Dive Brief:
- Gap has named Levi Strauss & Co.’s former chief sustainability officer Jeffrey Hogue as its new CSO. Gap’s chief supply chain and transformation officer announced the appointment over LinkedIn last month.
- Hogue takes over from Daniel Fibiger, who served as a sustainability executive at Gap for over 15 years, most recently as vice president of global sustainability. Fibiger unveiled his plans to depart the company in April, initiating a search for a replacement to oversee the clothing retailer’s net-zero and decarbonization targets.
- Hogue said in a statement detailing his new role that he will collaborate with leaders across Gap and its global supply chain to “strengthen and embed sustainability throughout the business.”
Dive Insight:
Hogue joined Levi’s in 2020 and served as CSO for six years before heading over to Gap. Hogue said as Gap’s CSO, his focus areas will include environmental, social and governance initiatives such as human’s rights and women’s rights; climate, water, waste, materials and circularity; governance and regulatory compliance; and collaboration with suppliers, governments, NGOs and industry partners to “develop solutions that create shared value.”
During Hogue’s tenure at Levi’s, the company unveiled its first climate transition plan and committed to reaching net-zero emissions across its supply chain by 2050. The company also set near-term sustainability targets, including a goal to reduce absolute scope 1 and scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2025, compared to a 2016 baseline, as well as a goal to cut absolute scope 3 emissions by 42% by 2030, compared to a 2022 baseline. Last year, the company updated its water strategy to reduce freshwater use across its operations and increase water recycling and reuse within its manufacturing process.
Prior to Levi’s, Hogue held several ESG leadership positions across a wide range of companies. He has previously served as CSO at global fashion retailer C&A, senior director of global corporate social responsibility and sustainability at McDonald’s and as director of sustainability and, later, CSO at food ingredients manufacturer Danisco.
Gap Chief Supply Chain and Transformation Officer Sally Gilligan said Hogue “brings deep global experience … along with a proven track record of advancing sustainability through business leadership, partnership, and innovation” in the late June post announcing the CSO appointment.
Gilligan said Hogue will also serve on the Gap Foundation Board, which is the governing body behind the philanthropic and charitable arm of Gap that oversees its sustainability initiatives, community investments across the globe, volunteer efforts and social impact programs.
Gap — the parent company to its namesake clothing brand, Old Navy, Banana Republic and Athleta — has several ESG goals. These include targets to achieve net-zero carbon emissions across its value chain by 2050 against a 2017 baseline and becoming water positive by midcentury, according to its latest impact report.
