Climate Change

‘‘Routes established as glacial climbs have melted out. Glaciers have receded leaving swaths of debris in their wake and peaks that were held together by permafrost are melting. The Himalaya will be affected by a warming climate in the coming decades. As its 5,000 glaciers melt, the rivers that flow from the mountains will cease to be perennial and become seasonal, threatening the water supply for the one-fifth of the world’s population that receives water from the Himalaya.

The North Face is committed to reducing its carbon footprint. From the solar installations at our facilities to the energy saving practices in our textile mills, we are constantly looking for ways to reduce our impact. It is more than ‘doing the right thing’ – it is our brand heritage.’’

Conrad Anker, Alpinist and The North Face Athlete

Addressing climate change is not only good for the planet, it’s good for business. Our athletes travel to some of the most remote places on the planet and they have seen firsthand the effects of climate change. Glaciers are receding and permafrost is melting. The winter ski season is changing dramatically and once in a lifetime events such as storms, fires, and floods are occurring much more often.

Protecting Our Planet

We know we’re not perfect, but we are taking action to protect our planet and driving progress towards our sustainability goals. We're committed to creating the best performing products while working to reduce our impact on the places we explore. Learn more about our sustainability work.

Climate Advocacy

We believe that the success of our business is fundamentally linked to having a healthy planet. With five decades in the outdoor retail business, we have a long-term view of our operational impacts and environmental priorities. In 2009, we joined other forward-looking companies in the Ceres Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP) coalition to advocate for progressive climate change policies. We were one of the initial 33 signatories of the Climate Declaration in 2013 urging federal policymakers to tackle climate change. More than 1,000 companies across the country have signed the Declaration, demonstrating to policymakers that the U.S. business community is ready for comprehensive climate change policies.

In 2015 we wrote an op-ed, “Washington Must Act on Climate Change,” calling for impactful action to address carbon emissions. We support the Paris Climate Agreement and we were a signatory of the Business Backs Low-Carbon USA statement.

Offsets

While reducing our direct energy footprint is our first priority, we have purchased verified offsets and Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) since 2007 for greenhouse gas emissions we have not been able to eliminate. Since 2007, we have also offset the emissions from our US business travel and employee commuting through projects that protect and restore forests. Information on our carbon offset can be found here: TNF Voluntary Carbon Market Disclosure.pdf