Gucci has recently found itself in the spotlight (again) – but not for its latest runway hits. Criticism is running high about the impact the fashion industry is having on the environment, and that leaves many prominent brands and their designers wondering how they can continue to make the fashion their fans love while making reformations.
So far, Gucci has gone all out with the boldest resolution yet: going totally carbon neutral.
When it comes to making a difference, many people feel like their own personal actions can’t really make a difference – and unfortunately, they’re at least partly right. Large-scale manufacturing has the kind of effect that outweigh even widespread amounts of individual efforts – and that’s especially true if supply merely waits to follow demand, which will lead to the kind of gradual economic shift that gets us…well, pretty much nowhere.
In a few words, this means us little patrons need help and cooperation from the companies we love and give business to. And realistically speaking, that’s unlikely to happen anywhere underneath the very top of a company. But Gucci is stepping up to the plate.
Gucci’s CEO and President Marco Bizzarri has just introduced the Carbon Neutral Challenge: an initiative inviting other CEOs from all industries, fashion and beyond, to commit to carbon neutrality across their company supply chains.
“As CEOs, we must take responsibility for the total GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions our business activities create,” he wrote in a statement on his website, emphasizing the inadequacy of long-term plans and importance for immediate action. “Today we need to be responsible and accountable for the full scope of our GHG emissions and deliver nature-based climate solutions that mitigate these and drive positive change.”
For Gucci in particular, they’ve chosen to go a step further by offsetting more of their remaining emissions through support for programs such as REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation).
Gucci’s new initiative has shortly followed its decision to go fur-free.