be considerably susceptible to climate change [1]. As temperatures rise and climate patterns fluctuate cotton\u2019s ability to grow may be hindered reducing yields and directly impacting Adidas\u2019 operations in a meaningful way [2]. In addition, climate change could impact other facets of the Adidas business including factories and retail stores due to floods and fires caused by extreme weather.<\/p>\n
Consequently, Adidas has been taking meaningful steps to address climate change since 1989. Highlights include being a founding member of the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) in 2004 and joining the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) in 2010 [3]. Furthermore, Adidas has continued to demonstrate its commitment to combat climate by publishing a sustainability report on a yearly basis since 2001. In the report\u2019s latest edition Adidas introduces a new company initiative termed \u201cSport Needs A Space\u201d which sets out the company\u2019s sustainability objectives as far out as 2020 [4, Figure 1].<\/p>\n
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Figure 1: https:\/\/www.adidas-group.com\/en\/sustainability\/managing-sustainability\/general-approach\/<\/p>\n
As seen in Figure 1 above Adidas separates its objectives into two categories: Product and People. It is worth noting that most of its measurable sustainability goals focus on the \u201cProduct\u201d category. Within this broad category, one of Adidas\u2019 short-term goals is to move to 100% \u201cBetter Cotton\u201d by 2018, having exceeded the 2016 sourcing target goal of 60%. Adidas also committed to its yearly target of reducing Scope 1 and Scope 2 CO2 emissions by 3% [5]. These short-term goals will allow Adidas to reduce its contributions toward climate change while also better positioning the organization to navigate its impacts.<\/p>\n
Even though Adidas has laid out several goals for the immediate future there is no doubt that most of its objectives focus on a longer horizon. To tackle climate change, Adidas has set ambitious targets around reduction of water waste both at supplier facilities and with its own employees. One thing enabling Adidas to set such lofty goals was the introduction of DryDye technology in 2012; DryDye is a fabric dyeing process that uses no water, 50% fewer chemicals and 50% less energy than traditional fabric dyeing [6]. Adidas plans to increase the usage of DryDye technology in supplier facilities in order to meet its overall goal of reducing water waste.<\/p>\n
Additionally, Adidas is also focusing on reducing waste from all areas of its business from manufacturing sites to retail stores. Adidas has placed particular emphasis on developing innovative manufacturing processes to introduce new products made of recycled materials. This could revolutionize the industry and the cost structure of retail if successfully executed.<\/p>\n
Adidas has also directed its waste reduction efforts to its retail operations. In select retail stores Adidas has piloted a take-back program in partnership with I:CO named \u201cMake Every Thread Count\u201d where it takes back used products from customers [7]. These products are then sorted and either sent to a second-hand market or sent back to manufacturing to be recycled and reused for production.<\/p>\n
While Adidas efforts for addressing climate change are commendable, I still believe there are key areas where it can make noticeable and measurable improvements. One of such areas is to track and measure its waste reduction efforts by weight. This way Adidas would be able to report the amount of waste it is removing from landfills when using recycled materials to manufacture new products. Another useful metric to consider would be number of apparel units recovered from customers through its \u201cMake Every Thread Count\u201d program. By doing so, Adidas could better track the impact of its program as a percentage of sales in certain strategic regions where it wishes to have the most impact.<\/p>\n
It is clear that Adidas is strongly committed to combating climate change and has developed a complete and thorough strategy on how to do it. However, there are still concerns on its ability to deliver a full product line of \u201crecycled products\u201d. Will Adidas be able to successfully scale its new manufacturing processes in order to mass produce this new type of apparel? Furthermore, how will customers react to a recycled product in terms of quality perception? Will they embrace the Adidas brand for its strides in sustainability?<\/p>\n
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References<\/p>\n
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[1] Nathalie Remy, Eveline Speelman, and Steven Swartz, \u201cStyle That\u2019s Sustainable \u2013 A New Fast Fashion Formula\u201d October 2016, McKinsey & Company, [https:\/\/www.mckinsey.com\/business-functions\/sustainability-and-resource-productivity\/our-insights\/style-thats-sustainable-a-new-fast-fashion-formula], accessed November 2017.<\/p>\n
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[2] Laura Routh, \u201cWhy climate change is material for the cotton industry\u201d February 2017 GreenBiz [https:\/\/www.greenbiz.com\/article\/why-climate-change-material-cotton-industry], accessed November 2017.<\/p>\n
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[3] Adidas, \u201cSUSTAINABILITY HISTORY\u201d, https:\/\/www.adidas-group.com\/en\/sustainability\/managing-sustainability\/sustainability-history\/, accessed November 2017<\/p>\n
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[4] Adidas \u201c2016 Adidas Sustainability Progress Report\u201d [https:\/\/www.adidas-group.com\/media\/filer_public\/08\/7b\/087bf055-d8d1-43e3-8adc-7672f2760d9b\/2016_adidas_sustainability_progress_report.pdf], accessed November 2017<\/p>\n
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[5] Greenhouse Gas Protocol, \u201cGreen House Gas Protocol Frequently Asked Questions\u201d, http:\/\/www.ghgprotocol.org\/sites\/default\/files\/ghgp\/standards_supporting\/FAQ.pdf, accessed November 2017<\/p>\n
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[6] Adidas, \u201cINNOVATION\u201d, https:\/\/www.adidas-group.com\/en\/sustainability\/products\/sustainability-innovation\/#\/adidas-nodye\/reducing-waste-and-emissions-adidas-formotiontm-technology\/, accessed November 2017<\/p>\n
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[7] Adidas, \u201cEND-OF-LIFE\u201d, https:\/\/www.adidas-group.com\/en\/sustainability\/products\/end-of-life\/, accessed November 2017<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
To take an analogy from soccer, Adidas is doing the talking on the pitch when it comes to combating climate change<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10198,"featured_media":23317,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[1740,1218],"class_list":["post-23316","hck-submission","type-hck-submission","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adidas","category-climate-change","hck-taxonomy-organization-adidas","hck-taxonomy-industry-apparel-and-accessories","hck-taxonomy-country-united-states"],"connected_submission_link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/assignment\/rc-tom-challenge-2017\/","yoast_head":"\n