Hugo Boss

No leading practices were identified in the governance and strategy area.

Resource exploitation and circularity
Hugo Boss discloses its inputs, including its material footprint, although it has an opportunity to disclose its recycled input materials. It also discloses a management plan related to the direct exploitation of resources, to avoid overexploitation and the use of threatened species.

No leading practices were identified in the social inclusion and community impact area.

Sustainability strategy and accountability
While Hugo Boss discloses some sustainability targets, 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 could be found in the public domain. 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
Hugo Boss does not disclose how it engages with stakeholders, nor the issues it raises during such activities.

Lobbying
Hugo Boss does not report on its lobbying and advocacy practices on nature-related issues, nor whether these activities align with its sustainability strategy.

Impact and dependencies assessment
Hugo Boss 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
Hugo Boss 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 the company’s 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
Hugo Boss does not report quantitatively on its group-wide circularity performance. The company does not disclose efforts to improve soil health.

Water
Hugo Boss does not disclose a commitment to respect the right to water. The company reports an increase in water consumption, does not disclose a time-bound target to reduce water withdrawal across its own operations and does not engage with suppliers to reduce water withdrawal. Moreover, the company does not report a decrease in water pollution or a processes for managing and monitoring discharge water quality. It does not regularly report on water pollution or 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
Hugo Boss does not disclose relevant information related to pollution in its operations or supply chains.

GHG emissions
While the company is reducing its scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions and has a time-bound targets to reduce these emissions which it reports progress against, there is no evidence that the target is aligned with a 1.5-degree trajectory. Additionally, the company’s scope 3 emissions increased in 2021. The company has a time-bound target to reduce its scope 3 emissions.

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

Safe, healthy, clean environment
Hugo Boss does not disclose a commitment to respecting local communities’ right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment or to zero tolerance for acts of violence, threats, intimidation or judicial harassment committed against land and environmental rights defenders.

Indigenous peoples’ and land rights
Hugo Boss does not disclose a commitment to respecting Indigenous Peoples’ rights or land rights of local communities.

No evidence that the company describes the process for identifying its human rights risks and impacts in specific locations or activities, covering its own operations was found. However, it does describe the process for identifying human rights risks and impacts in its business relationships. The company has an opportunity to describe a process for assessing the human rights risks it has identified and to disclose what it considers to be its salient human rights issues. A description of this process would include how relevant factors are considered, such as geographical, economic and social factors. No evidence was found that the company has a global system to act on its salient human rights issues. The company discloses categories of stakeholders 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.

The company has a publicly available policy statement which shows it is committed to respecting the health and safety of workers, and expects its suppliers to do the same. However, no evidence that the company discloses a time-bound target for paying all workers a living wage or that it has achieved paying all workers a living wage was found. The company has an opportunity to describe how it determines a living wage for the regions where it operates was found, as well as how it works to support the payment of a living wage by its suppliers. The company discloses the proportion of its total direct operations workforce covered by collective bargaining agreements. However, 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.

The company discloses a global tax strategy. The company takes steps to identify and address bribery and corruption and includes anti-bribery and anti-corruption clauses in its contracts with direct business relationships. The company outlines its approach to lobbying and political engagement but does not formalise this approach in a public policy document. The company specifies that it does not make political contributions.