RESPONSIBILITY –
WITH A PLAN.

As a globally engaged business, we have a special responsibility – for the quality and for the sustainability of our products; for the people that design, produce and distribute them; and for the climate, which is affected by our activities. We can only live up to this huge responsibility if we take a strategic approach and base our decisions on a firm foundation.

 

HUGO BOSS sees itself as part of society. This is why it is particularly important to us to support access to quality education from a young age, while at the same time promoting professional training opportunities. Therefore, we are committed, for example to UNICEF education initiatives in Africa and Bangladesh.

A central component of our social commitment is to promote equal opportunities in general and women and diversity in particular. To this end, for example, we offer the "Doors Open for Women" project at our production site in Izmir (Turkey).

The careful use of natural resources such as water is an essential part of our environmental commitment. In addition to reduced consumption, it is also important to keep the resource as pure as possible where it is needed by means of professional chemical management.

Around 125,000 employees of finished goods suppliers are covered by the extensive HUGO BOSS Supply Chain Sustainability Program. In addition, HUGO BOSS is committed to improving working conditions in the supply chain through initiatives such as the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles.

A central component of our social commitment is to promote equal opportunities in general and women and diversity in particular. We also contribute to reducing inequalities through our education projects and engagement for our employees.

We work to continuously reduce the environmental impact of our products. By 2025, 100% of the cotton sourced by HUGO BOSS will come from sustainable cultivation.

We improve the environmental footprint of our company's own sites, production facilities and shops, and the entire supply chain. Our goal is to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. On the way there, we will reduce emissions in the entire value chain (Scope 1-3) by at least 50% by 2030.

Our goal is to preserve biodiversity in our oceans and waters. A major contribution to this can be made by reducing synthetic fibers: the fewer synthetic fibers, the less microplastics in the oceans.

Preserving biodiversity and protecting the climate are particularly important to us at HUGO BOSS. For example, by using more sustainable materials and processing them in an environmentally friendly way, we want to protect valuable ecosystems and reduce the loss of biodiversity on land.

Close collaboration with partners is a prerequisite for HUGO BOSS to meet its sustainability goals. That is why we are active in a number of initiatives and associations, such as the Better Cotton Initiative and the Leather Working Group.

Through our efforts, we support the Sustainable Development Goals set out by the United Nations. HUGO BOSS has identified these SDGs as particularly relevant to its strategy work as particularly relevant for its business activities. They are therefore given special consideration in the planning and implementation of measures and projects.

A SOLID FOUNDATION

As an organization, we are involved in many initiatives for a greener planet and for more social cohesion. Our sustainability strategy ensures that all our activities are in alignment with and jointly contribute to one main goal: to delight our customers with responsibly manufactured products.

Our strategy incorporates the latest scientific findings and the results of our own analyses, as well as information obtained through exchange and collaboration with political institutions, civil society, and investors. In all of this, we attach great importance to a targeted and focused approach in order to create long-term value for our society as a whole.

THE BASIS FOR OUR COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY

Natural capital assessment

To what extent does each of our company activities affect the environment? We have analysed this in our natural capital evaluation. It identifies the hotspots in our value chain that create substantial environmental impact. This enables us to develop targeted measures to substantially reduce this impact in a sustainable way.

Materiality analysis

In the materiality analysis, we assess those sustainability issues along our value chain that are of particular importance to HUGO BOSS and its stakeholders. This includes insights from the natural capital evaluation as well as our stakeholders’ perspectives. The findings form the basis of our sustainability strategy.

Collaboration and dialog

We can only reach our ambitious goals when we work together. Therefore, we collaborate closely with stakeholders such as employees and service providers so they can accompany us on our path to improved sustainability. Insights from this collaboration and dialog flow directly into our strategy.

SUSTAINABILITY ALONG THE VALUE CHAIN

Raw materials purchased globally; collaborating with partners, suppliers and customers all over the world; materials and products that go back and forth between them all: the HUGO BOSS value chain is complex. We are working on every link in the chain to make it more sustainable.

  • Raw materials

    The basis of all our products are the raw materials, such as cotton, wool, or leather. The value chain, therefore, begins with the procurement of materials We search for the most sustainable materials possible, ensure their production process is environmentally friendly and that we are in compliance with other important aspects, such as animal welfare. The circular economy (circularity) is taken into consideration right from the start.

     

  • Yarn and fabric production

    During yarn and fabric production, raw materials are processed into textiles, from which the finished products are later created. Measures for more sustainability in this area include strict management of chemicals,  economization on water and waste in production, as well as reduction in energy consumption.

  • Manufacturing

    The designs in the collections take shape in the garment production facility. Textiles are fitted and sewn and prototypes and series products are manufactured. We strive to minimise waste during the cutting and sewing process, so that we deliver high-quality products, reduce the amount of rejects, and provide high standards of workplace health and safety. Our relationships with suppliers and service providers are based on a respect for human rights and the observance of high social standards.

     

  • Administration

    To ensure that all processes run smoothly, the administration controls and monitors all the steps, from raw material procurement to the shipment of products.

     

  • Sales

    Finally, the sale of finished products takes place in the company's own retail stores or through sales partners.

  • Packaging and logistics

    Different types of packaging are used along our entire value chain, and different modes of transport are used as part of the logistics process. We design these processes in a sustainable manner, by optimising the transport routes and using modern technology and more responsible raw materials, including recycled materials.

     

Areas of our commitment

PRODUCT – innovation meets responsibility

Our products are at the heart of what we do – they embody our skills and vision. We, therefore, consider sustainability at every step of the value chain, from the design process and material selection, to production and the longest possible usage. Our commitment is to make our products as sustainable as possible, and to consistently optimise our production processes.

PEOPLE – responsibility for employees and for society, as a whole

Employees and associates, service providers and suppliers, the communities at our production sites and, last but not least, our customers: people all over the world make HUGO BOSS what it is. Therefore, we bear a special responsibility towards them. Find out more about how we meet this commitment.

PLANET – responsibility for the planet

We are well aware that the fashion industry has an impact on our planet. Our commitment is to reduce our ecological footprint in order to make our contribution to the 1.5-degree target of the Paris Climate Agreement. Take a look at the measures we are taking and the projects we are working on to achieve this goal.

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