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  • Overall approach
    0/10
    • Overarching commitment on deforestation
      0/4
    • Signatory to an initiative tackling deforestation
      0/1
    • Awareness of the value of forests
      0/1
    • Deforestation as a business risk
      0/1
    • High-level management of deforestion
      0/1
    • Executive compensation linked to deforestation
    • Target to reduce emissions from land-use change
      0/1
    • Reporting on emissions from land-use change
      0/1
    • Disclosure of conservation activity
    • Disclosure of reforestation activity
    • Target to reduce emissions in scope 1/2
      Reduce emissions
      Yes
      0/0
      Is this target aligned with/verified by SBTi?: Yes

      Type of climate target: Net-zero emissions

      What is the target date for the company to achieve their climate target?: 2030 . 2050
      "We’re cutting our carbon emissions. By 2030, we will cut our carbon footprint by 30% and source 100% renewable electricity for owned facilities." They are signed to the UN Fashion Charter meaning their 2030 emissions target includes scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions as they move towards net-zero emissions by 2050.
      Open source document
  • Commodity score
    18/90
    • Leather
      20/90
      • Commitment Strength
        3/17
        • Commodity-specific deforestation commitment
          2/4
          • Commitment applies to all regions, suppliers and operation
            No
            0/2
            Commitment applies to all regions, suppliers and operation
            No
            0/2
            What subsidiaries are explicitly excluded?: NA

            What is the rationale for any exclusions?: NA

            What percentage of commodity production/sourcing is excluded?: NA

            What subsidiaries are explicitly included?: NA

            If no, what is excluded?: Location
            Only mentions the Amazon Biome.
            Open source document
          • Target date
            Current/achieved
            1/1
            Target date
            Current/achieved
            1/1
            What actions or steps are identified for time-bound implementation?: NA
            "At New Balance, we are committed to ethical and sustainable sourcing practices that protect people and our environment." Excludes "bovine/cow hides sourced from the Amazon Biome"
            Open source document
          • Interim target date
            NA (target date current or achieved or 2023)
            0.5/0.5
            Interim target date
            NA (target date current or achieved or 2023)
            0.5/0.5
            What date is given for the interim milestone?: NA
            Current
            Open source document
        • Commitment to a traceable supply chain
          0/7.5
          • Commitment details
            No traceability commitment
            0/4
          • Commitment applies to all regions, suppliers and operation
            No
            0/2
          • Target date
            Post 2050 or no target date
            0/1
          • Interim target date
            No
            0/0.5
      • Associated Human Rights Abuses
        5/17
        • Labour rights in the supply chain
          Yes
          3/3
          Labour rights in the supply chain
          Yes
          3/3
          Details of commitment: ILO; UN Declaration for HR; Discrimination; Forced labour; Child labour; Freedom of association

          How far back in the supply chain does this commitment apply?: Tier 1
          "This code is based upon internationally accepted standards, including the International Labor Organisation (ILO)'s core conventions, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights...No Child Labor...Forced Labour...Freedom of Association...Nondiscrimination"
          Open source document
        • Inclusion of small-scale farmers
          No
          0/2
        • Gender equality in the supply chain
          Commitment to address the inclusion of women in commodity supply chains
          1/2
          Gender equality in the supply chain
          Commitment to address the inclusion of women in commodity supply chains
          1/2
          "Women make up over 80% of the workforce at our footwear supplier factories [...] In 2019 New Balance launched the P.A.C.E. program at two supplier footwear factories in Vietnam employing more than 15,000 women [...] The P.A.C.E. program has demonstrated that investing in women's education not only brings benefits to workers, but also benefits businesses through higher retention and productivity levels. Participating workers take courses in effective communication, problem solving, time and stress management, financial and legal literacy, and general and reproductive health, among other topics. After the initial launch, we plan to grow training and education activities for the women workers in the supply chain each year."
          Open source document
        • Commitment to remediation
          Yes
          1/1
          Commitment to remediation
          Yes
          0.5/1
          What does the commitment cover?: Social harm
          "New Balance considers forced labor and child labor violations zero-tolerance issues, which require immediate and thorough remediation to continue doing business with the company. In early 2021, we updated our Supplier Standards Manual to provide our suppliers with additional clarity on our requirements to protect against forced labor, including elevating recruitment fees to a zero tolerance issue to ensure that workers in our supply chain do not pay any fees, expenses or deposits in exchange for employment."
          Open source document
        • Commitment to test Free, Prior and Informed Consent
          No
          0/3
        • Commitment to respect customary rights to land, resources, and territory
          No
          0/3
        • Zero-tolerance approach to violence and threats
          No
          0/3
      • Implementation and Reporting
        13/56
        • Reporting proportion of compliant volumes
          0/0
        • Reporting is independently verified
          No
          0/2
        • Suppliers aligned with deforestation commitments across supply chain
          No
          0/3
        • Deforestation cut off date
          No
          0/2
        • Collaborative actions
          No
          0/2
        • Jurisdictional approach focused on sustainable land use
          No
          0/2
        • Risk assessments for forest risk
          No
          0/2
        • Operations assessed to comply with law
          Yes
          2/2
          Operations assessed to comply with law
          Yes
          2/2
          "Suppliers shall operate in full compliance with the laws of their respective countries and with all other applicable international, national, and local laws, rules and regulations." "Suppliers seeking to do business with New Balance must sign a supply agreement that includes the obligation to abide by our Code of Conduct [...] Approved suppliers undergo a compliance assessment at least annually."
          Open source document
          Open source document
        • Accessible grievance mechanism
          Yes, publicly accessible grievance mechanism
          2/4
          Accessible grievance mechanism
          Yes, publicly accessible grievance mechanism
          2/4
          Which issues does the grievance mechanism cover?: Social; Environmental

