LVMH points to 25 years of environmental responsibility

By Doug Newhouse |

Future LIFE LVMHParis-based LVMH is celebrating 25 years of ‘environmental commitment’ this month has it highlights the strides the company has made over this period in terms of sustainability, the ‘LIFE 2020’ roadmap and its plan to ‘double’ its internal carbon funds.

 

“By embedding ecological imperatives as a source of innovation, we have long made environmental responsibility a pillar of our growth strategy for 25 years,” said Bernard Arnault, LVMH Chairman and CEO. “The LVMH Group is proud of its pioneering role and we aim to remain trailblazers,” he says.

 

LVMH DOUBLING INTERNAL CARBON FUNDS IN 2018

Sylvie Bénard, LVMH Group Environment Director adds: “We aim to go even further in achieving the environmental excellence. For this reason, we plan to double our internal carbon funds as of next year and thus reduce even more rapidly our greenhouse gas emissions.”

 

While talk is sometimes ‘cheap’ when it comes to the environmental claims being made by some multinationals, it has to be said that LVMH did put its money where its mouth is more than two decades ago.

 

Bernard Arnault LVMH Chairman and CEO

Bernard Arnault, LVMH Chairman and CEO addresses the troops.

 

The company says that as a world leader in the luxury goods market, it has long recognised the importance of responsible sustainability and it rightly points to its Environment Department, which was created way back in 1992.

 

The luxury giant says this has been an important pillar in supporting the company’s different Maisons and businesses, while inspiring commitment to long-term development alongside respecting the environment.

 

DFS’ HONG KONG STORE IS LVMH’S MOST ENERGY-FRIENDLY OUTLET

LVMH bod pic2The company also gives numerous examples of is energy saving and environmentally sensitive initiatives, including that of DFS Group with its large downtown duty free store at Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay.

 

According to LVMH, this already holds the record ‘for the most energy-friendly LVMH outlet’, even though it is now going another step further by converting to LED lighting. LVMH added: “On top of that, DFS organizes the Earth Days, encouraging its teams to take part in cleaning-up operations. In Cambodia, Japan, Hawaii and soon Hong Kong, this initiative has been met with a lot of enthusiasm and is a growing trend.”

 

Looking back at how its attention to the environment has improved over the years, the company says: “LVMH focused even greater priority on environmental issues in 2012 with the creation of LIFE – LVMH Initiatives For the Environment – a comprehensive programme that covers all 70 Maisons, including their production, procurement and retail operations and beginning right from product design.

 

CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENTS ENCOURAGED

“Now a required component in the strategic plans of all our Maisons, the LIFE program set out new objectives with the ‘LIFE 2020’ roadmap, centred around four pillars ‘Products-Sourcing and supply chain-CO2-Sites’.

 

The company said refinements have been made down the years, thanks to the added input of staff from 30 LVMH Maisons, with these standards not only there to be met, but to be exceeded. In this respect it gives the example of its initial target for all businesses to use 10% renewable energy – an aim which it claims has been achieved and subsequently increased to 30% by 2020.

 

DFS has worked hard on reducing its environmentalfootprint across its gallerias, despite their sizes

DFS has worked hard on reducing its environmental footprint across its gallerias – both because and despite their traditional large sizes.

The company added: “Similarly, the Group will double its internal carbon funds as of next year: the calculation will henceforth be based on 30 euros per ton of CO2.”

 

Meanwhile, as part of its ‘LIFE 2020’ Objectives LVMH says the following pledges are in place, including a +10% improvement in the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) of LVMH Group products, plus 70% of all leather used to be sourced from tanneries certified by the Leather Working Group (LWG).

 

In addition, it says its ‘Objective CO2’ will now look to 30% renewable energy use, plus a 25% reduction in CO2 emissions compared with 2013. (it adds that €6.7m has already been invested since 2016 in the LVMH internal carbon funds).

 

With regards to the company’s sites it is also pledging a +10% improvement in overall environmental performance at all sites and stores (water, energy, waste).

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