Snowboard Brand Burton Closing Stores, E-Commerce Site to Join Global Climate Strike

Burton will be joining millions of students and workers across the world participating in the Global Climate Strike on Fri., Sept. 20, according to a press release sent to Total Retail. To support the marches that will take place, Burton will close all its offices and stores for 24 hours so employees worldwide can join nearby marches meant to raise awareness and demand action. The retailer's e-commerce site will also be closed on Sept. 20th to online orders, and will instead redirect to the Global Climate Strike homepage to build awareness for the cause.

Though Burton's offices will be closed, employees will receive paid time off to join strikes in their regions. Burton's flagship stores will be open to the public as gathering spaces before and after nearby matches, but cash registers will be closed. The retailer will have supplies on hand for making signs for the strike.

Supporting the global climate strike is just one more step forward on Burton’s journey to sustainability. According to the press release, in addition to comprehensive sustainability efforts currently in place, Burton is working towards progressive new standards that span everything from manufacturing and packaging, to office energy usage and fair labor practices.

Total Retail's Take: Burton is certainly putting its money where its mouth is when it comes to raising awareness to the issue of global climate change. In fact, more retailers are showing their support for environmental sustainability initiatives in different ways. For example, Kohl's plans to reduce the amount of plastic and cardboard in its product packaging; Nordstrom launched an online shopping category that consists entirely of responsibly made products; and Zara pledged that by 2025, all of its eight brands will only use organic or recycled materials for its clothing. However, shutting down business for a day to dedicate all resources to a global climate strike is taking it a step further. Burton feels strongly enough about the cause to forego a day's worth of revenue, a significant gesture for any size retailer. But in the end, it could be a wise business decision. Consumers are increasingly looking to shop with companies whose values align with theirs, and by participating in the climate strike, Burton is showing consumers how committed it is to this issue.