Students from the Sustainable Innovation MBA (SI-MBA) program at ¶¶Òõ̽̽ Grossman School of Business stepped outside the classroom to learn about sustainable business practices at Vermont-based , the fastest-growing American manufacturer of performance outdoor and lifestyle socks.
During their field trip in November, students met with Darn Tough employees, including SI-MBA alums, at the Waterbury, Vermont location. They discussed their manufacturing business, materials used, and their industry leading Unconditional Lifetime Guarantee. Darn Tough is committed to being a responsible and positive force in their community and considers sustainability to be a crucial piece of recognizing all of the social and environmental impacts across every step of their process.
Darn Tough is a premium line of socks that was launched in 2004 by Cabot Hosiery Mills, which was established in 1978. Darn Tough’s premium quality socks coupled with its Unconditional Lifetime Guarantee has propelled them into mainstream popularity, especially among outdoor enthusiasts. The company expanded into its Waterbury operations in 2021 and added more knitting machines, totaling 400. With 450 employees, Darn Tough sells its socks online and at more than 3,500 retail stores around the world.
On-site Learning
The SI-MBA cohort of 40 students split into three groups, each rotating between two board room discussions and a tour of the production floor to observe first-hand how their high-quality socks are made. In one board room, Kristen Graf, Global Director, Environmental and Social Responsibility discussed the brands short and long-term sustainability goals as well as some of the challenges and opportunities they face. In another, Olivia Littell, Production Innovation Developer, discussed materials that are used, how they’re sourced, and why they are produced the way they are.
Prior to starting the tour, students watched a video about Darn Tough and its culture before heading out to the manufacturing floor with Andrew Oliveri, SI-MBA '19, Consumer Insights Manager, and Courtney Laggner, ¶¶Òõ̽̽ '08, Brand & Community Marketing Manager. On the manufacturing floor, students observed fast, efficient, and smart machines knitting socks in real-time with preset designs. They then walked through the e-commerce fulfillment area where online orders are processed and learned about Darn Tough’s eco-friendly shipping packaging.
Sustainability in the Sock Business
Because of Darn Tough’s Unconditional Lifetime Guarantee, socks that are returned for being worn out or not meeting expectations are evaluated to learn and refine processes for the future. Those socks are compressed and shipped off to be washed and recycled in the form of items such as emergency blankets. Darn Tough also donates slightly irregular socks that are produced so very little goes to waste. It was gratifying to learn that some of insights and recommendations from a practicum project, that Email Digital Specialist, Sarah Dowey, SI-MBA '21, worked on with Darn Tough, were reflected in the recycling and repurposing practices they were using today.
A big thanks to Darn Tough for hosting our SI-MBA students for an out-of-classroom experiential learning experience and great fun to see some of our SI-MBA alumni at work!