QuangViet, a factory in Vietnam that handles production for VF Corp.’s brand The North Face, finished installing 3MWp solar panels in July. The installation of further panels is planned for this autumn. The panels manage to convert about 90 percent of the sunlight they capture into electricity. The factory expects them to reduce its carbon emissions by 75,000 tons over the next 20 years. The panels were funded in part by the Vietnam Improvement Program, of which VF is a sponsor, and the International Finance Corporation.
In addition, VF continues to train factory workers to use the Higg FEM module to track the sustainability metrics that feed into the Higg Index, developed by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition. At present, because of Covid-19 safety regulations, the training sessions are being conducted virtually, through Zoom.
According to VF, about 36 of its contracted factories use solar energy to some degree, and about 600 workers in 399 factories worldwide have been trained virtually on environmental best practices for supply chains.
