Under the PVH Corp. umbrella, the production facilities for Calvin Klein Jeans also strictly follow a code of conduct for ethical practices. Frequent audits, in cooperation with Better Work, are conducted to assess compliance with available Code of Conduct and to verify that required standards are being upheld.
Regular risk assessments are conducted to identify and eliminate potential hazards and ensure a safe working environment. Calvin Klein Jeans continually evaluate working conditions to ensure the most important standard of safety and well-being for their employees.
In addition, they are firmly opposed to modern slavery and exploitation. As part of their commitment, PVH has signed a Modern Slavery Statement reaffirming their commitment to eradicating these abhorrent practices in their supply chain.
PVH ensures that a formal mechanism exists for workers in the supply chain to report a grievance to an impartial entity. For better access PVH relies on several grievance mechanism.
Beyond Calvin Klein Jeans business activities, they also have a responsibility to society and place a donation to NGO´s to support their critical work for LGBTQIA+ communities around the world.
PVH is a member of ACT Initiative, a global commitment on living wages, to support the provision of living wages to supply chain workers via national collective bargaining agreements, but it’s not proven that any living wage will be paid for Calvin Klein Jeans production facilities.
All these steps seem very positive at first glance, but there is precious little evidence that these Code of Conduct and requirements are effectively complied with by producers in the supply chain. According to research by the Clean Clothes Campaign, PVH Group scores very poorly on fair and living wages.
Calvin Klein Jeans intention is to go for responsible material sourcing which is essential for creating classic denim pieces that not only look good but also feel good to wear.Calvin Klein Jeans has set itself the goal of using 100% sustainable cotton, viscose and wool by 2025. By 2030, 100% of the polyester fibres used are to be produced sustainably but still need to be defined the meaning of sustainability.
In some cases various more sustainable materials are already in place, such as:
Organic cotton certified according to GOTS and OCS
Recycled cotton, wool and synthetic fabrics certified according to GRS
Regenerative cotton certified according to RegenAgri
Tencel Modal and Lenzing Ecovero
PVH Corp. claims to be dedicated to minimising water usage throughout their production processes but it’s not really clear which specific activities will be arranged by Calvin Klein Jeans.
In collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), PVH conducted a comprehensive water risk assessment of over 1,800 sites within its supply chain. The findings from this assessment are being used to develop targeted strategies for water risk mitigation and to inform the company’s broader water strategy decisions.
PVH has committed to establishing five collective action projects in its most water-stressed sourcing communities by 2025. This initiative aims to address water scarcity and improve water management practices, promising sustainable water use in its supply chain.
PVH is working towards having water leaving its key wet processors containing zero hazardous chemicals and be filtered for harmful microfibers by 2025 which might improve the quality of water discharged into the environment. By 2030, 100% of suppliers are expected to comply with PVH´s environmental standards, helping to minimise water pollution across PVH’s supply chain.
In 2022 Calvin Klein Jeans says they upcycled over 2,000 pairs of jeans with the Reimagined Denim project. However, this limited-edition collection was only available in Hong Kong. No other circularity business models are known yet.
PVH Corp. itself has integrated “circular design principles” into its product development processes, aiming for 100% of its products to be designed with the circular economy in mind by 2030.
Unfortunately, it is not explained exactly what this means, so it is difficult to estimate to what extent this would actually benefit the brand’s circularity.
Besides this they say they’re collaborating with suppliers to decrease textile waste, aiming to divert it from landfills and into more valuable uses.
PVH has also invested in and collaborated with organisations like the Fashion for Good and Infinited Fiber Company to develop and implement innovative recycling processes, thereby enhancing the recyclability of its products.
PVH Corp. publishes a list of suppliers at Tier 1 and 2 level but does not allocate them to individual brands and products. It is therefore not possible to deduce which production facilities produce for Calvin Klein Jeans. Although it is pointed out that the company is interested in a long-term partnership, precise details of the individual suppliers are also missing here.
By enhancing demand planning and logistics operations, PVH aims to decrease emissions from upstream and downstream transportation and distribution. This involves optimising shipping routes, consolidating shipments to increase load efficiency, and reducing the need for expedited shipping methods that have higher carbon footprints.
Calvin Klein Jeans itself is planning to stop single-use plastic in all their packaging and eliminate unnecessary waste by 2030. In North-America they´ve already changed the material from men’s underwear boxes from plastic into paper which includes 50% recycled material.
The PVH Corporate Responsibility (CR) Report 2022 includes a commitment to animal welfare as part of its broader sustainability goals, although specific details on animal welfare activities were not detailed in the extracts provided. However, wool in particular is highlighted as a material for which PVH strives for responsible sourcing practices that generally take animal welfare into account.
Even if the classic design of Calvin Klein Jeans products appears rather timeless, several collections are developed each year and regular sales are offered.
As a pioneer of contemporary fashion, Calvin Klein Jeans offers a diverse collection that transcends trends and is characterised by timeless elegance with a twist. With great attention to detail, Calvin Klein Jeans offers a range of denim products that embody minimalist and sensual aesthetics.
At present, no explicit attention is paid to ensuring that the products can be durable.
There is a Corporate Responsibility report from PVH Corp. available which shows the overall activities and performance data in the group and it’s not transparent which data belongs to Calvin Klein Jeans.
A true price calculation is missing at all so that it´s not clear if any kind of awareness or understanding is available in regard to responsible purchase practice.
The report also shows the emission of Scope 1, 2 and 3 but again for the group only and all social condition statements and agreements are published under the name of PVH.
Conclusion
PVH’s sustainable activities represent a step in the right direction, there is still work to be done to ensure meaningful and lasting change across all aspects of its operations.
While PVH’s sustainable activities are commendable in many aspects, there are areas where a critical examination reveals room for improvement. Despite the company’s efforts to promote transparency, there may still be gaps in information regarding specific practices within its supply chain. Especially in regard of their different brands it might be helpful to describe the activities per brand and not to lump them all together.
Continued scrutiny, accountability and collaboration with stakeholders will be crucial in driving PVH towards a more sustainable future and developing products accordingly.
