How Sustainable is The North Face?

The North Face’s parent company, VF Corporation, tracks and reports on its emissions. VF began measuring its Scope 1 and 2 emissions (from owned assets and purchased electricity) in 2009, the same year it published its first annual impact report. It later expanded its reporting to include Scope 3 emissions, or those generated throughout its supply chain, which now account for approximately 99% of its total carbon footprint. In 2019, the parent company set Science Based Targets Initiative-verified goals to reduce its absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 55% and Scope 3 emissions by 30% by 2030 compared to its 2017 baseline. VF also aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 (defined as a 90% reduction in emissions). VF reports both its absolute emissions and carbon intensity annually, though it does not provide a year-over-year breakdown of those figures.

Unfortunately, VF has not made any progress toward its Scope 3 reduction goal—in 2024, its Scope 3 emissions from purchased goods and services and transportation were 19% higher than its 2017 baseline. Because these supply chain emissions account for roughly 99% of the company's total footprint, overall emissions remain well above the level needed to meet its climate targets. During the same period, however, VF reduced its Scope 1 and 2 emissions—which account for only about 1% of its footprint—by 29% compared to 2017. In total, VF emitted well over 5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO₂e) in 2024, approximately five times REI's total footprint. Because The North Face does not report its own greenhouse gas emissions separately, it is impossible to determine what share of VF Corporation's total emissions is attributable to the brand.