Conversations with Green Gurus: The Collective Wisdom of Environmental Movers and Shakers

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Jeffrey Swartz

Jeff is the third generation of the Swartz family to lead Timberland. His grandfather Nathan started the predecessor company to Timberland in 1952. Jeff’s father, Sidney, and his uncle, Herman, launched the Timberland^® brand in the early 1970s. Jeff was promoted to President and CEO in 1998, after working in virtually every functional area of the company since 1986.

Under Jeff’s leadership, Timberland has grown rapidly, from $156 million in 1989 to $1.4 billion in 2008. Timberland today competes in countries around the world, designing, manufacturing and marketing footwear, apparel and accessories for men, women and children.

Jeff leads an organisation that believes that doing well and doing good are inextricably linked. Timberland struggles every working day to demonstrate that the business of business is to deliver results for shareholders, employees, customers, suppliers and consumers world wide while demonstrating best practices, measurable impact and sustainable programmes. At the centre of this commitment to be accountable to all stakeholders is Timberland’s commitment to reducing global warming and preserving the outdoor environment.

In 2006 Timberland introduced an industry-first ‘nutrition label’ on all of its footwear boxes in an effort to provide consumers with greater transparency about the company’s environmental and community footprint. A year later, ...