Sports shoes and clothing
Founded in 1914, its products are sold in more than 40 countries. Acquired by Russell Corporation in 2004, which was acquired by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway in 2008. It became an independent subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway in 2011.
Company Ownership
Brooks Sports Inc
USA
Berkshire Hathaway Inc
owns 100% of Brooks Sports Inc
USA
Conglomerate
The world's 3rd richest man, Warren Buffett, owns about a quarter of the company. Berkshire Hathaway owns stakes of $1 billion or more in many companies including American Express, The Coca-Cola Company, Procter & Gamble, Sanofi, Wells Fargo, and IBM. Acquired half of Heinz in 2013.
Company Assessment
(Last updated Aug 2024)
Praise
Criticism
Information
Brooks Sports Inc
Praise
Criticism
Information
100% on Corporate Equality Index
This company is listed as having best practice on a report card on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality in corporate America.
Source: Human Rights Campaign
(2021)
36/100 in Fashion Transparency Index
The 2023 Fashion Transparency Index reviewed 250 of the world's largest fashion brands and retailers and ranked them according to how much they disclose about their human rights and environmental policies, practices and impacts. Brands owned by this company scored 36%, signifying it is publishing suppliers lists as well as detailed information about their policies, procedures, social and environmental goals, supplier assessment and remediation processes, and is more likely to be addressing issues such as living wages and collective bargaining. The average score was 26% and the highest score was 83%.
Source: Fashion Revolution
(2023)
Supply chain practices in China
The Green Supply Chain Corporate Information Transparency Index (CITI) evaluates consumer-facing companies that have a sizeable supply chain in China. The evaluation uses government supervision data and public information to assess the environmental management of their supply chains in China. This company received a score of 13.82/100 (retrieved 24 Nov 2023).
Source: IPE
(2023)
19/100 in What Fuels Fashion?
What Fuels Fashion? is a single-issue, special edition of the Fashion Transparency Index. The 2024 report ranked 250 of the world's largest fashion brands and retailers according to their level of disclosure on climate and energy-related data in their own operations and supply chains. Brands owned by this company scored 19%. The average score was 18% and the highest score was 75%.
Source: Fashion Revolution
(2024)
Climate action commitments
As listed on the We Mean Business website, this company has committed to the following climate action initiatives: adopt a science-based emissions reduction target.
Source: We Mean Business
(2021)
Zero discharge of hazardous chemicals
In 2011, a group of major apparel and footwear brands and retailers, including this company, made a shared commitment to help lead the industry towards zero discharge of hazardous chemicals by 2020. It includes specific commitments and timelines to realize this shared goal.
Source: ZDHC
(2023)
Sustainable Apparel Coalition member
This company is a founding member of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, a multi-stakeholder initiative launched in March 2011 by a group of global apparel and footwear companies and non-profit organizations (representing nearly one third of the global market share for apparel and footwear). The Coalition's goals are to reduce the apparel industry's environmental and social impact, and to develop a universal index to measure environmental and social performance of apparel products.
Textile Exchange member
This company is a member of the Textile Exchange, a global non-profit that works closely with its members to drive textile industry transformation in preferred fibres, integrity and standards and responsible supply networks. They identify and share best practices regarding farming, materials, processing, traceability and product end-of-life in order to reduce the textile industry's impact on the world's water, soil and air, and the human population.
Source: Textile Exchange
(2019)
bluesign member
The bluesign Standard sets "best practices" for the use of chemicals and resources - including water and energy - in the textile industry. Textile manufacturers who are bluesign system partners agree to establish management systems to improve environmental performance in five key areas of the production process: resource productivity, consumer safety, water emissions, air emissions, and occupational health and safety. They regularly report their progress, are subject to on-site audits, and must meet improvement goals to maintain their status.
Source: bluesign
(2021)
Materials sourcing
The Material Change Index (MCI) is a voluntary benchmark that tracks the apparel and textiles sector's progress toward more sustainable materials sourcing (cotton, polyester, nylon, manmade cellulosics, wool, down and leather), as well as alignment with global efforts like the Sustainable Development Goals and the transition to a circular economy. This company was rated "Maturing", the second highest performance band.
Source: Textile Exchange
(2022)
Modern Slavery statement
California, the UK and Australia have all enacted legislation requiring companies operating within their borders to disclose their efforts to eradicate modern slavery from their operations and supply chains. Follow the link to see this company's disclosure statement.
Source: company website
(2016)
BHRRC company profile
Business & Human Rights Resource Centre digital platform presents news and allegations relating to the human rights impact of over 20,000 companies. Their enhanced Company Dashboards also include financial information, key data points based on corporate policies, and scores from prominent civil society benchmarks. Follow the link and use the search function to view this company's dashboard.
Source: BHRRC
(2022)
Berkshire Hathaway Inc
Praise
Criticism
Information
0% in Forest 500 Rankings
Forest 500 identifies the 350 companies and 150 financial institutions with the greatest exposure to tropical deforestation risk, and annually assesses them on the strength and implementation of their deforestation and human rights commitments. This financial institution received a score of 0%.
