With the Hunter Project, traditional British footwear brand Hunter, known for its rubber boots, announces the official launch of its sustainability and responsibility strategy. This is defined by three pillars: protecting forests, resources and communities, the company says.
In addition, it aims to follow seven statutes:
1. by 2025, all of the company's rubber footwear will be Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified.
2. Hunter commits to working with the World Land Trust to protect endangered forests, the species that depend on them and the people who care for them.
3. by 2022, 65% of the collection will be made from FSC-certified rubber, Bloom algae foam or recycled textiles. Some examples of recycled textiles include recycled polyester lining used in the rubber boots, recycled fleece in the boot socks, and recycled nylon used in shell fabrics and linings across the range of bags.
Hunter recently joined Canopy's Pack4Good initiative to outline its commitment to ensuring that none of its packaging comes from ancient and endangered forests.
5. by 2022, the brand will offset all direct carbon emissions from global stores and offices.
6. by 2022, Hunter will implement comprehensive global leadership training for all hiring managers, in line with its diversity and inclusion strategy and new HR policies and procedures.
7. Hunter has donated over 150,000 boots to date and is committed to donating an additional 15,000 pairs of fully functional boots each year to global charities, including those responding to natural disasters, pandemics, and the refugee crisis.
Even before that, Hunter had made efforts to produce sustainably: its rubber Wellington boots are handcrafted in four supplier factories in China and Indonesia that each purchase their own source of natural rubber. The natural rubber comes from farms that are near their factories in China, Indonesia, and Thailand. Since 2019, Hunter’s factories have also been sourcing sustainable natural rubber from a Hunter-nominated supplier of FSC-certified rubber in Guatemala, the company states.
This year, Hunter is working again with the Rainforest Alliance to develop a guidance manual for suppliers and land managers and to conduct training to Hunter sourcing staff; rubber, wood, and packaging suppliers; and land managers who work in the field. In 2022, Hunter wants to conduct field monitoring and training to land managers to ensure compliance with its standards and with industry best practice.
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