During the recent presentation of the second Gucci Equilibrium Impact Report, Marco Bizzarri, president and CEO, Gucci, expressed his satisfaction for the results the group has achieved in 2021 and the signing of a strategic partnership with Ellen Mac Arthur Foundation.

“As in 2021 we celebrated our 100th anniversary, we also celebrated the continuation of our legacy to experiment and evolve for an ever-changing world. We looked to our past in order to define our future, which we now know is implicitly linked to the future of the planet that we call home,” he explained. “Part of our vision for ‘responsible’ luxury includes transforming the supply chain, so we can give back to nature — not just minimise our impact on it, as we have done by reducing KPIs like carbon emissions and manufacturing waste.”

He also underlined how the brand wants to get committed to the use of regenerative agriculture as a lever for luxury and fashion to help reverse the trajectory of climate change and biodiversity loss, and the ambition is to source regenerative raw materials for their collections to continue to innovate in design and manufacturing.

During 2021 it helped farmers transition to regenerative farming by funding regenerative projects for wool and leather covering 3,075 hectares, allowing for the capture of approximately 25,000 tons of CO2 over the next five years. As part of this plan, it also aims to set up regenerative agriculture projects across wool, leather, cotton, silk and linen in the future.

Bizzarri also announced the signing of a strategic partnership with Ellen Mac Arthur Foundation. “We can do a lot on our own to reduce our use of virgin resources and rethink every step of our supply chain, to become circular by design,” he said. “Truly scaling up circularity is an industry-wide effort. It will take innovation, shared solutions, consensus building and collective action across fashion’s ecosystem. While we’ve had a long-standing collaboration with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation through our parent company Kering, with a view to the future as well as our own circular ambitions, we’ll be taking a very proactive role starting in 2022 as a Strategic Partner,” he added.

Among some of the key achievements reached by Gucci, it has reduced its total footprint by -49% and of its greenhouse gas emissions by -46% since 2015 relative to growth. It has also attained 100% green energy in 44 of the 49 countries where they are located in for their stores, corporate locations and factories, equalling 93% renewable energy worldwide towards its 100% target by the end of 2022.

The company has also been involved in developing eco-friendly sourcing solutions by using innovative materials and processes with a circular approach. Among others, it pioneered Demetra, an innovative animal-free material that combines quality, softness and durability with an eco-friendly ethos, and incorporating it across its collections including Gucci Off The Grid which now includes more than 70 products from shoes to accessories and luggage.

It also increased traceability for its raw materials, reaching 95% traceability overall, and 99% traceability for its plant-based and animal-based materials.

By reducing its leftover production, it recovered 290 tons of leftover leather, 215 tons of textile scraps, 67 tons of metal accessories, and donated 9,000 meters of fabric to NGOs in Italy through the Gucci-Up project.

Not less important, it reduced its leather manufacturing footprint with Gucci Scrap-less, with 13 tanneries participating in the program and reducing 253 tons of leather scraps, saving 9.5 million liters of water, avoiding 15,730 kilos of waste production, and avoiding 1,085 tons of CO2 emissions.

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