A person wearing New Balance apparel and trail shoes standing in a forest looking pensive. A person wearing New Balance apparel and trail shoes standing in a forest looking pensive.

Thoughtfully crafted

Building our product more responsibly is a continuous journey. We are unwavering in our commitment to product construction, the materials and methods we use, and — most importantly — the people crafting our products.

We are making changes today to achieve these goals between now and 2030

By 2030, source 100% preferred polyester, with 25% recycled fibers derived from textile waste

Excluded from our Environmentally Preferred Material goals (and progress against those goals) are licensed footwear and apparel, apparel designed and marketed by NB’s regional design centers (Tokyo Design Center and Manchester Design Studio), NB direct to team, promotional products ordered through third party vendors, and global football apparel prior to 2022. Beginning in 2022, global football apparel was included, except NB Japan.

By 2030, 100% of our leather will be chrome-free, regenerative, or be considered low emissions

Regenerative refers to leather sourced from ranches practicing regenerative agriculture. We consider leather to be low emissions if it has an LCA showing an emissions factor less than 18 kgCO₂e/kg material. In addition to these criteria, tanneries with an annual capacity over 1 million square feet must be LWG Gold-rated, and smaller tanneries with a capacity under 1 million square feet must be LWG audited. 

By 2030, utilize 80% preferred midsole and 90% preferred outsole compounds

Our preferred midsole material is bio-based EVA from sugarcane and recycled midsole foam, and our preferred midsole processes are injection molded and direct molded. Our preferred outsole materials are recycled rubber and bio-based compounds. 

By 2025, source 100% renewable electricity for owned operations

By 2025, eliminate use and discharge of hazardous chemicals

By 2025, achieve zero waste to landfill in our footwear factories

By 2030, reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 60% from 2019 baseline 

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) approved our near-term greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets in 2023, verifying that our goals align with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C across all scopes. 

By 2030, reduce Scope 3 emissions by 50% from 2019 baseline

Our Scope 3 reduction goal applies to Category 1: Purchased Goods & Services and Category 4: Upstream Transportation & Distribution emissions, which typically account for 80%-90% of our total Scope 3 footprint. 

By 2027, 100% of workers in our Tier 1 supply chain will have access to a workplace engagement program 

By 2027, 100,000 women workers in our Tier 1 supply chain will participate in training and education programs for personal and career development

By 2026, collect wage data, measure living wage progress, and publish results for all strategic footwear suppliers and select strategic apparel suppliers

A pair of white Fresh Foam X More Trail shoes in the forest.
Taking action
For years, New Balance has been building a strong foundation of sustainability practices and respecting human rights through our Responsible Leadership program and we established a set of bold actions and alliances targeting various aspects of climate change and social responsibility. We realize this is not enough and with transparency and action, we are continuously seeking change that creates both short-and long-term positive outcomes.
Outside shot of a New Balance factory
Person holding Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid shoes while walking in a river.
Outside shot of a New Balance factory

Committed to a more sustainable future

As a member of RE100 and a signatory to the UN Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action and the ZDHC Roadmap to Zero, we’re addressing some of the biggest environmental impacts at our manufacturing facilities and throughout our global supply chain.

Person holding Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid shoes while walking in a river.

Quality design is sustainable design

Quality has always been a part of our heritage. We’re constantly learning and evolving our approach to create quality, long lasting design. We’re building our portfolio of environmentally preferred materials, finding ways to use fewer materials, and driving toward more circular systems like repair and recycling.