N Brown said it has received approval from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), which assesses companies' targets and ensures that they re in line with the latest climate science under the Paris Climate Agreement.
It explained that scope 1 and 2 cover emissions generated by N Brown’s own operations, such as electricity at its distribution centres and head office. scope 3 refers to emissions in N Brown's supply chain, such as energy usage by its product manufacturing partners.
N Brown highlighted that these targets are part of its wider sustainability strategy, SUSTAIN, which includes the Group’s ambition to achieve net zero emissions by 2040 under the British Retail Consortium’s (BRC) Climate Action Roadmap.
Angela Gaskell, group sourcing, sustainability, quality and fit director at N Brown, sees the SBTi approval as a key milestone in the group's sustainability strategy. She believes it reflects N Brown's commitment to deliver meaningful change towards reducing the impact of its operations and supply chain emissions.
She said: "Our primary focus for this year is to collaborate with our suppliers to gather further data which will enhance our scope 3 transition roadmap, and to support both N Brown and our partners’ ambitions to make a positive change in supply chain."
Sarah Welsh, CEO of retail at N Brown, added: "We’re committed to our key long-term goals of ensuring that all our own brand products are sustainable by 2030 through our partnership with Textiles 2030, and to becoming net zero by 2040 through the BRC’s Climate Action Roadmap. N Brown has taken a significant step forward in our net zero ambitions by achieving approval from the SBTi, and we look forward to continuing to make positive changes to minimise our climate impact."
In January 2024, N Brown Group reported its group revenue had fallen 9.3% to £226.0m ($286.5m) for the third quarter of fiscal year 2024, with the company listing customer experience and strategic business positioning as key priorities moving forward.