VF Corp. is currently developing a list of chemicals whose use will be banned in the production processes of its suppliers. The company also intends to control the finished products to ensure compliance. This is what Peter Higgins, senior manager, product and supply chain sustainability for the group, announced at Planet Textile 2013, a sustainable textile event that took place in Shanghai on Oct. 22. The stakes are high for the company, considering that it makes 486 million products a year across its wide range of brands, which include Vans, The North Face, Timberland, Wrangler, Nautica, Kipling, Napapijri and JanSport, among others. Higgins added that the company will provide its suppliers with the necessary assistance to enable them to meet the required sustainability standards.