Source: Forest 500
(2021)
Insuring fossil fuels
The Insure Our Future campaign by a group of NGOs has ranked the world's leading insurance companies on fossil fuel insurance, fossil fuel divestment, and other climate leadership. This company was among the worst performers.
Source: Insure Our Future
(2020)
0/18 in Net Zero scorecard
As You Sow's 2022 report, 'Road to Zero Emissions', assessed the progress of 55 of the largest U.S. corporations in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in line with the Paris Agreement's objective of limiting global average temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, which requires achieving "net zero" emissions by 2050. Companies are graded on: climate related disclosures; GHG reduction targets, and GHG reductions. This company received an Overall Net Zero grade of F.
Source: As You Sow
(2022)
23.9% in conflict minerals rankings
As You Sow's 2019 report, Mining the Disclosures, is a deep analysis of 215 companies' human rights performance in relation to sourcing conflict minerals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This company's score was 23.9% (Weak).
Source: As You Sow
(2019)
2.5/20 in Social Benchmark
The 2024 Social Benchmark assesses the world's 2,000 most influential companies on their responsibility in meeting society's fundamental expectations towards three measurement areas: respecting human rights, providing decent work, and acting ethically. This company was assessed in 2022 and received a score of 2.5/20. The average score was an alarmingly low 4.6/20 and the highest score was 15.5/20.
Bottom 10% at JUST Capital
JUST Capital polls Americans every year to identify the issues that matter most in defining just business behaviour. For their 2024 rankings the public identified 20 issues, which are organised under the headings Workers, Communities, Customers, Shareholders and Environment. JUST Capital then define metrics that map to those issues and track and analyse the largest, publicly traded U.S. companies. This analysis powers their rankings, in which this company ranked in the Bottom 10% of 937 companies, and 10th of 12 Consumer & Diversified Finance companies.
Source: JUST Capital
(2024)
Blocking climate action
InfluenceMap's 2021 Climate Policy Footprint report identifies the world's most obstructive corporate and industry association holding back Paris Agreement-aligned climate policy. This company is named in the report as one of the 25 most negatively influential corporations. "Very significant economic clout. Supporting long-term role for coal in the energy mix, senior executives appear to have questioned consensus around climate change science."
Source: Influence Map
(2021)
12/100 S&P Global ESG Score
This company received an S&P Global ESG Score of 12/100 in the Diversified Financial Services and Capital Markets category of the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment, an annual evaluation of companies' sustainability practices (last updated 23 Sep 2022). The rankings are based on an analysis of corporate economic, environmental and social performance, assessing issues such as corporate governance, risk management, environmental reporting, climate strategy, human rights and labour practices.
Source: S&P Global
(2022)
3.8% in Financial System Benchmark
The 2022 Financial System Benchmark ranks 400 financial institutions across three measurement areas: governance and strategy, respecting planetary boundaries (environment, climate and biodiversity) and adhering to societal conventions (human rights). This company ranked #291/400, with a total score of 3.8/100.
0.3% in Sustainable Cotton Ranking
The 2020 Sustainable Cotton Ranking, published by WWF, Solidaridad and the Pesticide Action Network UK analysed the 77 largest cotton users among international apparel brands and retailers, reviewing their policies, actual uptake of more sustainable cotton and transparency in their supply chains. According to the report, this company is "not yet started" with a score of 0.3%. The average score was 18.2% and the highest score was 79.2%.
Involvement with coal
This company's 90% owned subsidiary, Berkshire Hathaway Energy, is involved in the production of coal or coal-based energy.
Source: company website
(2022)
Human Rights
This 2009 report by the International Labor Rights Forum outlines several areas in which Berkshire Hathaway faces significant environmental, labor rights and human rights issues. [Listed under information due to age of report]
Source: ILRF
(2009)
20% on Corporate Equality Index
This company has the low score of 20% on a report card on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality in corporate America.
Source: Human Rights Campaign
(2021)
Involvement with prisons
As documented by the Project of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), this company is involved in the USA prison industry. Its subsidiary Shaw Industries uses prison labor. Other subsidiaries provide equipment, utilities, and uniforms to prisons and jails.
Source: AFSC
(2021)
0.0% in Newsweek Green Ranking 2017
This company received a score of 0/100 in the Newsweek Green Ranking 2017, which ranks the world's largest publicly traded companies on eight indicators covering energy, greenhouse gases, water, waste, fines and penalties, linking executive pay to sustainability targets, board-level committee oversight of environmental issues and third-party audits. Ranking methodology by Corporate Knights and HIP Investor.
Source: Newsweek
(2017)
OpenSecrets.org profile
OpenSecrets.org tracks the influence of money on U.S. politics, and how that money affects policy and citizens' lives. Follow link to see this company's record of political donations, lobbying, outside spending and more.
Source: Open Secrets
(2020)
Company Details
Type:
Wholly-owned subsidiary
Founded:
1914
Revenue:
1.2 billion USD
(2022)
Employees:
1,100
(2022)
Contact Details
Products / Brands
Brooks Sports
Brooks
Sportswear
Brooks
Sports Shoes