          What is the nature of the grievance mechanism used by the company?: Own mechanism
          "New Balance Code of Conduct sets out social and environmental requirements for its suppliers - "To report any violations of this Code of Conduct or related concerns, please contact CSR@newbalance.com"
          Open source document
        • Report volumes of commodity sourced/used
          No reporting
          0/3
        • Monitor compliance for labour rights and FPIC
          Yes, and publishes evidence of actions taken to implement its commitment on labour rights in the production or primary processing operations that it owns, manages or otherwise controls or its supply chains
          3/5
          Monitor compliance for labour rights and FPIC
          Yes, and publishes evidence of actions taken to implement its commitment on labour rights in the production or primary processing operations that it owns, manages or otherwise controls or its supply chains
          2.5/5
          What steps has the company taken to implement their labour rights commitment?: Training and Audits

          What percentage/number of new interests, developments, or expansions has the company used FPIC to secure consent of indigenous peoples/local communities?: NA

          What is the status of those FPIC processes?: NA
          "Suppliers seeking to do business with New Balance must sign a supply agreement that includes the obligation to abide by our Code of Conduct. Suppliers must also pass a social and environmental compliance audit before production orders can be placed. Approved suppliers undergo a compliance assessment at least annually...Suppliers shall post this Code of Conduct in the language(s) of their employees in visible and accessible locations in their facilities and train employees on their rights and obligations according to this Code of Conduct and applicable laws"
          Open source document
        • Monitor compliance for zero tolerance approach and customary rights
          No
          0/5
        • Downstream: Reporting suppliers
          Yes, report direct suppliers; Yes, report indirect suppliers
          4/4
          Downstream: Reporting suppliers
          Yes, report direct suppliers; Yes, report indirect suppliers
          4/4
          For what percent of smallholder suppliers is location disclosed?: 0%

          For what percent of suppliers' production areas are point locations disclosed?: NA

          For what percent are boundaries disclosed?: NA

          Does the company disclose location of suppliers' production areas or primary processing sites?: No

          For what percent is no location data disclosed?: NA

          From what country(ies) does the company source material?: Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, China, Czech Republic, El Salvador, India, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Mexico, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Philippines, Portugal, Sri Lanka, Taiwan (ROC), Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam,

          What type of location data (boundary, point, etc.) is provided for smallholder farms?: NA

          From what sub-national jurisdiction(s) does the company source material?: Sourcing regions include ; Ceara ; Banten

          What is the volume of each forest risk commodity that the company sourced in the previous year from each national or subnational location?: NA
          New Balance pubishes its annual list of Tier 1 Suppliers which include owned facilities, contract suppliers and suppliers sourced through agents with information including country, supplier name, supplier group, product type, address, number of workers, percent of female workers, employing foreign migrant workers.
          Open source document
        • Downstream: Monitor compliance in supply chain
          Yes, for its suppliers
          2/4
          Downstream: Monitor compliance in supply chain
          Yes, for its suppliers
          2/4
          How is compliance monitored?: Internal monitoring and verification systems

          For what percentage of suppliers does the company use/rely on external mechanisms to monitor compliance?: NA

          How frequently is compliance assessed?: Unspecified

          For what percent of suppliers does the company directly monitor compliance of production or processing operations?: na

