Hilfiger launches new Make it Possible sustainability platform

By

Godfrey Deeny

Published
Aug 31, 2020

Unveiled worldwide on Monday, Make It Possible commits Hilfiger to 24 ambitious targets, themed around circularity and inclusivity, with a series of ambitious goals to be completed by 2030. Overall, the project’s key idea is to reinforce the brand’s commitment to  create fashion that ‘Wastes Nothing and Welcomes All’.

 

Make it Possible is based on a few key pillars: Circle Round, or making products to be fully circular, and part of a sustainable loop Made for Life, meaning operating with sensitivity to planetary boundaries, in terms of climate change, land use, freshwater and chemical pollution. Meaning from what Hilfiger buys to where the brand retails. Everyone Welcome, ensuring the brand is always inclusive, and completely accessible. And, finally, Opportunity for All: creating equal access to opportunity at Tommy Hilfiger.
 
“I opened my first store, People’s Place, in 1969 in my hometown of Elmira for people of all backgrounds to come together and share exciting pop culture experiences,” said Tommy Hilfiger in a release. “As our brand has evolved over the years, driven by this inclusive spirit, so has our commitment to social and environmental sustainability. With Make it Possible, we will go even further with our commitment. We’re working towards our vision with the entire organization focused on it and, while we’re not there yet, we are going to get there.“
 
The overall program is powered by parent company PVH Corp’s Forward Fashion strategy - designed to reduce negative impacts to zero, increase positive impacts to 100%, and improve over one million lives across the company’s value chain.
 
“In these times of health, human, environmental and economic crisis, we share a responsibility to find innovative solutions that will encourage inclusivity and build a more circular future,” said Martijn Hagman, the recently appointed CEO of Tommy Hilfiger Global and PVH Europe, who stressed Hilfiger’s “decade’s long track-record” for pioneering impact denim processes and championing water stewardship. 
 
As part of Make it Possible, the house will launch Tommy Hilfiger Adaptive, designed to make dressing easier for adults and children with disabilities; and the Tommy Hilfiger Fashion Frontier Challenge, a global program to support start-up and scale-up stage businesses.
 
Historically, Hilfiger has long been at the forefront of using a rich variety of models and ethnicities in his ad campaigns, way ahead of many of his fellow designers. His new wide-ranging program includes 24 targets, designed to develop greater representation of black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) communities within the fashion and creative industries. 
 
Moreover, to date more than 80% of Tommy Hilfiger designers have been trained on circular design strategies and, in 2019, 72% of cotton used globally came from more sustainable sources. Additionally some two million pieces of denim have already been finished in lower impact, reducing the amount of water and energy used. 
 
Back in August 2019, Tommy Hilfiger, as part of PVH Corp., joined industry partners by signing The Fashion Pact; and joining the Ellen MacArthur Foundation Make Fashion Circular and Jeans Redesign initiatives. Finally, Hilfiger has also been active with the WWF, providing training on water risk management for suppliers and industrial parks in China’s Taihu River Basin and serving as the founding brand partner of a new water stewardship program in Vietnam in the Mekong.