Caleres released an update on Thursday detailing its progress towards the company’s ambitious 2025 environmental, social, governance (ESG) targets it unveiled last year.
In its 2021 Impact Report, Caleres said that it has already reached its goal of 100% of the shoeboxes for its owned brands now use environmentally preferred materials. The St. Louis-based company also said that more than 96% of Caleres’ strategic factories now comply with its heightened labor standards, well ahead of pace to reach 100% by 2025.
Along with these achievements, Caleres reported that it has reduced its energy use by more than 14% in its distribution centers and owned retail stores; 52% of its products now use environmentally preferred materials; and that it had reclaimed, recycled, or refurbished 90,000 pairs of shoes in 2021, meeting its annual goal.
“Since we debuted our 2025 ESG targets last year, they have guided how we approach our work across the company and our associates have embraced the responsibility we have to make a difference,” Diane Sullivan, chairman and CEO of Caleres said in a statement. “We are pleased to share the progress Caleres has made against these commitments, many of which are on track to be reached ahead of schedule.”
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Caleres also unveiled that it has advanced its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) efforts in 2021 by introducing DE&I-related goal setting, implementing new training and education for associates, elevating the company’s focus on recruiting diverse candidates, and establishing DE&I-focused associate community resource groups.
What’s more, the report also spotlighted the company’s charitable donations. In 2022, Caleres said it will partner with Soles4Souls through a $1 million commitment focused on its shoes 4EveryKid program. Caleres said it will also continue to support the Two Ten Footwear Foundation, having donated $150,000 to Two Ten in 2021 through its Caleres Cares Charitable Trust. Associates gave an additional $12,500 through an employee giving campaign.
These donations are on top of the 141,000 items Caleres gave in 2021. The company said it donated 102,559 pairs of shoes, backpacks, and masks to the Ticket to Dream Foundation to support foster youth; 34,908 pairs to Soles4Souls; and 4,243 pairs to other causes including the Fashion Footwear Association of New York (FFANY) Shoes on Sale event benefiting breast cancer research.
Read the full report here.
