Gap appoints new chief sustainability officer

US retail giant Gap has named Jeffrey Hogue, the former sustainability head of Levi Strauss, as its new chief sustainability officer. The news was announced by the company’s chief supply chain and transformation officer, Sally Gilligan, in a post on LinkedIn.

Gilligan said Hogue would lead efforts across climate and equity to help advance meaningful impact across all elements of the business. He will also serve on the Gap Foundation Board to support initiatives related to strengthening global communities.

Gilligan added: “Jeff brings deep global experience from organisations including Levi Strauss & Co., C&A, and McDonald’s, along with a proven track record of advancing sustainability through business leadership, partnership, and innovation.”

Hogue joins Gap from Levi Strauss, where he had served as chief sustainability officer for six years. Prior to this, he had been chief sustainability officer for C&A; senior director, global CSR & sustainability for McDonald’s; and chief sustainability officer for Danisco, where he had been for 12 years.

At Gap, he steps into a position once partially held by Daniel Fibiger, who had been the company’s vice president, global sustainability for over three years.

In a post announcing his departure from the company, Fibiger said it was a “weird time to leave” as CEO Richard Dickson had “instilled a sense of optimism, creativity and urgency across the business that is real and only getting started”. He added that Gap’s global sustainability team was “among the best in the business”.

In its latest sustainability report, Gap reported a series of key milestones, most notably meeting its goal of sourcing 100 percent of its cotton from “more sustainable sources” and increasing its recycled polyester usage to 65 percent.

The company also recorded a reduction in Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 70 percent against a 2017 baseline and had further achieved 46 percent renewable electricity across direct operations.