Making pioneering a sustainable future happen at Coats
- 10 Mar 2020
10 March 2020: Coats, the world’s leading industrial thread company, has today published its 2019 Sustainability Report covering key sustainability performance data for the period 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2019.
The report, 'Pioneering a sustainable future: making it happen', gives an update on progress against the targets for 2022 published in the 2018 Sustainability Report. In order to accelerate the company’s progress towards a more sustainable future, five priority areas were identified: water, energy, effluent and emissions, social and living sustainably.
Setting this bold new strategy last year was the first step. Since then, Coats has gone further and confirmed participation in, and commitment to, the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC). Coats is fully committed to the UNGC Principles on Human Rights, Labour, the Environment and Anti-Corruption, and continues to progress the implementation of these Principles in operations and across its supply chain. It also identified the most relevant UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to its business operations and will continue to ensure that its activities are contributing towards the achievement of these goals.
Rajiv Sharma, Group Chief Executive, Coats, said: 'For many years, Coats has had a robust approach to sustainability and 2019 saw progress made in the first year of our new strategy. We have set ambitious goals to deliver by 2022 as we continue pioneering towards a more sustainable future. The commitment and enthusiasm of our employees, management teams and partners gives me confidence that the progress we have made in 2019, will set us on a glide path to achieve our sustainability targets. Sustainability is a source of differentiation and value to multiple stakeholders.'
The 2019 report combines a broad overview of Coats’ sustainability activities with the first formal Communication on Progress (COP) as UNGC participants. As a COP, the report describes Coats’ actions and performance in relation to the Principles and the progress Coats is making towards the sustainability targets set and the relationship that these bear to the SDGs.
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For more information contact:
Kristina Blissett, Head of Group Communications
kristina.blissett@coats.com
T +44 (0)208 210 5084, M +44 (0)7714 539887
Notes to Editors
About Coats
Coats is the world’s leading industrial thread company. At home in some 50 countries, Coats has a workforce of 17,000 people across six continents. Revenues in 2019 were US$1.4bn.
Coats’ pioneering history and innovative culture ensure the company leads the way around the world. It provides complementary and value added products, services and software solutions to the apparel and footwear industries. It applies innovative techniques to develop high technology Performance Materials threads, yarns and fabrics in areas such as Transportation, Telecommunications and Energy, and Personal Protection.
Headquartered in the UK, Coats is a FTSE 250 company, a constituent of the FTSE4Good UK Index and a participant in the UN Global Compact. It is also the Official Thread Supplier to the Royal Shakespeare Company.
- Each year Coats makes enough thread to go into 8 billion pairs of jeans – that is one for every person on the planet
- Every month Coats produces enough thread to stretch all the way to the sun
- More than 450 million pairs of shoes are made every year using Coats’ thread
- More than 100 million car airbags are made using Coats’ Performance Materials thread every year
- In 1879 Thomas Edison used Coats’ thread in his experiments to invent the light bulb
- Coats’ flame retardant Performance Materials threads can withstand temperatures as high as 1,000 degrees Celsius
- Coats Epic Ecoverde is the world’s first 100% recycled premium sewing thread
To find out more about Coats visit www.coats.com
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