Navigating Transparency in Sustainability Goals with icebreaker's Alicia Chin, Director of Sustainability at VF Corporation

The Voice of Retail

Meet Alicia Chin, Director of Sustainability and Social Impact at VF Corporation, who discusses activewear brand and retailer icebreaker's open admission of falling short in their 100% plastic-free ambition. We delve into the challenges, the progress made, and how their transparency sets a precedent for retail industry-wide sustainability efforts. Hear about icebreaker's innovative approaches and their pledge to ongoing improvement in this episode that is perfect for the times.

About Alicia

Alicia Chin is Director of Sustainability and Social Impact for emerging brands at VF Corporation—Altra, icebreaker and Smartwool. Alicia has spent more than 15 years working with Fortune 500 companies to develop their sustainability strategies. At Smartwool, Alicia led development of the brand’s 10-year roadmap aimed at protecting the outdoors and making outdoor recreation more accessible. Before joining Smartwool, she managed sustainability and social responsibility at Heineken USA and the NHL.

LINKS:

• Icebreaker Instagram: @icebreakernz
• Icebreaker Transparency Report: https://www.icebreaker.com/en-ca/our-story/transparency-2024.html?selectLocale=true
• Icebreaker ‘Keep It Real’ Campaign: https://www.icebreaker.com/en-ca/our-story/choose-real.html
• Icebreaker Website: https://www.icebreaker.com/en-ca/home
• Alicia Chin LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliciac123/

About Michael

Michael is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. He has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada’s Retail Secure conference with leaders from The Gap and Kroger talking about violence in retail stores, keynotes on the state & future of retail in Orlando and Halifax, and at the 2023 Canadian GroceryConnex conference, hosting the CEOs of Walmart Canada, Longo's and Save-On-Foods Canada. Michael brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.
Michael also produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in North America, Remarkable Retail,
Canada's top retail industry podcast; the Voice of Retail; Canada's top food industry and the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor, with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois.
Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail influencers for the fourth year in a row, Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer, and you can tune into Michael’s cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.
Available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state of the retail industry in Canada and the U.S., and the future of retail.