W. L. Gore & Associates
Climate Impact & Sustainability Data (2021, 2023)
Reporting Period: 2021
Environmental Metrics
Total Carbon Emissions:142 kt CO2e
Scope 3 Emissions:257 kt CO2e (Fabrics Division)
Renewable Energy Share:27%
Total Energy Consumption:496 MWh
ESG Focus Areas
- Carbon Reduction
- Renewable Energy
- Product Stewardship
- Chemicals Management
- Associate Engagement
- Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
- Community Investment
- Supply Chain Due Diligence
- Human Rights
Environmental Achievements
- Reduced scope 1 & 2 CO2e emissions by roughly 10% against the 2016 baseline year.
- Approximately 27% of electricity consumption came from renewable sources.
- 19 tons of nitrile gloves diverted from landfills through the Kimberly-Clark RightCycle™ Program.
- 100% of GORE-TEX garments and footwear laminates certified by Standard 100 by OEKO-TEX®.
Social Achievements
- 82% favorable response in the Associate Engagement Index, exceeding the 80% target.
- More than $1.5 million raised for the U.S. United Way employee giving campaign.
- Adoption of a broad DE&I framework.
- Launch of a new inclusive sponsorship program.
Governance Achievements
- No violations of child labor or forced labor in manufacturing operations and sales offices.
- Partnership with a supply chain management consultancy to conduct a Human Rights Risk Assessment.
- Joined the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI).
Climate Goals & Targets
Long-term Goals:
- Achieve carbon neutrality (scopes 1 & 2) by 2050.
Medium-term Goals:
- Reduce absolute carbon emissions originating in Gore facilities (scopes 1 & 2) by 60% by 2030.
- Reduce the Fabrics Division’s absolute product-related carbon emissions (scope 3) by 35% by 2030.
- Implementing EOSH Management Systems that are externally certified to ISO 14001 and 45001 in all Gore manufacturing facilities by the end of fiscal year 2025.
Short-term Goals:
- Reduce absolute carbon emissions originating in Gore facilities (scopes 1 & 2) by 50% by 2025.
Environmental Challenges
- Measuring footprint reductions for raw materials sourced from suppliers remains challenging.
- Emissions related to raw materials remain the primary focus of emission reduction in the Fabrics Division.
- Addressing further greenhouse gas emissions from sources such as process-related auxiliaries, gasoline/diesel consumption from company vehicles, energy consumption from sales offices and refrigerants from chillers.
Mitigation Strategies
- Improving equipment and process efficiencies, generating renewable energy onsite, and increasing purchases of electricity from renewable sources.
- Expanding ISO 14001 and 45001 certifications to all manufacturing facilities.
- Broadening supply chain due diligence efforts.
- Implementing risk assessments on a regular basis and exercising further due diligence, where needed.
Supply Chain Management
Responsible Procurement
- Gore Guidelines on Social Responsibility (GSR)
Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities
Reporting Standards
Frameworks Used: Paris Agreement, UN Sustainable Development Goals (Goal 13), Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol
Certifications: ISO 14001, ISO 45001, Standard 100 by OEKO-TEX®, bluesign®
UN Sustainable Development Goals
- Goal 13
Carbon reduction goals aligned with the Paris Agreement and Goal 13 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Sustainable Products & Innovation
- GORE-TEX Laminates utilizing BIONIC® material
- GORE-TEX EXTRAGUARD Product Technology
- ePE-based GORE-TEX Brand consumer fabrics
Awards & Recognition
- Great Place to Work-Certified™
- Ranked on Great Place to Work® Best Workplaces™ lists
- Selected as #2 on Fast Company magazine’s Best Workplaces for Innovators 2021 list
- Recognized as a Best Workplaces for Millennials™ by Fortune in 2021
- Included on the Fortune Best Workplaces in Manufacturing & Production™ in 2021
Reporting Period: 2023
Environmental Metrics
Total Carbon Emissions:107 ktCO2e/year
Scope 1 Emissions:Not disclosed
Scope 2 Emissions:Not disclosed
Scope 3 Emissions:Not disclosed
Renewable Energy Share:44%
Total Energy Consumption:496,000 MWh/year
Water Consumption:Not disclosed
Waste Generated:8,400 tons/year
Carbon Intensity:Dropped 49% since 2016 and by 21% compared with 2022.
