Community Updates

Timberland Unveils New Spring 18 Footwear Collection Made with Recycled Fabric

Global outdoor lifestyle brand Timberland releases three new Timberland X Thread men’s footwear styles for spring, made with Thread’s recycled Ground to Good™ fabric. The collection marks the brand’s second collaboration with Thread, a Certified B Corporation that transforms plastic bottles from the streets and canals of Haiti and Honduras into one of the most responsible fabrics on the planet.

Published 6 years ago | About a 3 minute read

Beyond the environmental benefits associated with recycling plastic bottles, the collaboration also helps create meaningful change for the people of Haiti. Each product made with Thread™ fabric supports a vibrant network of dignified jobs in the developing world. Thread™ fabric is traced and tracked at every step of its journey. This leads to an unprecedented level of transparency into the supply chain itself as well as the people behind the fabric and their compelling stories, which are shared on Timberland’s website as part of the launch.

Haitian entrepreneurs like Sevenet, Mirlande and Clenord live in some of the poorest neighborhoods in Haiti, but have been able to transform their lives because of plastics. Their plastics businesses have allowed them to earn an income, send their children to school, build homes, and even extend income opportunities to their neighbors. Sevenet now runs several plastic collection sites, and has been able to employ more than 200 Haitians, bettering his community, and ultimately helping to end the circle of poverty.

“At Timberland, we’re constantly seeking innovative ways to create both social and environmental value, and are excited to continue making a difference in Haiti and in all the communities where we live, work and explore,” said Colleen Vien, sustainability director for Timberland. “Our collaboration with Thread has proven to be a meaningful way for us to grow our work in Haiti and generate social value for the people behind our products. We’ve embraced the opportunity to share their unique stories with our consumers, because this collection is about so much more than a boot. A Timberland X Thread boot represents real change – it helps create jobs, restore communities and build futures.”

The spring ‘18 Timberland X Thread men’s footwear collection includes three brand new 6” Canvas Boot styles (SRP $150), as well as the existing Newport Bay collection (SRP $75-$80). Each silhouette features durable canvas uppers made of Thread™ Ground to Good™ fabric (made with 50 percent post-consumer recycled PET), a 50 percent recycled PET mesh lining for comfort and breathability, and an outsole made of 15 percent recycled rubber. The collection is available at Timberland® specialty stores, timberland.com, and select wholesale partners nationwide.

The Timberland X Thread collaboration builds upon Timberland’s longtime commitment to support communities in Haiti. From 2010-2015, Timberland helped develop and introduce an agroforestry model, in partnership with the Smallholder Farmers Alliance (SFA), that not only resulted in the planting of more than 6.5 million trees, but also helped improve the livelihoods of thousands of smallholder farmers in Haiti. Today, the brand is working with the SFA to replicate this model and help bring cotton farming back to Haiti. In January 2018, smallholder farmers harvested Haiti’s first cotton crop in thirty years, bringing Timberland one step closer to becoming both a supporter of the SFA and a customer. Timberland has committed to purchase up to one-third of its global cotton supply from the SFA, once there is sufficient volume and subject to price and quality.

To learn more about the powerful stories of the people behind the Timberland X Thread collection visit www.timberland.com. For more information on Timberland’s commitments to environmental and social responsibility, including the brand’s work in Haiti, visit www.timberland.com/responsibility.