Goals and progress
Employees | Our program in action
Jorge & John: Greener sourcing and packaging
Location: San Francisco, California
Summary: Jorge Perez-Olmo and John Hodges are changing the way we think about sourcing, packaging and shipping — reducing our costs and environmental impact at the same time.
It started out simply — by taking a closer look at the price ticket attached to a T-shirt and asking a few questions:
What’s the paper made from? Can we use recycled paper? If so, how would we do that? And how would we maintain the same quality?
To Jorge Perez-Olmo and John Hodges, of Gap’s Global Sourcing &
Packaging team, this kind of thinking is all in a day’s work. This team makes
smart business decisions with the planet and its limited resources in mind. For
Gap brand, the two manage all global garment packaging, shopping bags, gift
boxes, gift cards and direct mail.
Jorge and John enabled Gap to move to 100 percent post-consumer recycled price tags in the Spring 2008 season. Previously, Gap had produced about 1.5 billion price tags — the equivalent of 10 tons of paper — each year.
That effort sent a strong environmental message to the apparel industry and inspired Gap Inc.’s largest brand, Old Navy, to also introduce recycled price tickets in 2009.
“One of the guiding principles from our recycled paper project,” John says, “is that, if you understand your business, you can make change.”
In November, 2007, the two introduced Gap’s first gift card to be made of
recycled plastic. That prompted other Gap Inc. brands, Banana Republic and Old
Navy, to offer similar cards in 2008. With all three brands joining forces,
Jorge and John – along with Jason Green, in Strategic Sourcing — were able to
negotiate a volume discount from the supplier, which meant considerable
cost-savings.
The pair have vowed to evaluate everything they “touch and feel” through a sustainability lens.
For the past year, the glossy inserts that Gap’s credit card customers receive with their statements have been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). This certifies that the paper comes from sustainably managed forests. We’ve also used FSC-certified paper in all direct mail pieces since Spring 2008 and in our in-store signage for Gap’s credit card and Gap Direct box stuffers – barcoded coupons that come with shipping boxes.
For online sales and garment factory shipments, Gap also now offers clear
plastic shipping bags that are bio-degradable — all cost neutral.
Jorge and John are also rethinking shipping and transit routes to lighten their team’s carbon footprint.
“Our sustainability work,” Jorge says, “is about a combination of expense savings and doing what’s right.”
John says their work has helped change the mindset of many who design or produce goods at Gap. They’ve opened eyes to the idea that sustainability can be part of the discussion without sacrificing quality or creativity.
“Given Gap’s size and iconic status within the retail landscape,” Jorge says, “we’re lucky to find ourselves in a position to effect change on a very large scale. And that’s what we seek to do.”
