Kering is making a commitment to achieve carbon neutrality. Image credit: Gucci
French luxury group Kering is making another push towards sustainability by announcing its plans to become carbon neutral across its supply chain.
While Kering is already making efforts to avoid and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, it will also offset remaining emissions by supporting REDD+ conservation projects. As consumers become more vocal about their support of environmentally-conscious companies, luxury brands have ramped up their own sustainable efforts.
“When it comes to climate change, we can no longer wait to take real action,” said François-Henri Pinault, chairman/CEO of Kering, in a statement. “We all need to step up as businesses and account for the GHG emissions that we generate in total.
“Kering is committing to become completely carbon neutral as a group across all our operations and supply chains,” he said. “While we focus on avoiding and reducing our GHG emissions to meet our science-based target, we will offset all our remaining emissions and support the conservation of vital forests and biodiversity around the world.”
Environmental efforts
In 2011, Kering established its own Greenhouse Gas Protocol through which it has analyzed its own GHG emissions.
As a result, the group has created initiatives to reduce its emissions. By 2025, Kering hopes to cut GHG emissions from its operations and supply chain by 50 percent from 2015 levels.
Many Kering brands tout their own sustainability efforts. Image credit: Bottega Veneta
Already, the conglomerate has reduced the carbon intensity of its stores by 30 percent. It has also implemented new sustainability requirements through the Kering Standards for Raw Materials and Manufacturing Processes.
The group's latest effort with REDD+ will help offset approximately 2.4 million tons of carbon emissions. Its financial contribution will help protect nearly 2 million hectares of forests, which act as a carbon sink.
Kering-owned Gucci announced a similar carbon emissions effort with REDD+ earlier this month.
Gucci is making financial contributions to offset its remaining carbon emissions, to the tune of $8.4 million in 2018. The Italian fashion label will back nature-based climate solutions, including REDD+ projects that span across Kenya, Peru, Indonesia and Cambodia.
According to Gucci’s own 2018 Environmental Profit and Loss report, the brand has reduced GHG emissions by 16 percent since 2015. These emissions currently account for 35 percent of Gucci’s total footprint, with the vast majority being attributed to the supply chain (see story).
Kering is also one of the founding members of the Fashion Pact, a coalition of 32 fashion companies tackling environmental issues such as climate change, biodiversity restoration and ocean protection. The Pact seeks to scale up their individual efforts with common objectives (see story).