Skip to main content

A peek inside VF's sporty, energy-sipping campus

The North Face, JanSport and Lucy joined forces on a new California campus that illustrates the power of teaming up for energy efficiency and employee collaboration. VF Corp.'s decision to bring three activewear brands together on one campus was primarily driven by a desire to have the divisions work together better, but it also has some sustainability benefits for the $9 billion apparel and footwear company.

Specialty apparel and gear company The North Face, backpack maker JanSport and women’s yoga-wear manufacturer Lucy, all part of the Outdoor and Action Sports division of VF Corp., last week moved into new digs in Alameda, Calif., an island across a narrow strait from Oakland.

The campus includes dedicated "tinkering" rooms for product designers and matrials testers, a shared product lab, exercise facilities and a cafe. It also features wind turbines and solar panels designed to meet all the facility's electricity needs, plus a low-emission HVAC system, electric vehicle chargers, a bike storage room, and easy public transit accessibility via the San Francisco-Alameda ferry.

More on this topic