Earlier this year, the fashion brand Burberry announced its intention to become ‘climate positive’ by 2040 – essentially meaning it will go beyond achieving net-zero carbon emissions and invest in projects “beyond its value chain” through the Burberry Regeneration Fund. The company is also a member of UNFCCC’s Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action, which was launched at COP24 in December 2018. We speak to Burberry’s VP, Corporate Responsibility, Pamela Batty about the challenges and opportunities the fashion brand faces in its attempts to create a more sustainable future.
Where do most of the fashion industry’s emissions come from?
The biggest environmental impacts in fashion occur at the base of the supply chain where we are in close contact with agricultural and natural systems. This is why we are accelerating our efforts to decarbonise the manufacturing process through our updated Scope 3 emissions (indirect emissions that occur in a company’s value chain) target and [our] ambition to be Climate Positive by 2040.
How can emissions be reduced in terms of transport, given the distances between where clothes are made (often in the Developing World) and where they are purchased?
There are a number of ways emissions can be reduced in the transportation of products, including working with providers that have their own climate commitments and strategies to reduce emissions, as well as identifying opportunities in our own business such as reducing the number and/or distance of shipments and engaging the sector to discover new innovations and improvements.
How will you be able to cut 46% of emissions across your supply chain?
We are working closely with our supply chain partners to transition to renewable energy and reduce energy consumption, whilst also maintaining our 100 per cent renewable electricity commitment in our own operations. We will transition to more sustainable transport solutions, [and engage] our employees to embrace low-emission mobility. We will also continue to invest in projects that help lower the impact of raw materials, alongside projects that restore and protect natural ecosystems.
Do you see a change in the luxury fashion industry around sustainability?
I’ve worked in the fashion and textiles industry throughout my career and had previously seen interest in sustainability building gradually. However, in the past two to three years, the awareness of sustainability in luxury has skyrocketed among customers and stakeholders outside our industry. It’s fantastic to see and has resulted in some really exciting debate and innovation to transform the luxury supply chain. It’s an exciting time to be in my role!
What would you like to see from a government/regulatory perspective?
Addressing the potential impacts of climate change requires collective action and collaboration. To achieve our ambition to reduce our Scope 3 emissions by 46 per cent by 2030, everyone in our supply chain needs to come on that journey too. Some of our supply chain partners are small businesses that need financial support and incentives to take green action that can futureproof their businesses. An important part of this challenge is also accelerating the decarbonisation of the transportation sector and improving global access to renewable energy sources.
Will ‘sustainable fashion’ cost more?
We are a luxury house and we make fashion that lasts. Thomas Burberry established the brand at just 21 years old, founded on the principle that clothing should be designed to be durable, long-lasting and protect people from the British weather. This is a principle that guides us today, ensuring everything we design withstands the test of time. I think regardless of price point, we should aim to buy fewer, better-quality pieces to address the amount of waste and overconsumption we see across fashion. We also encourage our customers to repair clothing they already own. Our global luxury aftercare service includes repairs as well as trench coat reproofing, a special treatment that maintains the signature waterproof characteristics of the Burberry trench coat. We also piloted our new Leather Restore programme this year, through which we’re hoping to roll this out globally.
Do you see more fashion brands taking sustainability seriously, or is there a danger of them paying lip service to sustainability for marketing/PR reasons?
Before we even think of communicating an initiative externally, we first ensure that meaningful work has gone on behind-the-scenes and that we’ve projected that we can realistically achieve what we are announcing. We are a publicly listed company, so we have a formal governance structure in place and are required to substantiate our claims and report on progress. Our approach to addressing climate change impacts has always been guided by the latest climate science and aligned to global standards such as the Paris Climate Agreement and the United Nations SDGs. We’ve built strong foundations to setting new ambitions given we are on track to achieve our 2022 goals we set in 2017 and will be carbon neutral in our operations next year. Working with others also ensures an authentic voice – we have joined a number of networks where we can not only share our own experiences but learn from others. These are powerful collaborations where we can foster creativity and innovation and support collective action. These include the UN Fashion Charter for Climate Action and The Fashion Pact to name a few.