The 2C catwalk: Kering commits to approved science-based emissions goal

In line with scientific data and research geared-towards a 2C pathway, Kering has committed to reducing direct emissions by 50% by 2050, while also agreeing to reduce indirect emissions from transportation, distribution business flights and fuel and energy by 50% in the same timeframe. Emissions from purchased goods and services will be reduced by 40% under the verified initiative.

“Contributing to combating climate change and respecting planetary boundaries in the way we do business is a priority for us,” Kering’s chief sustainability officer Marie-Claire Daveu said. “The Science Based Targets initiative is enabling the business community to set meaningful and measurable goals to ensure that we align with the 2°C global agenda and Kering is proud that our own GHG reduction ambitions have been validated by the initiative.”

The Science-Based Targets initiative was introduced through a partnership between CDP, WRI, WWF and the UN Global Compact and calls on businesses to revamp corporate climate goals in-line with global climate commitments established under the Paris Agreement.

Just 18 months after its inception, the initiative has already attracted 200 companies, 27 of which have had targets approved, including Coca Cola Enterprises, General Mills, Dell and Procter & Gamble.

A survey conducted by edie has revealed that the adoption of science-based targets to drive climate action is continuing to move rapidly up the corporate agenda, with more than half of sustainability leaders either beginning to apply or fully embedding the methodology within their organisation.

Caring from Kering

The inclusion of scope 3 emissions into Kering’s sustainability plan emphasises the need to place value on the whole range of a company’s environmental impacts, as explained by the firm’s sustainability director Michael Beutler in an exclusive interview with edie.

Kering has recently introduced a new aspect to its long-standing partnership with New York’s The New School’s Parsons School of Design, which will add new modules to the school’s fashion programme tailored to developing sustainability within the fashion sector.

The partnership will see student analyse the impact that fashion has on the environment, using a smartphone app and Kering’s Environmental Profit and Loss methodology – which quantifies and measures footprints in the company’s supply chain.

Matt Mace