Shoe Boxes That Raise the Bar on Disclosure

In a pioneering development, The Timberland Company will begin providing an environmental and social “nutritional label” on its shoe boxes to help educate consumers about where the product was manufactured, how it was produced, and its effect on the environment. The labels will include information such as the name and location of the factory where the product was made and the percentage of factories Timberland assesses against its Code of Conduct standards. The labels also detail the energy used to produce the product and how much came from renewable resources.
The nutritional labels are part of a broader footware packaging initiative that includes messaging inside shoe boxes to educate and inspire consumers to take positive actions in their own communities. In addition, Timberland’s shoe boxes are now made of 100 percent recycled post-consumer waste fiber, use no chemical glues, and only soy-based inks.
Timberland CEO Jeff Schwartz said, “I believe this packaging and labeling initiative is another step in an industry-wide movement towards becoming more aware of what goes into the products we consume.”
We hold Timberland in many of our clients’ portfolios and welcome this innovative move to inform consumers about the impacts of their purchasing and encourage them to choose products based on their environmental and community impacts. Click here for links to more information on Timberland’s social and environmental initiatives.