Stakeholder Engagement

Ambitious and Accountable

VF recognizes we cannot achieve our goals alone. We value our partnerships, collaboration and external engagement. We collaborate with relevant stakeholders in the creation and implementation of our strategies and programs, including ongoing and continuous engagement with numerous external organizations to help guide and support key aspects of our strategy, including human rights, climate change, inclusion and diversity. 

 Click here to learn more about VF’s approach to stakeholder engagement.

Collaborations

Working with others, we are charting the path towards a future based on sustainability and responsibility. Current collaborations include the below.

Accelerating Circularity is a collaborative industry project developed to accelerate the textile industry's move from linear to circular by establishing systems that will use embedded value and resources in existing textile waste for new products.

AIP Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed to saving lives on the roads and increasing access to safe, equitable, and sustainable mobility for all. Driven by its vision of a world with zero road injuries and fatalities, AIP Foundation has been delivering effective road safety programs in communities across Asia and Africa.

Apparel and Footwear International RSL Management (AFIRM) Group is a recognized global center of excellence, providing resources to enable continuous advancement of chemical management best practices. The work of AFIRM’s member companies is based on transparency, science, and collaboration with relevant industries and experts to build safer and more sustainable chemistry within the apparel and footwear supply chains.

The Arbitration Council Foundation (ACF) is a local, non-political, civil society organization formed to provide technical and managerial services for the Arbitration Council. The Arbitration Council is empowered to assist parties in resolving collective labor disputes in Cambodia.

Better Work is a collaboration between the UN’s International Labor Organization and the International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group, that brings together all levels of the garment industry to improve working conditions, respect labor rights for workers, and improve the competitiveness of the industry.

BSR is an organization of sustainable business experts that works with its global network of the world’s leading companies to build a just and sustainable world. BSR provides insight, advice, and collaborative initiatives to help you see a changing world more clearly, create long-term business value, and scale impact. 

CARE International is a global leader within a worldwide movement dedicated to saving lives, ending poverty and achieving social justice by providing assistance on the basis of need, regardless of race, creed or nationality and specifically addressing the rights of vulnerable groups, particularly women and girls. 

Cascale is the global nonprofit alliance empowering collaboration to drive equitable and restorative business practices in the consumer goods industry. Spanning over 300 retailers, brands, manufacturers, governments, academics, and NGO/nonprofit affiliates around the globe, we are united by a singular vision: To catalyze impact at scale and give back more than we take to the planet and its people. Formerly known as the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Cascale owns and develops the Higg Index and a unified strategy for industry transformation.

The Centre for Child Rights and Business supports companies to deliver improvements within their supply chains that benefit workers, families and children, and deliver positive business outcomes. The Centre for Child Rights and Business strives to create tangible and long-term impact that serves both children, parent workers and business by offering global expertise, services, support, research and insights covering a broad range of child rights and business issues across multiple sectors and countries. 

Change Associates Ltd. is a women-led non-profit organization committed to actively educating and empowering readymade garment workers and management. Change Associates collaboratively works with manufacturing companies and apparel brands to design and implement workplace based programs aimed at building respectful work environments.

A network of Ceres, Business for Innovative Climate & Energy Policy (BICEP), was founded in 2009 on the understanding that climate and clean energy challenges present tremendous opportunities, but also urgent risks for global businesses. The Ceres BICEP Network comprises 70+ companies, including dozens of leading consumer brands and Fortune 500s, that advocate for strong climate and clean energy and transportation policies at the state and federal levels. Its members support three core principles: increased adoption of renewable energy and energy efficiency; increased investment in a clean energy economy; and increased support for climate change resilience.

The European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) is a conservation charity working within the European outdoor industry to raise funds to put into conservation projects around the world. Working with over 150 members, all companies operating within the outdoor sector, it has funded 154 projects in 59 countries totaling €4 million since it was set up in 2006. EOCA facilitates the outdoor industry to take its responsibility in looking after the wild places we value so much - demonstrating that by all working together we can make a much bigger difference.

European Outdoor Group (EOG) represents over 135 members of the European outdoor industry in a constructive and positive manner. The EOG believes that the outdoors industry is fundamentally built upon the success of three essential priorities: conducting business in an ethical and sustainable manner, preserving the outdoors, and getting people active in nature.

The UNFCCC Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action will identify and amplify best practices, strengthen existing efforts, identify and address gaps, facilitate and strengthen collaboration among relevant stakeholders, and join resources and share tools to enable the sector to achieve the UN's climate targets.

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) is a Swiss-based foundation launched at the United Nations in 2002 to tackle the human suffering caused by malnutrition. Working with governments, businesses and civil society, GAIN aims to transform food systems so that they deliver healthier diets for all people, especially the most vulnerable.

Gold Standard supports and ensures projects that reduce carbon emissions feature the highest levels of environmental integrity and contribute to sustainable development. As part of Gold Standard’s Value Change initiative, the Apparel Working brings together leading apparel & textile companies with significant scope 3 commitments to collaborate to remove barriers to reducing value chain emissions.

International Organization for Migration (IOM) is the leading intergovernmental organization in the field of migration and works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners to help ensure the orderly and humane management of migration, to promote international cooperation on migration issues, to assist in the search for practical solutions to migration problems and to provide humanitarian assistance to migrants in need, including refugees and internally displaced people.

