Timberland Talks Collaboration and Employee Engagement at GreenBiz 17
Global outdoor lifestyle brand Timberland recently joined more than 1,000 sustainability leaders from around the world at GreenBiz 17, hosted in Phoenix, AZ. The annual three-day event brings together companies, sustainability executives, nonprofits and academics to discuss emerging trends and challenges facing sustainable business through presentations, panels, and workshops.
Atlanta McIlwraith, Timberland’s Senior Manager of Community Engagement, joined representatives from Cox Enterprises and Adobe on the “Putting Purpose in Employee Engagement” panel. McIlwraith spoke about how Timberland’s employee engagement programs were built to foster a culture of community service and social impact among employees worldwide, highlighting Serv-a-Palooza, the Global Stewards and the Path of Service program, which this year celebrates its 25th anniversary. McIlwraith shared that infusing service into everything Timberland does not only helps the community, but also helps employees thrive; she encouraged other companies to follow suit and build their own programs around work with impact.
Zack Angelini, Manager of Environmental Stewardship, joined Ian Rosenberger, Founder and CEO of Thread International for “Timberland and Thread’s Journey to an Upcycled Collection.” They discussed the Timberland X Thread partnership and the opportunities and challenges that come with working toward a circular economy.
“As the first retailer to create a full collection with Thread’s Ground to Good fabric, Timberland is working to set the standard for sustainable collaboration,” says Angelini. “Our panel allowed us to not only discuss our natural partnership, but also share with a wide audience Timberland’s and Thread’s belief that sustainability is more than recyclability and environmental change; it’s about people and social impact. This partnership reinforces that profitability and style can go hand-in-hand with sustainability.”
Rosenberger also highlighted the Timberland X Thread partnership during his ‘One Big Idea’ session, “Weaving Together Community and Corporate, One Thread at a Time,” sharing the social value created through its work. “Poverty is not about the absence of money, it’s about the absence of dignity. It starts with a job, with a dignified opportunity to go to work,” says Rosenberger.
To learn more about Timberland’s responsibility and sustainability efforts, visit https://www.timberland.com/responsibility.html.
