Seventy percent of Earth is covered in water, but for a world that depends on water to survive and thrive, that number is deceiving. Just three percent of the planet is covered in freshwater and less than one percent is readily available for human consumption and use.

At the 2024 Guilford College Business Summit on March 20, business and manufacturing leaders from across the state gathered to discuss strategies for being responsible stewards not just for water but all resources. The theme of the Summit was Building a More Sustainable Future, A Conversation with ESG Leaders.

Dhruv Agarwal, Vice President of Sustainability, Innovation and Development for Greensboro-based Kontoor Brands, the parent company of Wrangler and Lee apparel, reminded Summit attendees at the Sheraton Greensboro at Four Seasons that the world has finite resources and that it only makes good business sense to ensure those resources aren’t abused for future generations.

“We’re the stewards of our resources,” he says. “Not the next generation but Kontoor today. Every business in North Carolina needs to be thinking like that.”

In 2019, a global initiative by Kontoor focused on a digital print-making technology to reduce the company’s freshwater consumption in the dyeing process. The game-changing technology uses at least 90 percent less water than conventional indigo dyeing, he says, adding that since 2008, Kontoor Brands has conserved more than 2.64 billion gallons of water thanks to ongoing conservation programs.

Kontoor is also making its clothes more durable, which extends the products’ lifetime and reduces the stress on resources by having to constantly create new clothes. A stronger pair of Kontoor jeans comes with a higher cost but, says Dhruv, “that extended life of the jeans is good for the environment because you’re not plundering the natural resources of the environment. You’re not using more water or electricity or fertilizer to grow cotton.”

Those strategies and mindset are not limited to multinational companies like Kontoor. Linda Giuliano, a principal with Brightword ESG, told attendees that small retailers “need to think like big companies only in scale.”

“The concepts are similar,” she says. “If you’re a local retailer,  maybe you as the owner or one of your employees can be interested in these issues.”

In addition to Kontoor, the Summit, which was presented by Truliant Federal Credit Union, brought together leaders from Honda, NASDAQ, Piedmont Triad International Airport, Syngenta, Vontier and BrightWorld ESG.

Michael Dutch, Seth and Hazel Macon Professor of Business Management, Chair of the Department of Business and Accounting and MBA Director, wants future summits to explore the evolving context of business. He says Guilford is the perfect host for these events.

“Guilford is a great liberal arts school with strong business programs," says Michael. "The Business Summit is a way to let the community know that exciting things are happening here.”