The It’s Great Out There Coalition is a not-for-profit collaboration on a European level launched by the outdoor industry to increase public awareness of the benefits and positive impact of outdoor activities for individuals and for society.

Leadership for Responsible Recruitment aims to drive positive change in the international recruitment industry and a global prohibition of recruitment fees being paid by workers.

The Leather Working Group (LWG) a not-for-profit organization responsible for one of the world’s leading environmental certifications for the leather tanning industry.

Life and Building Safety (LABS) Initiative is an industry-led and driven technical safety assessment and remediation program, in which multiple brands and retailers are joining forces with public organizations to operate a scalable program to mitigate preventable fire, electrical and structural safety risks in key apparel and footwear producing countries in a targeted away.

The Mekong Club is a catalyst for change, inspiring and engaging the private sector to lead in the fight against modern slavery by redefining how businesses collectively achieve a world without slavery.

The Microfibre Consortium facilitates the development of practical solutions for the textile industry to minimize fibre fragmentation and release to the environment from textile manufacturing and product life cycle.

Nirapon is an industry-led nonprofit organization that collaborates with global brands, retailers, manufacturers, and NGOs to create and sustain a culture of workplace safety in Bangladesh factories.

Other Half Processing SBC (OHP) partners with farmers and ranchers to source hides and other identity-preserved, high-quality byproducts from regenerative, organic, and more sustainably raised animals.

The Policy Hub EU unites the apparel and footwear industry to speak in one voice and propose policies that accelerate circular practices. Launched in 2019, the Policy Hub has five partner organizations: Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Global Fashion Agenda, Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry, Textiles Exchange, and ZDHC Foundation. In total, these organizations represent more than 500 apparel & footwear stakeholders including brands, retailers, manufacturers, and NGOs.

Protect Our Winters (POW) helps passionate outdoor people protect the places and lifestyles they love from climate change. POW is a community of athletes, scientists, creatives, and business leaders advancing non-partisan policies that protect our world today and for future generations.

Quizrr is committed to tackling poor working conditions by empowering workers and job seekers globally, enabling them to exercise their rights and engage in constructive dialogue with their employers to improve their workplace conditions. Quizrr’s approach centers around leveraging inclusive and accessible digital education platforms powered by data, informed by the principles of social practice theory.

RISE is an initiative to support collaborative industry action at scale, to advance gender equality in global garment, footwear and home textiles supply chains. The mission of RISE is to empower women workers, embed gender equality in business practice and catalyze systems change.

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) drives ambitious climate action in the private sector by enabling companies to set science-based emissions reduction targets.

The Sustainable Packaging Coalition is a membership-based collaborative with the leading voice on sustainable packaging and the creation of packaging that is good for people and the environment. Their mission is to bring packaging sustainability stakeholders together to catalyze actionable steps to packaging systems and lend an authoritative voice on issues related to packaging sustainability.

Terra Genesis International is a global design and development firm specializing in growing regenerative supply systems through integrative processes, and robust and inclusive partnerships. Their approach develops healthy, equitable and lasting relationships between communities, ecosystems and businesses; and is strategically designed to adapt to, and build resilience for, a rapidly changing world.

Textile Exchange is a global nonprofit that develops, manages, and promotes a suite of leading industry standards, as well as collect and publish critical industry data and insights that enables brands and retailers to measure, manage and track their use of preferred fiber and materials. 

Timeline's mission is to focus on in-depth study of employee relations in the enterprises, and enhance their core competencies and rapid response capabilities by driving them to reflect on their current situation of employee relations with the entry point of corporate social responsibility, and improving their employee relations as well as worker-management cooperation with the tools of human resources management, sociology, psychology and economy.

Ulula is a leading human rights technology and analytics company that aims to improve working conditions across global supply chains and business operations. Ulula’s technology connects organizations directly with workers and project-affected stakeholders on the ground via a variety of online and offline communication channels and in any language, ensuring that stakeholders have access to safe and secure feedback channels regardless of their network connectivity, digital literacy or language.

UNICEF works in the world’s toughest places to reach the most disadvantaged children and adolescents – and to protect the rights of every child, everywhere. Across more than 190 countries and territories, UNICEF does whatever it takes to help children survive, thrive and fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence. 

The United Nations Global Compact is a call to companies everywhere to align their operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption, and to take action in support of UN goals and issues embodied in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Water Aid is an international nonprofit working to make clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene a reality for everyone, everywhere within a generation. WaterAid changes millions of lives every year, working in 22 countries to provide clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene. Since 1981, WaterAid has reached 29 million people with clean water, 29 million people with decent toilets and 28 million people with good hygiene.

Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP) is a not-for-profit company that helps transform cities to benefit the millions who lack access to water and sanitation. WSUP was created in 2005 as a response to the urban explosion that has left many cities unable to provide basic services, such as access to a toilet or drinking water, to low-income communities. The organization works alongside local providers, enabling them to develop services, build infrastructure, and attract funding so that they can reach low-income communities. WSUP has a permanent presence in seven countries and implements projects elsewhere through its consultancy arm, WSUP Advisory.