Environmental Management System Sustainability

The EMS Committee is responsible for managing the implementation of environmental activities. Its deputy chair is a management executive, under the ultimate responsibility of the President and Representative of Board. Based on ISO 14001, the EMS Committee oversees the results of business divisions’ environmental activities on a monthly basis. The GREEN IS GOOD Working Group, a sub-committee of the Development Committee, which plays a key role in Group product and technological development, primarily promotes activities and manages the progress of environmentally friendly product development and collection of unwanted apparel.

Group-wide environmental initiatives are reported to the management team in the ESG Management Committee.

EMS Committee

Under the ultimate responsibility of the President and Representative of Board, a management executive serves as deputy chairperson. Monthly EMS Committee meetings are held to confirm the progress of each division’s environmental activities and manage ISO 14001 sustainment. Progress of environmental activities is managed by an administrative office comprising members from the Internal Audit Office and General Administration Headquarters. The administrative office manages environmental activities of each division, and managers from business divisions are responsible for environmental activities. In this way, we ensure that environmental activities are conducted.

GREEN IS GOOD Working Group, Development Committee

The GREEN IS GOOD Working Group within the Development Committee, mainly comprising members from the Sourcing Headquarters, Corporate Planning Headquarters and Business Headquarters, meets monthly to develop and manage materials with reduced environmental impact, manage apparel collection and promote marketing activities that communicate our environmental activities to customers. The working group manages registration of materials with reduced environmental impact in business divisions, and works with the EMS Committee to manage the sales mix of products using materials with reduced environmental impact. It also serves to drive Group-wide activities, including sharing information on materials developed.

Specifying Key Environmental Issues

The apparel industry is associated with large environmental impact, and building systems for society to coexist with nature is an urgent industry issue. Also, activities in the sports and outdoor fields that form the core of our business cannot be separated from environmental problems. We aim to realize a sustainable global environment and social structure, through business activities that reduce environmental impacts by using minimal resources and energy. We specified three key environmental improvement activities within our long-term PLAY EARTH 2030 vision in May 2021 with the aim of making further improvements to the global environment.

In November 1999, GOLDWIN’s Toyama facilities obtained certification under ISO 14001, the international standard for environment management systems, making GOLDWIN the first company in the sportswear industry to receive this certification. To further develop its conservation programs and environment-friendly products while improving the efficiency of its operations through energy-saving measures, all of GOLDWIN’s offices obtained ISO 14001 certification in February 2006. GOLDWIN Logitem followed in July 2008, followed by Black & White Sportswear in September 2013.

GOLDWIN will continue to implement its corporate guiding principle of “Clean Management,” by providing environment-friendly products and services, and will implement responsible employment and economic practices, in order to contribute to society.

Environmental Audits

Based on ISO 14001, our Group undergoes an audit from a certified organization and conducts an annual internal audit. This internal audit focuses on the conformity of aims set each fiscal year by our business divisions with laws and regulations. In FY 2021, the audit conveyed four non-conformities and six observations. The non-conformities were found in the non-achievement of fiscal year targets set by business divisions, the causes were analyzed and corrective actions were implemented.

The examination by the certified organization found no non-conformities, but conveyed three observations. We undertook clarification of the rules in response to these observations. From FY 2021, we shifted management from the floor-level to the smaller unit of business divisions, leading to more active communication and deeper understanding of our Basic Principles of Environmental Protection and Environmental Policies.