UGG Launches 'Feel Good.' On World Values Day

A platform dedicated to the brand's commitment to people and planet

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Oct 15, 2020, 10:05 ET

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Oct. 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of World Values Day, UGG® (a division of Deckers Brands [NYSE: DECK]) launches FEEL GOOD., a site showcasing the brand's commitment to people and planet.

Focused around three key pillars, Environment, Community and Innovation, the new FEEL GOOD. site gives context to the brand's ambitious long-term sustainability goals, projects and global partnerships. Highlights include a focus on regenerative farming through a partnership with nonprofit The Savory Institute, as well as carbon accounting and reduction measures in line with the Paris Agreement goals through Science Based Targets.

Through FEEL GOOD. consumers will be able to follow the UGG® brand's actions and understand its impacts using this knowledge to make sure the brand is transparent, accountable, and both socially and environmentally progressive.

In 2016, UGG® as part of Deckers Brands joined the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative with over 9,500 participating companies. As part of the UNGC commitments, the brand set targets relating to waste, water, materials, chemicals, climate and clean energy, and human rights and equality.

FEEL GOOD. marks the next step in the brand's effort to help make the extent of human-driven impact on the planet widely recognized. The recent UN report card on the state of the natural world was clear that the warning-alarms are flashing red. But the report makes clear that it is possible to slow down and even reverse losses to nature if the right changes are made in time. Telling the story of change is key to the transformational shift company and consumers need to see across landscapes and cultures.

"These are critical times when we must all play our part in delivering the United Nations Global Compact Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement through a future which is sustainable and resilient," said Dave Powers, President & CEO, Deckers Brands. "We believe in transformative change – change that is only possible with a focused and transparent approach."

"California is an endless source of inspiration for us. We want to protect this place so our children and childrens children can be inspired by it. These are critical times when we must all play our part in building a more sustainable future. By launching our FEEL GOOD. site, we are documenting our commitment to people and the planet," said Andrea O'Donnell, President, UGG® & Koolaburra by UGG® of Deckers Brands. "We want to be transparent so that our community can hold us accountable and we hope to inspire others along the way."

Feel is an inherent part of the UGG® brand's DNA and what it delivers. For Autumn/Winter 2020 and beyond, FEEL ____. will be the unifying theme with a variety of stories that support it. Beginning today, a global audience can access UGG® FEEL GOOD. at Feelgoodfuture.ugg.com. Compelling content showcases the ideas, innovation and science behind the UGG® brand's sustainability strategy, addressing the key environmental and social issues the world is facing:

ENVIRONMENT

PROTECTING THE PLANET

At UGG®, recognizing the importance of protecting our planet for future generations. This is why the brand is taking steps to understand and minimize the environmental impact of business operations and is working with expert partners to implement projects that drive positive change in the world.

UGG® is carefully monitoring its environmental impact. The brand has started working with expert partners in efforts to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris Agreement, and plans to set Science Based Targets by 2021.

UGG® will also launch a partnership with nonprofit The Savory Institute as frontier founders of the Savory Institute's Land to Market program, working to protect and reverse environmental degradation through regenerative farming practices.

COMMUNITY

PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST

People power the UGG® brand's product, purpose, and the planet. To champion this, the brand proudly celebrates and acknowledges the importance of diversity, gender equality, female empowerment, and inclusion for all (UNGC Sustainable Development Goal #4, 5 and 10). UGG® advocates for its employees, customers, community, and beyond.

UGG® is committed to conducting business with the utmost respect for universal principles of human rights and responsible environmental practices. In 2016, UGG® joined the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative.

UGG® steadfastly supports HERproject, a collaborative initiative that creates partnerships with brands to enable workplace-based interventions on health, financial inclusion, and gender equality. Since 2016, UGG® has trained over 33,000 women through the HERproject, and by 2027 plans to enrich the lives of 100,000 women globally. UGG® is also proud to support the LGBTQ+ community with an all-gender capsule sold year-round. To complement this capsule, in 2020 UGG® donated $125,000 to GLAAD – a non-profit accelerating acceptance and advancing equality for the LGBTQ+ community.

UGG® is also passionately committed to promoting equity, inclusion and diversity throughout the organization and is partnering closely with parent company Deckers Brands in its efforts to implement initiatives in furtherance of this goal.

INNOVATION

Innovating UGG® product

UGG® is committed to continually working to make its products better, both for consumers and the planet. The brand will achieve this through seeking and using innovative materials and have targets to increase its use of recycled, repurposed, regenerated (plant based), renewable (bio based), and certified fibers by 35% by 2027. UGG® has passionate teams building the framework that make such changes possible, that constantly imagine and re-imagine what it means to make a meaningful impact.

Innovation is the key to reducing fashion's impact on the planet. It will enable us to reduce the amount of carbon we emit; explore carbon neutrality for upcoming collections; protect and restore biodiversity and enhance supply chain traceability and transparency. UGG® is responding to the growing global demand for more innovative products made with alternative materials backed by extensive research and development.

The UGG® brand's most used textile fiber is re-purposed wool, which is harvested of the brand's twinface sheepskin then woven into UGGpure^™ proprietary technology. UGGpure^™ is a more responsible material because it reduces the use of virgin wool, uses less water, less energy, and emits less CO₂ when compared to virgin market wool.

We continue to push the innovation boundaries and have also created UGGplush^™ which is the brand's signature UGGpure^™ wool combined with a percentage of TENCEL™ lyocell woven into a recycled polyester backing. UGG® plans to increase its use of TENCEL™ lyocell as it furthers the brand's commitment to seeking more sustainable material alternatives whenever possible.

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Credit: UGG®

About UGG®

Founded in 1978 by an Australian surfer on the coast of California, UGG® is a global lifestyle brand renowned for its iconic Classic boot. First worn by Hollywood royalty, fashion editors and then the world, UGG® designs and retails footwear, apparel, accessories and homewares with an uncompromising attitude toward quality and craftsmanship. Delivering more than $1 billion in annual sales, UGG® partners with the best retailers globally and owns over 130 concept and outlet stores worldwide in key markets including New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Paris, London, Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing. For more information, please visit www.ugg.com. @ugg #feelUGG