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Saturday, June 5th is World Environment Day, launched in 1972 by the United Nations at the opening of the United Nations Conference on the Environment in Stockholm. In recent years, luxury brands have made a strong move towards greater respect for the planet and greater sustainability. What are the main initiatives undertaken by luxury brands in favor of the environment today?
World Environment Day, initiated by the UN, is held every year on June 5 in a different city, and each time selects a specific environmental issue to highlight. This year, the main events will be held in Pakistan, and the theme of the event will be: “Restoring ecosystems, together“.
While the city hall of Brussels has already announced that it will light up the spire of its city hall in green to celebrate World Environment Day and that throughout France, actions, such as awareness-raising workshops or tree planting, are being carried out by various associations, where is the luxury in the fight against climate change?
Until a few years ago, luxury and ecology did not mix well. However, the sector’s responsibility and its commitment to the environment are now growing in the face of climate emergencies. A collective awareness has pushed the luxury industry towards a common will to work for change. The health crisis has given an additional impetus to the sector and has pushed luxury brands to show real progress in the fight to preserve the planet.
Respect for the environment, at the heart of LVMH’s politic
LVMH and Kering are the market leaders in the luxury sector when it comes to respecting for the environment. Indeed, the LVMH group founded an Environmental Department after the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. “Our leadership position comes with social and environmental responsibilities. We must go beyond what the standards imposed on us,” says Bernard Arnault, Chairman, and CEO of the group.
This respect for the environment is at the heart of LVMH‘s concerns, and goes beyond simple communications campaigns. Real measures have been taken by the group in recent years, such as a reduction in energy use, which represented 80% of its consumption in its 4,000 stores. This has allowed it to reach today 19% of renewable energy in its energy consumption and to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 12%.
The group led by Bernard Arnault does not intend to stop there and, in the continuity of its Life 2020 project, LVMH has already unveiled its roadmap entitled Life 360, which highlights three key dates: 2023, 2026 and 2030 cheska-lekarna.com. In particular, the program calls for a total halt to the use of single-use and fossil-based plastics in its packaging by 2026 in order to reach 100% of LVMH products designed with eco-responsible packaging by 2030.
On the issue of biodiversity and to better respect ecosystems, LVMH is committed to having its supply chains certified for strategic materials by 2026. The group of 75 houses also plans to develop regenerative agriculture by supporting its historic champagne house, Ruinart, in the reforestation of vineyards.
Finally, the Life 360 project also provides several key milestones in the fight against global warming. First, LVMH is committed to reducing its energy-related carbon emissions by 50% by 2026, compared to 2019. The world’s leading luxury goods company has also pledged that all of the electricity consumed by its stores and production sites will be converted to renewable energy.
Kering’s commitments
“Luxury and sustainable development are one and the same,” assures François-Henri Pinault, Chairman and CEO of Kering. With its 14 houses, the world’s number two is not outdone by the actions of its rival LVMH, and has been committed for over 20 years to greater respect for the environment. In 2003, Kering founded a team dedicated to sustainable development, now headed by Marie-Claire Daveu.
With several recent actions, such as the January launch of the Regenerative Nature Fund in collaboration with Conservation International, Kering is ranked 7th among the world’s most sustainable companies according to Corporate Knights’ 2021 Global 100 ranking, marking its fourth consecutive year in the top 10 of the ranking.
In 2015, the Paris Climate Agreement had the effect of kick-starting the luxury brands, and subsequently, Kering Group planned to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, as well as a 50% reduction in its greenhouse gas emissions by 2025. The group has also implemented the EP & L tool, which provides supply chain traceability and measures air and water pollution, land use, waste generation, CO2 emissions, and water consumption throughout the process.
The Fashion Pact
Despite its many efforts, the luxury industry is still one of the most polluting sectors in the world. For this reason, at the 2019 G7 Summit in Biarritz, French President Emmanuel Macron initiated a global coalition, the Fashion Pact, which brings together 56 companies and 250 brands and is led by François-Henri Pinault.
