VF Corp. (VF), one of the world’s largest apparel companies, with brands including North Face, Timberland, and Wrangler, ranks joint 10th out of 65 companies. Since 2021, the company improved by strengthening its disclosure of risks identified in its supply chains, disclosing data on the percentage of its migrant supply chain workforce, and strengthening its no-fee policy to reflect the Employer Pays standard. However, the company did not improve across other themes. The company performed particularly poorly on the themes of Remedy and Purchasing Practices. As such, the company’s rank has dropped by 4 places. The company’s score is based on its stronger performance on the themes of Traceability & Risk Assessment, Monitoring, and Recruitment. Notably, VF is among the two highest-scoring companies in the premium (mid-luxury) subsector and holds the second-highest score on the theme of Traceability & Risk Assessment.
KnowTheChain identified one allegation of forced labour in the company’s supply chains, related to alleged Uyghur forced labour. VF states that it does not source from the XUAR region and outlines its cotton tracing process. However, the company does not disclose the steps it has taken to address the risks of alleged Uyghur forced labour across raw materials and supply chain tiers.
The company has an opportunity to improve its performance and disclosure on the themes of Purchasing Practices, Worker Voice, and Remedy.