TIMBERLAND AND THREAD TO COLLABORATE ON NEW COLLECTION FOR 2017

by Brian Lipton Jun 03, 2016

TimberlandGlobal outdoor lifestyle brand Timberland has announced a partnership with responsible fabric manufacturer Thread, which will result in with a collection of Timberland footwear and bags made from Thread fabric to debut in 2017.

Thread fabric is made in the U.S. with up to 50-percent recycled PET from plastic bottles collected from the streets, canals and neighborhoods of Haiti and Honduras. The Thread network provides jobs and income opportunities for nearly 3,600 people in the developing world, including roughly 1,800 bottle collectors, entrepreneurs and manufacturing employees in Haiti where the supply chain is based, and another 1,800 in Honduras. Beyond income, employees benefit from valuable services such as job training, process improvements and micro-loan programs.

Meanwhile, Timberland – a VF Corporation brand – recently culminated a five-year commitment to plant five million trees in Haiti, which resulted in the creation of a self-sustaining agroforestry cooperative helping 3,200 smallholder farmers increase productivity on their farmlands, increase their incomes and create new opportunities for the future

“We are beyond excited about partnering with Thread,” said Colleen Vien, director of sustainability for Timberland. “From the moment we met them, we knew this had the potential to be far more than a supplier relationship. Building community has always been at the heart of Timberland, and we were also inspired by the Haiti connection, given our work there over the past five years. Any time we find an opportunity to create both environmental and social value, that’s a big win.”

“This partnership is truly special. We’re proud to work with a brand with such a longstanding commitment to the environment and social responsibility,” said Ian Rosenberger, CEO of Thread. “Working together transparently, we’re able to look beyond recycled materials toward the rich social impact that consumers care about and the stories that bring beautiful products to life.”