Coats pioneers a sustainable future with targets for 2022

Coats, the world’s leading industrial thread company, has published its first sustainability report, which covers key sustainability performance data for the period 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2018.

The report, ‘Pioneering a sustainable future’, also launches a sustainability strategy which sets out seven ambitious targets for 2022 across five priority areas in order to accelerate the company’s progress towards a more sustainable future.

The five priority areas are water, energy, effluent and emissions, social and living sustainably. Coats identified the areas by first considering the values and ethics which are most important to employees, customers and investors as well as the end consumer. These key stakeholder groups are making increasingly influential demands for action on sustainability across all markets and industries. Coats then looked at where there was the most potential for improvement in its own manufacturing and operations.

Having identified the five priority areas, Coats has set seven ambitious targets to be achieved by 2022:

The five priority areas are water, energy, effluent and emissions, social and living sustainably. Coats identified the areas by first considering the values and ethics which are most important to employees, customers and investors as well as the end consumer. These key stakeholder groups are making increasingly influential demands for action on sustainability across all markets and industries. Coats then looked at where there was the most potential for improvement in its own manufacturing and operations.

Having identified the five priority areas, Coats has set seven ambitious targets to be achieved by 2022:

• 40% reduction in water used in litres/kg thread produced
• 7% reduction in energy used in kwh/kg thread produced
• Source renewable energy where feasible
• Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals effluent standards
• ‘Great place to work’ or equivalent awards for all key sites
• All employees involved in community activities
• 25% reduction in waste

There is also an additional target of manufacturing 100% recycled premium polyester threads by 2024. All reductions are against the 2018 baseline.