ESG Focus Areas
- Innovation
- Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
- Product stewardship and chemicals management
- Talent recruitment, retention and engagement
- Employee & supplier diversity
- Transparency
Environmental Achievements
- Arizona and Japan facilities shifted to 100% renewable electricity, cutting global scope 2 emissions by more than a third.
- Expanded waste monitoring to all countries with operations.
- Increased ISO 14001 certifications to 44% of facilities.
- 14% reduction in Fabrics scope 3 emissions.
- Launched consumer fabrics products made with expanded polyethylene (ePE) membranes, without intentionally added per and polyfluorinated substances.
Social Achievements
- Enhanced health and safety management processes, introducing “Days Away, Restricted or Transferred” (DART) figures globally.
- Continued investment in Associate learning courses with 11% new e-learning courses.
- Expanded reach of Supplier Code of Conduct to promote positive social impacts in the supply chain.
- Achieved a 100% score on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index.
- Reduced U.S. DART rate by 8.3%.
Governance Achievements
- Formalized a global Anti-Discrimination, Anti-Harassment and Anti-Retaliation Policy and implemented Preventing Workplace Harassment training for all employees.
- Published a Human Rights Policy Statement.
Climate Goals & Targets
Long-term Goals:
- Work toward carbon neutrality by 2050 (scope 1 & 2 emissions).
Medium-term Goals:
- Achieve 60% reduction in Gore’s absolute scope 1 & 2 carbon emissions by 2030.
- Achieve 35% reduction in scope 3 carbon emissions in our Fabrics Division by 2030.
- Implement EOSH Management Systems certified to ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 in all Gore manufacturing facilities by end of fiscal year 2027.
Short-term Goals:
- Achieve 50% reduction in Gore’s scope 1 & 2 carbon emissions by 2025.
- Eliminate PFCs of Environmental Concern from our consumer fabrics portfolio by 2025.
- Improve global DART injury/illness rate by 5% in 2024 vs. 2023 baseline.
Environmental Challenges
- Decreased scores in Associate Engagement and Leadership Capability Indices of the Gore Culture Survey, influenced by organizational changes.
- Water usage may impact available resources in water-stressed areas and in the Fabrics Division.
- Total reported waste generated was 64% higher than the previous year (partially due to improved data gathering).
Mitigation Strategies
- Implementing a consistent global tool for managing safety data sheets.
- Developing a global Water Protection Standard to identify, assess and manage risks related to water withdrawal and discharge.
- Implementing Gore’s EOSH Management System to improve waste categorization and tracking.
Supply Chain Management
Supplier Audits: Not disclosed
Responsible Procurement
- Supplier Code of Conduct
- Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM)
Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities
Physical Risks
- Not disclosed
Transition Risks
- Not disclosed
Opportunities
- Development of energy-efficient products; accelerating the world’s transition to clean energy through proton exchange membranes (PEM).
Reporting Standards
Frameworks Used: GRI, GHG Protocol Corporate Standard, Science Based Target initiative’s (SBTi) Apparel and Footwear Guidance
Certifications: ISO 14001, ISO 45001, bluesign® APPROVED, OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100, Global Recycle Standard
Third-party Assurance: Not disclosed
UN Sustainable Development Goals
- Not disclosed
Contribution to SDGs highlighted throughout the report.
Sustainable Products & Innovation
- GORE® TAG® Thoracic Branch Endoprosthesis (TBE)
- GORE® VIAFORT Vascular Stent
- GORE PEM for water electrolysis
- GORE® Catalytic Device
- ePE membranes
Awards & Recognition
- ISPO award for GOREWEAR GORE-TEX CONCURVE jacket
- Gear Junkie’s Gear of the Year 2023 for ePE membrane
- Great Place to Work® certification in the U.S.
- 2024 Greenovation Award
- Arizona Million Dollar Circle of Excellence