Timberland Launches On-Pack 'Nutrition Label,' Call for Action

Taking a lead from CPG companies, footwear and apparel company Timberland plans to roll out new packaging that will include a "nutrition label" detailing how and where the product was manufactured and its impact on the environment.

Following CPGs' lead, Timberland is adding its own 'nutrition' label to its packaging

Under the initiative, Timberland will revamp its packaging with an updated flavor. The nutrition label will include three sections:

• Manufactured Section: gives the name and factory location where the product was made.
• Environmental \Impact: reports how much energy was needed to produce Timberland footwear and the amount of Timberland's energy is generated from renewable resources such as the sun, wind or water.
• Community Impact: details the percentage of factories are assessed by the company's Code of conduct standards, the percentage of children in the workforce and total number of hours Timberland employees volunteer in the community.

The new packaging and label, a first in the retail industry, will launch this summer with Timerland's fall 2006 footwear.

Timberland's current packaging was introduced five years ago. The company "felt it was time to make it more contemporary and relevant to what Timberland stands for today," said Tracy Stokes, senior director of global brand management for Stratham, NH-based Timberland.

"From the inside out, our new packaging tells the story of who we are as a brand and conveys our commitment to make it better," Stokes said.

Timberland packaging will also include a call-to-action for consumers to aid people in need in their own communities. Messaging inside the boxes will ask consumers, "What kind of footprint will you leave?"

For example, consumers can use Timberland's biodegradable waste bags that come with the company's outdoor performance shoes, on trails. Consumers can also use Timberland footwear boxes to fill with donations and needed supplies, including canned goods, first-aid items or clothing to send to non-profit organizations. Timberland will provide links on its Web site at Timberland.com in the coming months to help consumers find local or national groups to support.

"The goal is to reduce Timberland's environmental impact while providing consumers with new information to help guide them in the purchase process, while at the same time, inspiring them to make their own positive impact," Stokes said.

Timberland also has high hopes that its use of environmentally-friendly packaging and "transparent communications" about its business practices will inspire other brands, Stokes said.

"Ideally, this kind of transparency in product packaging will become so commonplace that consumers will start to look for it—and demand it—in the products they purchase and the companies they do business with," she said.

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