Conde Nast to become carbon-neutral by 2030

Global fashion media company Conde Nast, which owns brands including Vogue and GQ, has committed to becoming a carbon-neutral company by 2030 while committing to educate its audience on the climate emergency.


Conde Nast to become carbon-neutral by 2030

Conde Nast has also launched a new Sustainable Fashion Glossary

Conde Nast will target a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of 20% and print and digital supply chain emissions by 10% by the end of 2021, to kickstart its decarbonisation journey.

The company has assessed its supply chain and operations. In 2018, Conde Nast generated almost 350,000 tonnes of carbon emissions, 92% of which were located in the supply chain.

The company will focus on emissions reductions to reach the carbon-neutral goal and will utilise carbon offsets when reduction is not possible.

“At Condé Nast we believe that the health of people, of our businesses and of the planet are intertwined. We cannot care for one and ignore the other. We also think that the credibility of our environmental journalism depends on our willingness as a company to improve our own operations and supply chains in ways that dramatically reduce our carbon footprint and waste,” Conde Nast’s global chief operating officer Wolfgang Blau said.

“Our five-year sustainability strategy shows the commitment of our teams on all continents to lead by example, to work with our industry partners and to use the global influence of our brands to inspire collective action.”

Condé Nast will work with its supply chain to deliver the 10% cut in emission and lead the way to creating a green publishing sector.

The company is also committing to sourcing 100% sustainability certified paper by the end of 2021 and will remove all fossil-based and non-recycling plastic packaging from its publications by 2025, as part of a pledge to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation New Plastics Economy Global Commitment.

Conde Nast has also launched a new Sustainable Fashion Glossary, which will act as a new resource to help outline the fashion industry’s role in combatting the climate emergency and showcasing new examples of sustainable fashion.

The company’s sustainability assessment confirms that 96% of the 35,000 tonnes of paper used in 2018 was certified to Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standards. Additionally, 440 tonnes of single-use plastic was used for magazine packaging.

Sector leaders

Some companies within the fashion sector have already made bold commitments to climate action.

Luxury fashion and fragrance giant Chanel has committed to halving its carbon emissions by 2030, under a new 1.5C-aligned set of sustainability targets.

Burberry has committed to reducing its operational emissions by 95% by 2022. The British designer recently built on this commitment with a plan to create a “regeneration fund” to support a new portfolio of “carbon insetting projects” that aim to deliver regenerative agriculture practices across its supply chain.

Others, including Kering and Gucci, claim to have already achieved carbon neutrality across their operations – and are now helping others to make the net-zero transition. Kering is notably the architect of the Fashion Pact – a joint commitment from fashion firms in G7 nations to end their contributions to climate change and ocean plastic pollution – and of a climate roadmap for the luxury sector.

Following on from this climate action in the luxury space, Positive Luxury has predicted that 2020 will see more and more brands investing in nature-based climate solutions. The certification firm’s co-founder and chief executive Daniela Verde Nieto recently spoke exclusively to edie about this, and other, sustainability forecasts.

Matt Mace

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