Environment

For Gap Inc., environmental responsibility means far more than being “green” or selling green products. We view it as connected to every aspect of our business, from the manufacture of our clothes to how they are packaged and shipped to the design of our stores. As a global retailer, we have the potential to make a difference on critical environmental issues, such as saving energy and combating climate change. Being environmentally responsible also supports our success as a company. We believe that it allows us to innovate, create value for our business, and meet the expectations of our customers, employees and shareholders.

Over the past several years, we have worked to understand our environmental impact, design an effective strategy for driving improvements, and begin taking action across our operations. We started with a detailed analysis of the environmental challenges we face, as well as the areas over which we have the greatest control and the level of societal concern related to each. Digging even deeper, we embarked in 2008 on an environmental footprint assessment, a detailed accounting of the environmental impact of our operations. These insights have enabled us to set short- and long-term goals, direct our resources to operate more efficiently and better address climate and regulatory risks. 

To have the greatest positive impact, we prioritized our efforts to focus first on the facilities that we own and operate, because we have more control over the energy they use and the waste we create and, therefore, more opportunity to create immediate change. We are now beginning to look farther into our supply chain, where we believe the majority of our impact lies. The water and energy used in manufacturing our products is a significant focus of our efforts moving forward.

Get the full picture here.