Williams-Sonoma Releases 2017 Corporate Responsibility Scorecard

October 18, 2018  by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Industry   

For the first time, Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (WSI) has aligned the Corporate Responsibility Scorecard to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a global framework for achieving a better, more sustainable future for all, and is actively contributing to nine of the SDGs.

“As we meet and exceed the company-wide goals set out in our annual Corporate Responsibility Scorecard, we are proud to know that our breadth and scale expand our impact beyond our own company into the global home industry,” said Laura Alber, president and CEO. “Ultimately, at the center of everything we do is our customer; they are the ones who drive change whenever they purchase responsible, sustainable products. Their values are our values, and we’re grateful to be on this journey with them.”

Highlights from the 2017 Corporate Responsibility Scorecard include:

• Worker Well-Being: A new goal of educating and empowering 100,000 workers by 2020. Through partnership with HERproject and VisionSpring, WSI has already reached a third of this goal, reporting improved financial and health-related knowledge of 30,000 workers in their supply chain.
• Fair Trade: Fair Trade has launched across all WSI brands, with over 5,000 Fair Trade Certified SKUs from bedding at Pottery Barn, to rugs at West Elm, to food at Williams Sonoma. To-date, the company has paid over one million dollars in Fair Trade premiums, achieving a third of WSI’s overall goal of paying three million dollars in Fair Trade premiums by 2020.
• Organic Cotton: Through partnerships with the Global Organic Textiles Standard (GOTS) and the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), WSI has achieved 50% responsibly sourced cotton across the company and is halfway to its goal of 100% responsibly sourced cotton by 2021. These achievements have earned WSI recognition from the Textile Exchange as a top 10 company using organic cotton and preferred fibers, the Sustainable Furnishings Council as the 2nd highest-ranking company sourcing responsible wood, and Barron’s as the 14th most sustainable company worldwide.
• GreenGuard: WSI is on track to reach 100% GreenGuard certification for Pottery Barn Kids brand nursery and bedroom furniture by 2018, ensuring that brand furniture products for WSI’s youngest customers meet the highest standards for indoor air quality. This year, WSI launched the Pottery Barn Modern Baby Collection, which features 100% organic cotton and 100% GreenGuard certified bedroom and nursery furniture.