The Vans Distribution centre is in the top 25% 25% of distribution centres worldwide for energy efficiency as rated by the Energy Star rating system. Their facility in Sante Fe become a zero waste to landfill facility in 2013! They have managed to accomplish this by doing the following,

• They have clearly designed waste stations through their office buildings so that everyone knows what to throw in what bins. I love this, they are dedicated to an overall reduction in waste, not just in the production process.
• Employees at their head office receive reusable coffee mugs and water bottles. There are filtered water stations in the offices, eliminating the need for single use plastic water bottles and coffee mugs.
• Break rooms have reusable silverware, saving 3000 plastic utensils each month!
• They recycle around 11000 pounds of cardboard each day! This saves a significant amount of energy.
• Their box reuse project means they reuse as many inbound shopping boxes as possible, saving them around 120 000 pound of cardboard annually.
• All proceeds of their recycled cans are donated to local charities.
• A monthly operational sustainability scorecard is published to everyone – leading to accountability and transparency.

Their sustainability efforts extend to their 300 retail stores in North America.

• All of their retail stores are built with FSC certified wood fixtures and low-VOC paint.
• They install energy efficient LED track lighting which uses less energy.
• Reusable shopping bags have been sold in Vans stores since 2013 with the proceeds going to skate foundation and Surfer’s Healing.

These efforts are not limited to how the product is made but are a part of the company culture and introduced to every part of the organisation. They even have electrical charging stations they are available for free to all Vans employees, which shows a companywide commitment to sustainable living.

If you needed a reason to buy Vans then all of the above are it AND they have some amazing looking sneakers!