          What percentage of the company's supply chain volume does that represent?: 100%

          For what percentage of the commodity sourced by the company is deforestation/conversion monitored at the farm level on production units known to be in the company's supply chain?: na
          "The supplier shall also allow or, as the case may be, obtain permission for an authorized representative of NB to inspect, at any time during normal business hours, any premises of the factory, supplier, and/or any subcontractor where any NB product, material or components thereof are developed, manufactured or stored. The authorized representative may request samples of products or materials during such inspection. Suppliers must ensure all materials, components, and packaging materials used for NB products meet the Restricted Substances List (RSL) requirements. The materials must be tested according to the RSM to ensure compliance. "
          Open source document
        • Downstream: Reporting hectares of deforestation
          No
          0/4
        • Downstream: Engagement with non-compliant suppliers
          No engagement or exclusion
          0/2
        • Downstream: Disclosure of non-compliant suppliers
          No disclosure
          0/2
    • Pulp & Paper
      15/90
      • Commitment Strength
        4/17
        • Commodity-specific deforestation commitment
          2/4
          • Commitment applies to all regions, suppliers and operation
            No
            0/2
            Commitment applies to all regions, suppliers and operation
            No
            0/2
            If no, what is excluded?: Product line; Location

            What is the rationale for any exclusions?: NA

            What subsidiaries are explicitly excluded?: NA

            What percentage of commodity production/sourcing is excluded?: NA

            What subsidiaries are explicitly included?: USA ; Catalogs ; Shoeboxes
            "Our core shoeboxes are made from 100% recycled paperboard, consisting of pre- and post-consumer pulp and are 100% recyclable. Our master shipping cartons are also made from pre- and post-consumer pulp with approximately 44% virgin fibre"[...]"New Balance catalogs, which are used for marketing and direct consumer sales in the US, are also printed on 100% FSC- and SFI-certified paper."
            Open source document
          • Target date
            Current/achieved
            1/1
            Target date
            Current/achieved
            1/1
            What actions or steps are identified for time-bound implementation?: Use FSC
            "Our core shoeboxes are made from 100% recycled paperboard, consisting of pre- and post-consumer pulp and are 100% recyclable. Our master shipping cartons are also made from pre- and post-consumer pulp with approximately 44% virgin fibre"[...]"New Balance catalogs, which are used for marketing and direct consumer sales in the US, are also printed on 100% FSC- and SFI-certified paper."
            Open source document
          • Interim target date
            NA (target date current or achieved or 2023)
            0.5/0.5
            Interim target date
            NA (target date current or achieved or 2023)
            0.5/0.5
            What date is given for the interim milestone?: NA
            "Our core shoeboxes are made from 100% recycled paperboard, consisting of pre- and post-consumer pulp and are 100% recyclable. Our master shipping cartons are also made from pre- and post-consumer pulp with approximately 44% virgin fibre"[...]"New Balance catalogs, which are used for marketing and direct consumer sales in the US, are also printed on 100% FSC- and SFI-certified paper."
            Open source document
        • Commitment to a traceable supply chain
          0/7.5
          • Commitment details
            No traceability commitment
            0/4
          • Commitment applies to all regions, suppliers and operation
            No
            0/2
          • Target date
            Post 2050 or no target date
            0/1
          • Interim target date
            No
            0/0.5
      • Associated Human Rights Abuses
        5/17
        • Labour rights in the supply chain
          Yes
          3/3
          Labour rights in the supply chain
          Yes
          3/3
          How far back in the supply chain does this commitment apply?: NA

          Details of commitment: ILO; UN Declaration for HR; Discrimination; Forced labour; Child labour; Freedom of association
          "This code is based upon internationally accepted standards, including the International Labor Organisation (ILO)'s core conventions, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights...No Child Labor...Forced Labour...Freedom of Association...Nondiscrimination"
          Open source document
        • Inclusion of small-scale farmers
          No
          0/2
        • Gender equality in the supply chain
          Commitment to address the inclusion of women in commodity supply chains
          1/2
          Gender equality in the supply chain
          Commitment to address the inclusion of women in commodity supply chains
          1/2
          "Women make up over 80% of the workforce at our footwear supplier factories [...] In 2019 New Balance launched the P.A.C.E. program at two supplier footwear factories in Vietnam employing more than 15,000 women [...] The P.A.C.E. program has demonstrated that investing in women's education not only brings benefits to workers, but also benefits businesses through higher retention and productivity levels. Participating workers take courses in effective communication, problem solving, time and stress management, financial and legal literacy, and general and reproductive health, among other topics. After the initial launch, we plan to grow training and education activities for the women workers in the supply chain each year."
          Open source document
        • Commitment to remediation
          Yes
          1/1
          Commitment to remediation
          Yes
          0.5/1
          What does the commitment cover?: Social harm
          "New Balance considers forced labor and child labor violations zero-tolerance issues, which require immediate and thorough remediation to continue doing business with the company. In early 2021, we updated our Supplier Standards Manual to provide our suppliers with additional clarity on our requirements to protect against forced labor, including elevating recruitment fees to a zero tolerance issue to ensure that workers in our supply chain do not pay any fees, expenses or deposits in exchange for employment."
          Open source document
        • Commitment to test Free, Prior and Informed Consent
          No
          0/3
        • Commitment to respect customary rights to land, resources, and territory
          No
          0/3
        • Zero-tolerance approach to violence and threats
          No
          0/3
      • Implementation and Reporting
        7/56
        • Reporting proportion of compliant volumes
          0/0
        • Reporting is independently verified
          No
          0/2
        • Suppliers aligned with deforestation commitments across supply chain
          No
          0/3
        • Deforestation cut off date
          No
          0/2
        • Collaborative actions
          No
          0/2
        • Jurisdictional approach focused on sustainable land use
          No
          0/2
        • Risk assessments for forest risk
          No
          0/2
        • Operations assessed to comply with law
          Yes
          2/2
          Operations assessed to comply with law
          Yes
          2/2
          "Suppliers shall operate in full compliance with the laws of their respective countries and with all other applicable international, national, and local laws, rules and regulations." "Suppliers seeking to do business with New Balance must sign a supply agreement that includes the obligation to abide by our Code of Conduct [...] Approved suppliers undergo a compliance assessment at least annually."
          Open source document
          Open source document
        • Accessible grievance mechanism
          Yes, publicly accessible grievance mechanism
          2/4
          Accessible grievance mechanism
          Yes, publicly accessible grievance mechanism
          2/4
          What is the nature of the grievance mechanism used by the company?: Own mechanism

