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Gore Fabrics Division Publishes Responsibility Update 2021: Report Captures Initiatives and Progress

W. L. Gore and Associates (Gore) has released its 2021 Responsibility Update for the Fabrics Division.

Gore has published this annual report for each of the past eight years since 2014. The annual report reaffirms that sustainability is a key business priority and explains how Gore Fabrics Division is leveraging its principles – the belief in science, transparency, and cooperation with industry associations – to provide innovative and sustainable solutions. The 2021 Responsibility Update offers insights into how Gore Fabrics Division took inspiration from its sustainability framework to bring last year’s strategy to life.

The 2021 Responsibility Update highlights the development of expanded polyethylene (ePE) as one key example of how Gore’s Fabrics Division is using its vast expertise to drive environmentally improved material innovations. Gore’s new complementary material platform will serve as the basis for membrane technologies in its consumer business.

Another top story featured within the 2021 Responsibility Update: GORE-TEX Professional launched EXTRAGUARD, an innovative upper technology with a lower environmental footprint for a new class of safety footwear.

Ross MacLaine, Sustainability Leader of the Gore Fabrics Division, said: “I am pleased to see that in 2021, despite many challenges, we made substantial progress in many areas. Our sustainability framework is now fully integrated into both our consumer and professional GORE-TEX businesses, providing strategic guidance on key initiatives. In our Responsibility Update this year, we have taken the opportunity to share thoughts from a wide number of our experts to highlight the depth of knowledge we bring to this area. We will keep working hard on all the commitments – made within our sustainability strategy – to protect people and planet while prolonging the lifetime of our products and the well-being of their users.”
Additional highlights from Gore’s sustainability journey last year include:

• Gore Fabrics Division conducted another full assessment of its total carbon footprint and joined forces with its supply chain partners to reduce carbon emission of the raw materials.

• Gore Fabrics Division obtained Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certification for its fabric plants in Putzbrunn (Germany) and Shenzhen (China).

• Gore Fabrics Division further increased transparency in its performance and efforts to reduce the environmental impacts of its fabric plants via the Higg Facility Environmental Module (FEM). While the manufacturing sites in Shenzhen and Elk Mills (USA) maintained their performance levels, the Putzbrunn plant significantly exceed its total environmental score.

• Gore Fabrics Division also continued to verify social compliance at its manufacturing sites via the Higg Facility Social & Labour Module (FSLM) and benchmarked social and labour conditions in their plants against all other facilities assessed by using the Higg FSLM. Results show that the overall performance of all three Gore Fabrics Division manufacturing plants in 2021 clearly ranked above the industry median overall.

“These initiatives and achievements demonstrate that in 2021 the Gore Fabrics Division continued to make a difference to our planet and the people living on it. Using decades of scientific knowledge, intensive research & development, as well as a strict testing regime, we remain committed to drive environmentally improved material innovations that deliver an optimized combination of high performance with a lower environmental footprint”, concludes Ross MacLaine

Gore revolutionized the outerwear industry with waterproof, breathable GORE-TEX Fabric more than 40 years ago and remains a leading innovator of performance apparel. Gore fabrics products provide comfort and protection in challenging environments and in everyday life, enabling wearers to safely and confidently achieve and experience more.

From hiking in downpours to defence operations and fighting fires, Gore’s deep understanding of consumer and industry needs drives development of products with meaningful performance advantages. For more information, visit www.gore-tex.com and www.goretexprofessional.com.

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