One year after the launch of the Group strategy, "Be Responsible. Be Brave.", OTB, the international fashion and luxury group whose brands include Diesel, Jil Sander, Maison Margiela, Marni, Viktor&Rolf, the companies Staff International and Brave Kid, and which holds a stake in the Brand Amiri, has presented its first Sustainability Report.
Along with the release of this report, the holding has other goals in mind and going public seems to be among them. "We've been thinking about the listing for a while, it's our ambition: we've set a time target between the end of 2024 and 2025," said the group's CEO, Ubaldo Minelli, during the presentation of the Sustainability Report. "The Sustainability Report is not a first step, but one of the steps in that direction," Minelli added.
The Group reached this result after a comprehensive work of monitoring and reporting that, on the basis of three macro-areas "Protecting our Planet," "The New Fashion System" and "Brave Together," involved all brands, departments and staff to measure the goals achieved with particular focus on 2021 and the Group's carbon footprint in the three-year period 2019-2021.
Renzo Rosso, chairman and founder, OTB Group, said: ”Only when sustainability becomes a way of thinking can we talk about real change. The fashion industry has an extremely relevant social and environmental impact, with our business choices and the communication of our Brands we can positively influence the lives and behaviors of millions of people and spread a more responsible and sustainable approach. I have been investing in this direction for years, focusing on the training of all my managers, who have learned to face any professional moment by reasoning and making every business decision responsibly.”
“Today we are finally announcing all the work that has been done over the years with concrete goals that we have set for ourselves, including, for example, achieving carbon neutrality of our operations by 2030, ahead of what the European Union has set. I am proud to recognize in OTB's sustainability journey the lessons I received from my family, such as love and respect for the land and the community,” he added.
Among the group’s goals, OTB has set to achieve carbon neutrality of internal operations by 2030 and of the entire value chain by 2050 through an action plan
The report found out that 41% of the electricity used for OTB's internal operations comes from renewable sources.
OTB has joined the Roadmap to Zero Program of the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) Foundation, committing to the development of a responsible water and chemical management strategy and to the elimination of the use of hazardous chemicals from production processes by 2030.
In addition, since 2020, Diesel has joined The Fashion Pact, the global coalition of fashion and textile companies acting in three main areas: mitigating global warming, restoring biodiversity, and protecting the oceans.
Among the major projects focused on increasing the group’s involvement reducing its impact on the plant and encouraging the fashion industry transitioning toward a more sustainable approach the report listed Diesel’s Second Hand, a careful selection of used Diesel-branded denim garments meticulously repaired, refurbished and sold in selected Italian stores and online throughout Europe.
Along with it, it presented Recicla, the project by which Maison Margiela defines authentic, original, carefully selected by creative director John Galliano, restored and repurposed as limited-edition garments or accessories.
Also following the same path is Jil Sander+, a collection based on the search for products with organic, high-performance and often environmentally sustainable fibers that combine aesthetics and comfort, sophistication and high resistance to the elements.
Myar's new made by Brave Kid gives new life to fabric scraps and remnants, also from different OTB Group companies, following a logic of reduction, reuse and upcycle.
Marniphernalia by Marni is a project in which the brand has given new life to a series of cotton garments, drawing from previous collections and repurposing over 800 items enriched with handmade striped patterns, and Viktor&Rolf Tulle collection is a limited-edition capsule entitled "Lost & Found" that uses recycled vintage garments.
Since 2015 the Group has been part of the Responsible Luxury Initiative (ReLI), which also defines the principles of sourcing animal-derived materials for OTB Brands and their suppliers, and is involved in supporting a series of socially sustainable initiatives, inside the company and outside of it, in various countries worldwide.
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