Gucci Maps Out Sustainability Progress

MILAN — Gucci on Monday will unveil its 2023 Gucci Equilibrium Impact Report, outlining the progress made over the last year to advance its sustainability ambitions.

The report “reaffirms our house’s commitment to social and environmental sustainability, which aligns with our dedication to be responsible and accountable in all our actions,” Jean-François Palus, Gucci’s president and chief executive officer, told WWD. “Guided by these principles and a respect for people and our planet, in 2023 we continued to advance on the path we embarked upon years ago, introducing new initiatives and achieving key targets that underscore our commitment to transformative change, while simultaneously generating lasting value for communities and nature.”

Gucci Equilibrium was launched in 2018.

The 2023 report, divided between the People and Planet pillars, highlighted that last year Gucci was the first fashion house in Italy to obtain the Certification for Gender Equality and was recognized as one of 2023 Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion in North America for the second year. It also received the Universal Fair Pay Check certification, through parent Kering, and maintained employee diversity, with 63.4 percent female employees overall and 57 percent in management.

Last year, 2,892 Gucci employees volunteered 21,062 hours to 100 nongovernmental organizations under the Gucci Changemakers Volunteering Program, granted $600,000 to 12 NGO recipients through the Gucci Changemakers North America Impact Fund, and awarded $280,000 in scholarships to 12 scholars via the Gucci Changemakers North America Scholarship Program. 

A new Gucci Changemakers London program granted 150,000 euros to three grassroots organizations.

Gucci Chime celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2023, with over $22.7 million raised to benefit 645,000 women and girls over the decade.

To preserve craftsmanship, Gucci established two new school partnerships while expanding training to 1,470 employees via ArtLab and Factories Academy.

At the same time, Palus underscored that “as we forge ahead with our ambition to create a responsible and sustainable business, we are strengthening our efforts to promote circular principles and expanding our portfolio of regenerative agriculture projects to increase regenerative materials in our collections.”

Last year Gucci reached an overall 7 percent reduction of absolute greenhouse gas emissions combining scopes 1, 2 and 3 of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol compared to 2021, making progress toward a 40 percent absolute reduction target by 2035.  The company also attained a 78 percent reduction of absolute GHG emissions in scopes 1 and 2 of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol since 2015.

Among other benchmarks, Gucci attained 99 percent traceability overall for key raw materials, and increased the use of responsible materials, including 100 percent responsibly sourced precious metals, 74 percent organic or recycled cotton, and 75 percent recycled viscose or from responsibly managed sources.

The company bolstered its internal circular programs, including Gucci-Up recovering 546 tons of leather, fabric and metal and Gucci Scrap-less saving 3,850,377 liters of water and 312,084 kW of energy, leading to avoiding the release of 4,648 tons of CO2. 

It has also invested in wool, cotton, and silk regenerative farming projects while developing new collaborations to expand regenerative materials in collections. For example, in Uruguay, Gucci is championing regenerative farming practices by partnering with a collective of 10 farmers who oversee 100,000 hectares.

This effort is part of a collaboration with Chargeurs Luxury Fibers to enhance the sustainability of Gucci’s wool supply chain. Gucci has pledged an annual purchase of 50  tons of regenerative wool from the collective, aiming to replace 19 percent of conventional wool through this project. Scarves featuring this regenerative wool are already available. Each scarf comes with a digital tag that enables the tracing of the product back to its origin, providing transparency and connecting clients to the source of their garment.

In 2024, Gucci will unveil new regenerative agriculture projects to improve leather sourcing from a European farm that adheres to regenerative farming and animal welfare best practices. Efforts to create a new supply chain for regenerative cashmere in Mongolia are underway. Gucci is also evaluating the use of regenerative materials sourced through the Regenerative Fund for Nature, an initiative established by Kering and Conservation International.

For fall, Gucci will unveil the first denim products in collaboration with key partners in its supply chain, combining 74 percent cotton fibers grown from regenerative farming practices with 26 percent post-consumer recycled (PCR) fibers, all processed in Italy.

This initiative garnered recognition from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation Award for Circular Economy at the 2023 CNMI Sustainable Fashion Awards. These denim products will include a digital product passport and are designed with longevity in mind and end-of-life recyclability.

Within its own operations, Gucci has maintained a 100 percent renewable energy use in its directly operated sites — including stores, corporate offices, industrial facilities, and warehouses — in accordance with the RE100 initiative guidelines. Additionally, Gucci has broadened its sustainability achievements by increasing the number of LEED-certified sites to 147, which represents an increase of over 27 percent from the previous year.