GUESS Announces Release of Second Sustainability Report

NEW YORK, Sept. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- GUESS, a global lifestyle fashion brand, is proud to release its second sustainability report.  The report highlights GUESS's development towards a higher standard for social and environmental performance. 

GUESS's approach is aligned with the principles established by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) to determine topics that are important to both our stakeholders and to the sustainable growth of our business.  As a member of the Global Reporting Initiative's Standards Pioneers Program, GUESS is proud to be one of the first organizations to implement GRI's rigorous international sustainability reporting standards.  To aim for the balance and completeness that GRI encourages, GUESS has also had its data externally validated, further proving its commitment to transparency as foundational to its strategy. 

"Through my experience leading this truly global company, I see one constant across borders: people, particularly the younger generation, are deeply concerned about the future of this planet," says Victor Herrero, Chief Executive Officer for GUESS?, Inc.  "At GUESS, we understand that we must continue to grow and contribute to the global community with increasing care for people and the environment; we aim to embrace existing solutions as well as try new ones to address the social and environmental challenges of our time."

Since the release of GUESS's first sustainability report in 2015, the brand has developed its first formal sustainability strategy and commitments, and established new goals and initiatives that will play a large role in the future business of GUESS.  These goals will motivate GUESS's efforts over the next five years to enhance the sustainability of both its global operations and local communities, and connect customers with more sustainable fashion choices. 

This year, GUESS assessed the water footprint of its denim, and mapped its denim production by global water availability, as an important first step to better manage its impacts. The company is currently working on a comprehensive water action management plan to address these impacts that will be released next year.

GUESS has also joined a global industry pledge to advance a circular fashion system ? the idea that fashion should last, and be continuously repurposed, reused and recycled.  GUESS will be announcing a product take back program later this year, and is excited to engage its employees, customers and community on developing a more sustainable fashion industry. 

The report also updates other areas of progress, including successfully reducing its carbon footprint across its stores, distribution centers and headquarters in Los Angeles, California.  In FY 2015, GUESS reported its efforts to improve store energy efficiency by replacing existing lighting systems with more efficient LED lighting.  As part of GUESS's recent commitment to the Science Based Target Initiative, the company will also be transitioning its current emission reduction goal to create more aggressive carbon emission reduction goals within the next two years as its contribution to help limit global warming.

For more information about GUESS's Sustainability Report, please visit sustainability.guess.com.

About Guess?
Guess?, Inc. designs, markets, distributes and licenses a lifestyle collection of contemporary apparel, denim, handbags, watches, footwear and other related consumer products. Guess? products are distributed through branded Guess? stores as well as better department and specialty stores around the world. As of July 29, 2017, the Company directly operated 945 retail stores in the Americas, Europe and Asia. The Company's licensees and distributors operated 699 additional retail stores worldwide. As of July 29, 2017, the Company and its licensees and distributors operated in roughly 100 countries worldwide. For more information about the Company, please visit www.guess.com.

SOURCE Guess?, Inc.