The Fashion Pact aims to promote the environmental commitment of luxury houses and curb global warming through concrete actions taken by brands. This international coalition also aims to restore biodiversity and preserve the oceans.
Among the actions driven by the Fashion Pact, Kering has pledged to achieve a “net positive impact” on biodiversity by 2025, through the regeneration and protection of an area “six times the total ecological footprint of the entire Kering Group supply chain“. The historic French fashion house Chanel, which is also a member of the Fashion Pact, has decided to completely ban exotic animal skins and animal fur.
However, the number one luxury goods company remains the great absentee of this Fashion Pact. Indeed, LVMH did not want to join the coalition, preferring to conduct its environmental policies alone. “Many of the stakeholders of this agreement are part of Fast Fashion and have nothing to do with luxury. I prefer actions to the pact,” explained the group’s chairman, Bernard Arnault.
However, the group remains attentive to environmental issues and in 2019, LVMH donated 10 million euros to fight fires in the Amazon, and announced last March to make this region of the world a crucial issue in its program. The group is committed to not using raw materials from areas such as the Amazon that are at high risk of deforestation or desertification. The group has also set itself the goal of regenerating five million hectares of wildlife habitat within 10 years.
Today, it is no longer possible for luxury to ignore the environmental imperative. “If the Earth is fortunately resilient, it needs our help,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres slovenska-lekaren.com. According to a BSR report, the textile industry alone produces 1.2 billion tons of CO2 per year and is responsible for 20% of global ocean pollution. Although representing a minimal part of the textile industry, luxury goods must set an example and pursue its initiatives in favor of the environment, in order to reduce its impact on the planet as much as possible.
Read also > RESPONSIBLE LEATHER: WHERE DO LUXURY BRANDS STAND ?
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Saturday, June 5th is World Environment Day, launched in 1972 by the United Nations at the opening of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm. In recent years, luxury brands have made a strong move towards greater respect for the planet and greater sustainability. What are the main initiatives undertaken by luxury brands in favor of the environment today?
World Environment Day, initiated by the UN, is held every year on June 5 in a different city, and each time selects a specific environmental issue to highlight. This year, the main events will be held in Pakistan, and the theme of the event will be: “Restoring ecosystems, together“.
While the city hall of Brussels has already announced that it will light up the spire of its city hall in green to celebrate World Environment Day and that throughout France, actions, such as awareness-raising workshops or tree planting, are being carried out by various associations, where is the luxury in the fight against climate change?
Until a few years ago, luxury and ecology did not mix well. However, the sector’s responsibility and its commitment to the environment are now growing in the face of climate emergencies. A collective awareness has pushed the luxury industry towards a common will to work for change. The health crisis has given an additional impetus to the sector and has pushed luxury brands to show real progress in the fight to preserve the planet.
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Saturday, June 5th is World Environment Day, launched in 1972 by the United Nations at the opening of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm. In recent years, luxury brands have made a strong move towards greater respect for the planet and greater sustainability. What are the main initiatives undertaken by luxury brands in favor of the environment today?
World Environment Day, initiated by the UN, is held every year on June 5 in a different city, and each time selects a specific environmental issue to highlight. This year, the main events will be held in Pakistan, and the theme of the event will be: “Restoring ecosystems, together“.
While the city hall of Brussels has already announced that it will light up the spire of its city hall in green to celebrate World Environment Day and that throughout France, actions, such as awareness-raising workshops or tree planting, are being carried out by various associations, where is the luxury in the fight against climate change?
Until a few years ago, luxury and ecology did not mix well. However, the sector’s responsibility and its commitment to the environment are now growing in the face of climate emergencies. A collective awareness has pushed the luxury industry towards a common will to work for change. The health crisis has given an additional impetus to the sector and has pushed luxury brands to show real progress in the fight to preserve the planet.
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