A way to do one’s duty towards the planet and society and, at the same time, anticipate science’s own times. This is how Marco Bizzarri explains Gucci Equilibrium, the platform launched in 2018 by the Florentine brand and now updated with new communication tools and purposes.
“Last year, when we decided to make a radical choice – explains the manager to Corriere della Sera -, that of becoming carbon neutral through the entire supply chain, from suppliers and plants to the shops, we did it exactly because certain goals seemed too shy to us and that science wasn’t moving fast enough. This year we continue with the launch of Gucci Off The Grid, our first entirely sustainable line”.
Bizzarri explains Gucci Equilibrium
Meanwhile, the results are already coming in. “In 2019, we achieved a 21% reduction in our total environmental impact compared to the previous year – explains Bizzarri – and we reduced our greenhouse gas emissions by 18%. All this thanks to a widespread work that runs throughout the company: we have used more and more recycled raw materials and organic fibers in our collections”.
The medium-term goals are even more ambitious. As can be read on the project web page, Gucci aims to “reduce the total environmental footprint by 40% by 2025, with 2015 as starting point, and greenhouse gas emissions by 50%”.
On materials
While by the end of this year the brand is aiming to have 100% renewable energy, by 2025 it intends to reach “100% traceability of our raw materials”, for which it also counts on “developing innovative approaches for the ‘sustainable supply”. Also by 2025, the alignment will arrive at “100% with Kering Standards for Raw Materials and Manufacturing Processes”. The parent company of the brand, which is also the promoter of the Fashion Pact, has given guidelines for responsible sourcing along the entire leather chain, up to the farms.
It is not a cost
Returning to Bizzarri’s interview with CorrSera, the CEO refuses to look at Equilibrium’s goals as a cost. “Values create value. Sustainability is not a cost, it is a matter of respect – he explains -. Our products are designed and manufactured to last through the years and in a certain sense to become even more beautiful with the passing of time.
If there is one thing that these months of pandemic have taught us, is that sometimes an immediate cost for a prevention and preparation effort, such as the costs for efficient health and research, would save the huge costs of a disaster”.
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