Hanesbrands

No leading practices were identified for the company in the governance and strategy area

Water

Hanesbrands is committed to providing all employees and local communities with clean and safe drinking water.

Solid and air pollution

Hanesbrands commits not to develop or market new chemicals or products with SVHC (substance of very high concern) properties. The company is reducing plastic use and waste in its own operations. The company discloses its practice of using recycled polyester to reduce plastic use and waste in its operations which uses nearly 17 million pounds of recycled polyester a year in its products. The company also has a target to use 100% recycled or biodegradable polyester in its products by 2025, reporting against the target that it is now at 17%.

Safe, healthy, clean environment 

Hanesbrands is committed to zero tolerance for acts of violence, threats, intimidation or judicial harassment committed against land and environmental rights defenders. 

Sustainability strategy and accountability

Hanesbrands does not disclose its process for identifying and prioritising its most relevant sustainability topics and impacts. While the company discloses some sustainability targets such as water use, GHG emissions and solid waste, and reports progress against them, no evidence that the company has group wide targets on key sustainability topics for the most material parts of its value chain based on the SBTN Sectoral Materiality Tool such as soil pollutants, air pollutants, terrestrial ecosystem use could be found in the public domain.

While Hanesbrands discloses the Board of Directors’ oversight responsibility in the risk management process, it is unclear whether the Board is responsible for the decision making and oversight of its sustainability strategy. No evidence was found that the company links performance criteria in senior executives’ remuneration policies to targets and objectives which cover nature, including biodiversity, and social issues. The company does not disclose whether its highest governance body has expertise regarding nature-related topics.

Stakeholder engagement

Hanesbrands does not disclose an overview of the issues raised during its stakeholder engagement activities. The company does not disclose its process for engaging with stakeholder groups beyond its materiality assessment.

Lobbying

While Hanesbrands discloses some trade associations of which it is a member, this is not a complete list covering all geographies. The company does not disclose a clear and detailed framework for assessing alignment of its trade associations with nature-positive policies. The company does not report (potential) misalignment between the lobbying activities of its trade associations and nature-positive policies.

Impact and dependencies assessment

Hanesbrands has not holistically assessed its impacts or how it depends on nature, including biodiversity. It has an opportunity to start such an assessment across its value chains, focused on quantification of its impacts or dependencies.

Key areas and species

Hanesbrands does not disclose key species or areas important for biodiversity affected by its operations or suppliers. It has an opportunity to increase its transparency.

Ecosystem conversion and restoration

No evidence was found regarding Hanesbrands’ efforts to avoid ecosystem conversion, including deforestation, or promote restoration. The company has an opportunity to develop a strategy and publicly report on specific, time-bound targets.

Resource exploitation and circularity

No evidence was found regarding Hanesbrands’ efforts to work towards a circular economy or which organisms it exploits. The company has an opportunity to develop a strategy and publicly report on specific, time-bound targets. The company does not disclose efforts to improve soil health.

Water

No evidence that Hanesbrands reduces water withdrawal across the company’s own operations was found. While the company sets a target to reduce water use by 25%, the amount increases compared to its baseline year 2019. The company reports how much water is withdrawn for its own operations in water-stressed areas. The company discloses that with the WWF Water Risk Filter identification tool, it does not withdraw its water from water-stressed areas. The company does not engage with suppliers to reduce water withdrawal.

Hanesbrands does not report a decrease in water pollution. The company discloses its practice of managing and monitoring water quality through measuring temperature and standard effluent parameters. While the company mentions its wastewater quality parameters such as BOD, COD, TSS and pH, no evidence that the company discloses the data on these parameters. The company does not disclose targets to reduce water pollution. The company does not disclose its processes for implementing preventive and corrective action plans for identified specific risks to the right to water and sanitation in its own operations.

Solid and air pollution

While Hanesbrands discloses its management of chemical substances, no evidence the company provides practices or evidence of reducing such substances. No evidence that the company is reducing the production of hazardous waste was found. The company does not report on the amount of plastic waste generated and proportions directed from or to disposal. The company does not report on air quality parameters of emissions of harmful air pollutants. The company does not report time-bound targets to reduce air pollutants across the most material parts of its value chain.

GHG emissions

No evidence that Hanesbrands reduces its scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions compared to the previous year and has a year-over-year reduction was found. The company discloses that its scope 3 reductions will be calculated in 2022. The company sets a target to reduce 50% of scope 1 & 2 emissions and 30% of scope 3 emissions by 2025 compared to the baseline year 2019. No evidence that the company’s scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions target is aligned with a 1.5-degree trajectory was found.

Invasive species

Hanesbrands has not identified any activities that could lead to the introduction of invasive alien species in its own operations.

Safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment 

Hanesbrands does not disclose a commitment to respecting local communities’ right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment. No evidence that the company tracks its actual or potential negative impacts on the health of local communities was found. 

Indigenous peoples’ and land rights 

Hanesbrands does not disclose a commitment to respecting Indigenous Peoples’ rights or land rights of local communities. 

Hanesbrands describes the process for identifying its human rights risks and impacts in specific locations or activities covering its own operations and in its business relationships. The company describes its process for assessing its human rights risks. However, it has an opportunity to disclose what it considers to be its salient human rights issues. The company commits to take action to prevent, mitigate or remediate its salient human rights issues, yet it does not describe its global system to take action to prevent, mitigate or remediate its salient human rights issues. No evidence that the company provides an example of the conclusions reached and actions taken or to be taken on at least one of its salient human rights issues as a result of assessment processes was found.

While Hanesbrands discloses the categories of stakeholders it engages with generally on sustainability issues, it is not clear if these stakeholders are those whose human rights have been or may be affected by its activities. No evidence that the company provides examples of its engagement with stakeholders whose human rights have been or may be affected by its activities was found.

Hanesbrands has a publicly available policy statement which shows it is committed to respecting the health and safety of workers and that it expects its suppliers to commit as well. The company discloses a time-bound target for paying all workers a living wage/ that it has achieved paying all workers a living wage. The company describes how it determines a living wage for the regions where it operates. While the company states that it expects its suppliers to pay wages that are sufficient for workers and their families to fulfil their basic needs, it has an opportunity to disclose how it works to support the payment of a living wage by its suppliers.

While Hanesbrands discloses the proportion of its total direct operation’s workforce covered by collective bargaining agreements, it states that monitoring only covers a percentage of the group. While the company states that it encourages its suppliers to respect employees’ right to freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining, it has an opportunity to describe how it works to support the practices of its suppliers in relation to those.

Hanesbrands discloses a tax strategy, but it is not applicable to all its operations. No evidence that the company describes the process for identifying its bribery and corruption risks and impacts in specific locations or activities covering its own operations was found. The company includes anti-bribery and anti-corruption clauses in its contracts with direct business relationships. In a public policy statement, the company discloses its approach to lobbying and political engagement. The company specifies that it does not make political contributions.