Kering’s siren call on sustainability
The luxury giant is taking the lead in sustainability – and now will the world listen"
By Darius Sanai, Editor-in-Chief
Courtesy of Kering
We are all now accustomed to what could charitably be called eco-fluff, like the cards by your hotel beds saying the 300 room luxury hotel your are staying in can save the environment by not washing your towels. More effective would be turning the TV welcome messages off, investing in a fleet of electric hotel cars, and only allowing sales staff to attend travel industry events by video conference; but these would all hit the bottom line, while saving money on laundry is good for the P&L.
Courtesy of Kering
One group stands out in the luxury world for the thoroughness and authenticity its messages, though: Kering, the French owner of brands such as Gucci, Balenciaga, Stella McCartney and Bottega Veneta, has gone far beyond window dressing in introducing its strict ?Environmental P&L? for its brands. The result has been an acquisition of the high ground in environmental leadership in luxury, at a cost of many millions to the privately-owned company?s bottom line. But, in the refreshingly visionary (in these times) words of company CEO and owner Francois-Henri Pinault: ?We have no choice?. Read next: Gorden Wagener on creative intelligenceÂ
One curious aspect of Kering?s eco-leadership is that it being done by a so-called soft brand, that of the mothership, and not in the names of the consumer-facing fashion and luxury ...
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