Mixed animal welfare policies
The North Face and its owned VF Corporation use lots of animal products such as down, wool and leather. Ethical Consumer therefore reviewed VF Corporation’s animal welfare policies, and found that some standards were in place to avoid the very worst outcomes for animals.
For example, the company prohibited the use of mulesing in its supply chain – an approach whereby layers of skin on a sheep are cut off to avoid infection from flies, sometimes without anaesthetic. It also stated that all down had to be Responsible Down Standard certified – an accreditation that guarantees the birds have not been live plucked for their feathers.
However, the company also sold leather, and did not appear to have a robust policy in place to protect the animals in this supply chain.
Unsustainable fabric use
Ethical Consumer looks for companies producing clothing to be taking steps to ensure more sustainable use of materials, for example prioritising recycled natural fabrics over synthetic plastic based options; and using sustainable plant-based fabrics such as bamboo and Lyocell.
VF Corporation was taking some meaningful steps on its use of different materials. For example, in 2023, 40% of its polyester was made from recycled material. And 35% of its cotton was from the Better Cotton Initiative, a programme that ensures some steps towards more sustainable cotton production.
However, it had not addressed other issues. For example, There was no or minimal evidence that the company was taking steps to reduce or recycle water or reduce water pollution from fabric production. It stated that it had carried out a value chain level risk assessment that covered water usage, but did not outline usage or pollution reduction measures in detail.
Using ‘forever chemicals’
The outdoor gear industry often uses 'forever chemicals' - perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) that result in pollution and do not break down over time – as textile finishes, in membranes, or for waterproofing.
The North Face stated on its website that it was “working to replace” what it called “Durable Water Repellency” chemicals with “environmentally preferable options”, and stated that it had succeeded in doing so “for most of our products”. However, the policy only appeared to cover waterproofed materials, and did not address membranes that might be used in boots.
The North Face did not appear to have a deadline for a total phase out of ‘forever chemicals’ and therefore scored poorly in this category.
Positive approach to cutting emissions
VF Corporation has taken positive steps to addressing its impact on climate change, scoring well in Ethical Consumer’s climate category.
For example, the company stated that it had "trained 1,000+ supplier factory representatives on energy efficiency and resource management best practices and is expanding our supplier sustainability programs across several key sourcing countries". Programmes with factories in Bangladesh, Vietnam and others were said to have generated more than 593 million MJ (megajoule) per year in energy savings since 2018.
The company also reported on all of its emissions, including those in its supply chain – by far the largest source. It had set targets across these emissions sources, which had been approved by the Science Based Targets Initiative, the leading accreditor of corporate climate goals, as being in line with international climate agreements.
Likely use of tax avoidance strategies
VF Corporation owns multiple subsidiaries in tax havens such as Hong Kong and Switzerland, including at least two holding companies, which are particularly high risk for tax avoidance. As these did not appear to be serving the local population, the company scored poorly in Ethical Consumer’s tax conduct category.
Tax avoidance is an important global issue, because every second, the world’s governments lose the equivalent of a nurse’s annual salary to a tax haven. Globally, we will lose nearly $5 trillion in the next 10 years, according to the Tax Justice Network.
The text above was written May 2025, and most research was conducted in February 2024.