As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility initiative named Proplanet, Woodland has launched products such as sandals made from vegetable-tanned leather and biodegradable shoes that are sturdy, durable and aesthetically designed. The company upholds its position in the green movement by partnering with many environmentally conscious partners. Every brand must give back to the community as it grows and succeeds, and we at Woodland always look for ways in which we can contribute to the society, Harkirat Singh, its Managing Director, informs S&A in an exclusive interview.
With consumers becoming ever more concerned about product origin, how consistent is your approach towards sustainability in your business operation?
Every brand must give back to the community as it grows and succeeds, and we at Woodland always look for ways in which we can contribute to the society. For us creating value for our communities is as important as generating profit for our shareholders.
Each year as we grow, we become more capable of working towards tangible, positive changes in our environmental practices. The company upholds its position in the green movement by partnering with many environmentally conscious partners such as Leave No Trace, UNICEF, WWF and many more.Woodland is focused on energy conservation and elimination of waste in order to minimize its environmental footprint. In keeping with the brand’s eco-conscious philosophy, we came up with a Pro-planet community, which focuses on causing minimal harm to the environment through eco-friendly products and stores.
The brand has always been in sync with nature and thus uses recycled consumer and industrial waste products for internal operations as well.
In India, the need for corporate social initiatives is quite essential in addressing a lot of social issues. Given this, in what scale do you integrate them to your overall strategy?
Woodland maintains an unswerving commitment to sustainable and eco-friendly business practices through innovation and technology. It shares a passion for adventure, nature, exploring and preserving the planet Earth. Hence, the brand mantra ‘Explore More’ is integrated into every product it manufactures and the activities it is associated with.
Share with us some of the social initiatives you have undertaken in the recent time.
Woodland, as part of its CSR initiative Proplanet, has launched products such as sandals made from vegetable tanned leather and biodegradable shoes that are sturdy, durable and aesthetically designed. The raw materials used are free of any harmful substances. The outer sole and heel are made of crêpe rubber (natural raw rubber) and the upper part is made of vegetable tanned leather, which is also used in the lining of the shoe. Cellulose has been used to make the insole, toe puffs and the counters. The in-sock/foot-bed is made of latex foam and is duly covered by vegetable tanned leather. The laces are made of cotton.
The brand also produced organic t-shirts that are free of toxins and pesticides and made from 100% organic cotton. We also produced pure green T-shirts made from recycled PET (plastic) bottles. The plastic bottles are sterilized and processed into fiber strands that are knitted together to create a fabric, which is used to produce 100% recycled T-shirts.
Being an eco-conscious brand, we aim to become India’s first carbon neutral chain. We partnered with Huber, a German company specializing in eco-friendly architecture and design. The launch of the carbon neutral stores was another step towards our goal of Zero Carbon Emissions.
Were you able to achieve the intended target of the initiatives?
Yes, we have reached out to right masses and have been able to create an impact via our social initiatives and campaigns. We have partnered with renowned bodies including UNICEF, WWF, etc. for few of our initiatives and able to bring around a change.
