Brand owner: Columbia Sportswear Company
Head office: Portland, OR, USA
Sector: Shoes & footwear
Categories :
Free Tags: Outdoors, Snow
| 1. Is there a policy for the brand to minimize, reduce or compensate carbon emissions? |
 |
Columbia Sportswear Company (CSC), brand owner of Sorel, reports several policy measures to reduce CO2 emissions, such as solar panels at its headquarters and reducing energy and material usage (see section 'Environment'). | Source |
| 2. Has the brand (company) disclosed the annual carbon footprint of its 'own operations' and has the brand already reduced or compensated 10% of these emissions in the last 5 years? |
 |
Neither CSC nor Sorel have published the carbon footprint of its own operations on their websites. So the company does not make clear if CO2 emissions were reduced. | Source |
| 3. Has the brand (company) set a target to reduce the carbon footprint of its 'own operations' by at least 20% within the next 5 years? |
|
Neither CSC nor Sorel have reported a clear commitment to reduce CO2 emissions. | Source |
| 4. Does the brand (company) also have a policy to reduce/compensate carbon emissions generated from the product supply chain that is beyond own operations? |
|
Neither CSC nor Sorel have announced any detailed plans for reducing carbon emissions in their supply chain. | Source |
| 1. Does the brand (company) have a policy to substitute leather and synthetic rubber with environmentally friendlier materials? |
|
Neither Sorel brand owner Columbia Sportswear Company (CSC) nor Sorel communicate a policy for substituting leather and synthetic rubber with environmentally friendlier alternatives. Sustainability information should be easily accessible for consumers to make responsible choices. | Source |
| 2. Does the brand (company) use these environmentally friendlier alternatives for leather and synthetic rubber for more than 25% of the total use of footwear materials? |
|
See remark for environmental policy question 1. | Source |
| 3. Does the brand (company) use these environmentally friendlier alternatives for leather and synthetic rubber for more than 50% of the total use of footwear materials? |
|
See remark for environmental policy question 1. | Source |
| 4. Does the brand have a clear and effective policy to avoid the use of leather that originates from cattle farms in deforestated Amazone areas? |
|
Both CSC and Sorel do not openly communicate a policy to prevent the destruction of rainforest caused by cattle farm expansion for leather production. | Source |
| 5. Does the brand (company) have a clear and effective policy to minimize environmental pollution of chromium and other harmful substances from leather tanning processes, e.g. by waste water treatment or by vegetable tanning? |
|
CSC does not communicate a policy to limit chromium and other harmful substances pollution caused by leather tanning processes. Sustainability information should be easily accessible for consumers to make responsible choices. | Source |
| 6. Is there a policy for the brand (company) to eliminate all hazardous chemicals from the whole lifecycle and all production procedures to make the footwear? |
|
CSC refers to a Restricted Substances List (RSL) but does not publish this list online. CSC has not made public any clear policy to eliminate all hazardous chemicals. | Source |
| 7. Does the brand (company) have a clear target to phase out PVC in their products, and has the brand already achieved a PVC phase out level of more than 90%? |
|
See remark to environment question 6. | Source |
| 8. Has the brand (company) a clear and effective policy to minimize the use of solvents based chemicals in their shoe production, and has the brand already achieved a level of average max. 40 grams of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) emissions per pair of shoes? |
|
CSC claims to reduce solvent based chemicals in their shoe production, and reports a reduction of 50% since the use of water based adhesives. However, the company does not make clear what the currently achieved level is, nor of it is below 30 grams of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) emissions per pair of shoe. | Source |
| 1. Does the brand (company) have a supplier Code of Conduct (CoC) which includes the following standards: No forced or slave labor, no child labor, no discrimination of any kind and a safe and hygienic workplace? |
|
All standards are mentioned in Columbia Sportswear Company 'Standards of Manufacturing Practices' (see link). | Source |
| 2. Does this CoC include at least two of the following workers rights: 1. to have a formally registered employment relationship 2. to have a maximum working week of 48 hours with voluntary and paid overtime of 12 hours maximum 3. to have a sufficient living wage? |
 |
1. Not found; 2. Supplier must comply with applicable laws and regulations regarding work hours, but maximum workweek and hours of overtime are not specified; 3. No, mentioning of legal wage, not living wage. | Source |
| 3. Does this Code of Conduct include the right for workers to form and join trade unions and bargain collectively; and in those situations where these rights are restricted under law, the right to facilitate parallel means of independent and free association and bargaining? |
|
Freedom of association is mentioned, but nothing found about situations in which this right is restricted by law. | Source |
| 4. Does this labour conditions policy also apply further down the production chains, at least covering the leather production or the animal farms? |
|
CSC does not make clear if the Code of Conduct and consequent labour conditions policy also applies further down the footwear production chain, such as leather tanning or cattle farms. | Source |
| 5. Does the brand (company) have a published list of direct suppliers, that have collectively contributed to more than 90% of the purchase volume? |
|
Neither Sorel nor CSC publish a list of direct suppliers on its website. | Source |
| 6. Is the brand (company) a member of a collective initiative that aims to improve labor conditions, or does the brand (company) purchase its supplies from accredited factories with improved labor conditions? |
|
Columbia is a Category B licensee of FLA, which means that only the college/university products of the brand are FLA affiliated, not the rest of the brand's products (see section 'Industry'.) | Source |
| 7. Do independent civil society organizations like NGO's and labor unions have a decisive voice in this collective initiative or in these certification schemes? |
|
See labour conditions question 5. | Source |
| 8. Does the brand (company) annually report on the results of its labor conditions policy? |
|
Sorels parent company CSC outlines very general assessment and monitoring practices, but does not include numbers, percentages or regions. | Source |
| 9. Has the brand’s labor conditions policy resulted in a ‘compliance level’ of at least 30% of the purchase volume, or a ‘monitored level' of at least 80%? |
|
CSC does not provide detailed results. See labour conditions question 7. | Source |