Gap Inc., a world-renowned clothing, fashion and retail brand, released its 2023 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report, marking the company’s twentieth year of sustainability reporting and nearly three decades of sustainability programming. The report reflects the company’s progress in the full year 2023 toward building a more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive business as a house of iconic brands, including Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic and Athleta.
Introducing the report, Gap Inc. CEO Richard Dickson noted, “When Don and Doris Fisher opened the very first Gap store in 1969, they bridged the generation gap with clothing and experiences that spoke to an energetic new idealism. Today, 55 years later, the people of Gap Inc. are still bridging gaps, inspired by our shared humanity, to create a better world. A world where purpose and profit co-exist in pathbreaking ideas that better the wellbeing of people and planet.”
Over the last year, Newsweek named Gap Inc. first in retail on its list of “America’s Most Responsible Companies,” and it was included in the S&P Global Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the eleventh year in a row.
Gap Inc. ended 2023 with three major initiatives
In 2023, Gap Inc. and its partners launched three major initiatives: The Women + Water Collaborative with the Water Resilience Coalition, WaterAid, Cargill, and GSK to improve access to clean water and sanitation in India; the Global Water Innovation Centre for Action in partnership with long-time supplier, Arvind Limited, to catalyze innovations in water stewardship; and RISE, in collaboration with BSR HERproject, CARE, and Better Work to accelerate gender equity across the apparel supply chain.
Some of the other highlights from the report include the following: Over 2.5 million people touched by the apparel industry have been empowered to improve their access to clean water and sanitation since 2017. 98% of cotton utilized by Gap Inc. was from more sustainable sources, and 100% of cotton utilized by at Gap brand and Athleta was from more sustainable sources. As of 2022, 58% of electricity used in company-operated facilities was from renewable sources.
