Brooks Sports, Inc., parent of leading running brand Brooks and women’s active lifestyle brand Moving Comfort, today released its first corporate responsibility (CR) report. The report, Running Responsibly, expresses the company’s philosophy on corporate responsibility and its road map to achieve its CR goals. It also represents an important mile marker in the company’s quest to become one of the most admired companies in the world and a more sustainable business.

The report, which includes the company’s first greenhouse gas emissions measurement, highlights the corporation’s 2009 and 2010 environmental and social performance, and the strides taken to manage the company’s most material sustainability issues. The report also highlights challenges and key focus areas around the bend.

“Through best-in-class gear, can-do service and Run Happy spirit, we strive to develop meaningful consumer connections that ring far beyond the register,” said Jim Weber, Brooks President and CEO. “We care about our customer’s healthy bodies and minds, and our role in fostering an environment where life can thrive for the long run. Our newly established sustainability baselines will help us measure our future CR progress in what we consider a lifelong marathon.”

The CR report includes an in-depth eco-footprint of two of the company’s top-selling 2009 products—the Adrenaline GTS 10 performance running shoe and the Podium SS technical running top—that identifies, quantifies and assesses the environmental impacts associated with these products’ different life cycle stages. The report also features sustainability highlights from 2009 and 2010:

• BioMoGo Midsole - A five-year study found that BioMoGo, the midsole materials used for the vast majority of Brooks shoes, degrades in anaerobic conditions 50 times faster than a standard EVA midsole.
• Cascadia 6 - Virtually every component of the Cascadia 6 has an environmentally-friendlier feature, such as materials made of recycled content, water-based inks and adhesives, and soy-based foams.
• CMP Midsole - Brooks’ eco-friendlier compression molded preform (CMP) midsole manufacturing process creates 50 percent less waste than traditional midsole manufacturing methods.
• Green Silence - Constructed with roughly half as many parts as a comparable shoe, 75 percent of the Green Silence is made from post-consumer recycled material. The shoe requires 41 percent less energy to produce and uses 65 percent fewer volatile organic compounds.
• Packaging Materials and Waste Reduction - Brooks examined every aspect of its shoe box and determined several ways to significantly reduce packaging materials and waste.
• Hazardous Substance Reduction - In 2010, Brooks listed 193 chemicals on its restricted substance list and actively tracked 67 of the highest risk substances. All 49 of Brooks’ footwear component and material suppliers, and contract factories have enlisted in its Restricted Substances program to help make Brooks products as safe as possible.
• Factory Performance - Brooks began auditing its contract factories in the early 2000s, driving steady and meaningful social improvements. From 2009 to 2010, the average number of violations against Brooks’ Code of Conduct decreased in issues related to wages and benefits as well as heath and safety.
• Factory and Supplier Training - At Brooks’ annual training conference, the company educates its factories and component suppliers, free of charge, about its CR program, human rights, worker health and safety, and environmental issues.
• Soles4Souls - Brooks collects and donates product samples and gently worn shoes and apparel for those in need through the Soles4Souls program. In two years, Brooks donated more than 175,000 items.
• Brooks and Moving Comfort Charitable Apparel Programs – Together, the two brands donated more than $65,000 in 2009 and 2010 to various charities through the sales of cause-related apparel collections.  

Now with a baseline measurement of its sustainability impacts, Brooks will focus future CR efforts on five key areas that are most pivotal to its business:

• Energy and water used to manufacture and assemble products and operate facilities
• Waste generated (particularly on materials that are used) in the manufacture of products
• GHG emissions associated with products and business operations
• Materials used that are harmful for people and the environment
• The well being of the individuals who work at Brooks and make its products

Brooks’ Running Responsibly report is written in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G3 Guidelines, the de-facto standard for sustainability reporting. To see a copy of the entire report, please visit www.brooksrunning.com/runningresponsibly. Feedback is encouraged on the reporting process and performance via runningresponsibly@brooksrunning.com.

About Brooks
Brooks is a leading running company that designs and markets a line of performance footwear, apparel, and accessories in more than 60 countries worldwide. A subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., Brooks was founded in 1914 and is headquartered in Bothell, Wash., near Seattle. The company’s mission is to inspire everyone to run and be active by creating innovative gear that keeps them running longer, farther, and faster. Visit www.brooksrunning.com for more information, and to follow frequent brand updates on Twitter (@brooksrunning) and Facebook (Brooks Running).

About Moving Comfort
Established in 1977 with the first women’s running short, Moving Comfort designs and delivers fitness apparel and sports bras that support and inspire women to get fit, be healthy, and achieve their own unique personal best. Headquartered in Bothell, Wash., near Seattle, Moving Comfort is a division of Brooks Sports, Inc. Visit www.movingcomfort.com for more information. 

Brooks Sports, Inc.

Brooks Sports, Inc.

More from Brooks Sports, Inc.