NEW YORK – International apparel group, PVH Corp, will work with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to support water stewardship efforts in Ethiopia and other key sourcing locations. The business, which owns brands including Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein amd Van Heusen, has signed a three year partnership with WWF.
Under the agreement, PVH and WWF will help conserve freshwater resources in Ethiopia’s Lake Hawassa and India’s Cauvery River basins. The work builds on existing joint efforts by the organisations in China and Vietnam. They will identify water risks and engage in collective efforts to advance water conservation activities for local communities in these strategic sourcing locations.
“PVH is excited to announce our partnership with leading environmental nonprofit organization WWF and reinforce our commitment to safeguarding and preserving water resources in our sourcing communities,” said Melanie Steiner, chief risk officer, PVH.
“Access to safe water is a human right that is essential for communities to thrive. Water is used at every stage of our product lifecycle. As one of the largest global apparel companies, we recognise the opportunity and our responsibility to take a lead role in addressing this pressing global issue.”
Tommy Hilfiger began working with WWF in 2015 to preserve water resources in China and Vietnam. The business will continue to build on its existing work in China’s Taihu River and Vietnam’s Mekong River basins, where efforts in collective action, sustainable water management and training have already made strong progress. These key locations were identified as high-risk in a global water-risk assessment conducted for PVH by WWF.
”As major trends like urbanization, population growth and climate change exacerbate existing water issues, water is not only an urgent environmental issue but also a risk to business,” said Sheila Bonini, Senior Vice President, World Wildlife Fund (WWF). “Water stewardship partnerships like the one with PVH are a commitment to the management of shared water resources in the public interest.”