Hanes Celebrates 10th Consecutive U.S. EPA Energy Star Award

By Brendan Menapace

HanesBrands’ commitment to be an international leader in energy management and eco-friendly business operations has earned the company its 10th consecutive U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star Sustained Excellence/Partner of the Year award for continued success in energy conservation, carbon emissions reduction and environmental sustainability.

Hanes was recognized by the EPA for its 2018 environmental stewardship performance, which has been published on the company’s Hanes for Good corporate social responsibility website. The company achieved significant progress against aggressive 2020 goals, including:

Renewable energy sources accounted for 41 percent of the company’s energy usage, surpassing its 2020 goal of 40 percent. Increased utilization of the company’s biomass facilities in El Salvador and the Dominican Republic, along with use of hydro and geothermal energy, fueled the 8 percentage point increase in use of renewable energy compared to 2017.
A 23 percent reduction in energy use per pound of production versus its 2007 baseline and a 2 percent reduction from 2017. The company’s 2020 goal is to reduce energy use by 40 percent. To date, the company’s energy reduction efforts have delivered a total cost avoidance of more than $220 million.
A 36 percent decrease in carbon dioxide emissions versus its 2007 baseline, nearly reaching its 2020 goal of 40 percent reduction. Bolstered by the significant jump in Hanes’ use of renewable energy, these emissions were down nearly 11 percent in 2018 versus the prior year.
A 31 percent cut in water use against the company’s 2020 goal of 50 percent compared to its 2007 baseline. Hanes’ water use was down 2 percent versus 2017.
An 86 percent diversion of supply chain waste, or 107 million lbs., from landfills while working toward a 2020 goal of 100 percent.

Also in 2018, the company—unique in the apparel industry because it owns the significant majority of its supply chain operations—developed the capability to convert wastewater sludge to energy, retrofitted 10 facilities with LED tubes and improved water efficiency in boiler operations with reverse osmosis technology.

“We’re celebrating a decade of environmental excellence with the honor of a 2019 Energy Star Sustained Excellence Award because HanesBrands’ 68,000 worldwide employees have embraced environmental stewardship and actively led our energy management initiatives,” said Mike Faircloth, group president, global supply chain, information technology and e-commerce for HanesBrands. “And we’re very proud to remain the only apparel company to earn sustained excellence honors in the EPA Energy Star program’s 27-year history.

“But we have much work yet to do as we remain intensely focused on achieving our 2020 environmental sustainability goals,” he continued. “We believe this effort and our commitment to be an international leader in eco-friendly business operations creates value for our company, our investors, our consumers, our employees and our communities.”

The Energy Star award follows the February announcement that Hanes earned an A- score and leadership position in the CDP 2018 Climate Change Report. The company scored in the top 6 percent of nearly 7,000 companies that participated in the most recent report, and achieved the highest score in the apparel industry.

Energy Star was introduced by the EPA in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through increased efficiency. The annual Energy Star Partner of the Year award honors organizations that have made outstanding contributions to protect the environment through best practices and organization-wide energy savings.

For more information on HanesBrands Inc., visit www.haneslocator.com.