          Which issues does the grievance mechanism cover?: Social; Environmental
          "New Balance Code of Conduct sets out social and environmental requirements for its suppliers - "To report any violations of this Code of Conduct or related concerns, please contact CSR@newbalance.com"
          Open source document
        • Report volumes of commodity sourced/used
          No reporting
          0/3
        • Monitor compliance for labour rights and FPIC
          Yes, and publishes evidence of actions taken to implement its commitment on labour rights in the production or primary processing operations that it owns, manages or otherwise controls or its supply chains
          3/5
          Monitor compliance for labour rights and FPIC
          Yes, and publishes evidence of actions taken to implement its commitment on labour rights in the production or primary processing operations that it owns, manages or otherwise controls or its supply chains
          2.5/5
          What is the status of those FPIC processes?: NA

          What steps has the company taken to implement their labour rights commitment?: Training and Audits

          What percentage/number of new interests, developments, or expansions has the company used FPIC to secure consent of indigenous peoples/local communities?: NA
          "Suppliers seeking to do business with New Balance must sign a supply agreement that includes the obligation to abide by our Code of Conduct. Suppliers must also pass a social and environmental compliance audit before production orders can be placed. Approved suppliers undergo a compliance assessment at least annually...Suppliers shall post this Code of Conduct in the language(s) of their employees in visible and accessible locations in their facilities and train employees on their rights and obligations according to this Code of Conduct and applicable laws"
          Open source document
        • Monitor compliance for zero tolerance approach and customary rights
          No
          0/5
        • Downstream: Reporting suppliers
          No
          0/4
        • Downstream: Monitor compliance in supply chain
          No
          0/4
        • Downstream: Reporting hectares of deforestation
          No
          0/4
        • Downstream: Engagement with non-compliant suppliers
          No engagement or exclusion
          0/2
        • Downstream: Disclosure of non-compliant suppliers
          No disclosure
          0/2
  • Commitment strength
    3/17
    Avg. score
  • Implementation and Reporting
    10/56
    Avg. score
  • Associated Human Rights Abuses
    5/17
    Avg. score

Profile

New Balance Athletic Shoes is a manufacturer of athletic footwear, apparel, and accessories and is present in more than 50 countries around the world. Its products include sports shoes, running, and hiking shoes, sports clothing and bags. Leather features in several of its footwear products. The company is one of the top footwear retailers globally, in China and Hong Kong, and in the US. New Balance Athletic Shoe Inc. is selected as a powerbroker for leather and paper packaging.

Sector
Industry sector 
Apparel Accessories & Luxury Goods, Apparel Retail, Paper Packaging
Segments
Manufacturer, Retailer
HQ
HQ 
United States
Company Type
Company type 
CO
Collective Commitments
Consumer Goods Forum member
New York Declaration on Forests signatory

Top Brands

New Balance, Warrior, P.F.Flyers, Brine

How we assess the Forest 500

To ensure deforestation free supply chains, companies need to adopt and implement timebound and measurable policies for forest risk commodities.

All assessments use policies published on company websites, some links may have changed or been removed since the time of assessment.

Full corporate sector performance data Forest 500 assessment methodology

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40% of the Forest 500 have yet to set a single policy on deforestation

15 February 2023

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Disclaimer

This assessment has been carried out following the methodology developed for the Forest 500 project, available here. Please see our disclaimer applicable to all information contained within this site and our terms and conditions for use of data presented on this site.

All assessments use policies published on company and financial institution websites, and while we endeavor to keep them updated some links may have changed or been removed since the time of assessment.

Please contact us with any concerns or feedback about this or other assessments included in the Forest 500.