British luxury brand Burberry is taking steps to address the pressing issue of climate change with yesterday’s fashion show and forthcoming carbon impact projects.
According to a statement issued Monday, Burberry’s Fall/Winter 2020 runway show was entirely carbon neutral.
The event was held at a certified sustainable venue, and the products and supplies needed to stage the show were transported using primarily electric vehicles, as opposed to air freight. Any remaining emissions would be offset through donations to a savanna fire management project, which is working to reduce the risk of wildfires in Australia and mitigate recent damage, Burberry said.
Instead of the customary luxe gifts for high-profile show guests, Burberry opted to collaborate with PUR Projet, which helps corporations to mitigate their environmental impact through ecosystem regeneration. The organization will plant trees in Australia on behalf of the fashion show’s attendees.
Burberry has also taken steps to reduce emissions within its broader operations, and is offsetting its remaining impacts through further funding of Australian reforestation projects.
The company is launching a program to support future carbon-related projects related to its global supply chain, called the Regeneration Fund. The program’s first efforts, in collaboration with PUR Projet, will provide aid to Australia’s wool producers at the farm level, helping to “improve carbon capture in soils, improve watershed and soil health, reduce dryland salinity and promote biodiverse habitats.”
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The Regeneration Fund’s future projects will largely focus on carbon “insetting” in the form of tree planting, with the aim of providing sources for carbon capture along with promoting climate resilience and biodiversity, strengthening ecosystems and supporting the livelihoods of local producers.
“At Burberry we are passionate about creating real change in our industry to build a more sustainable future, and I am proud that we can express this through our biggest brand moments like our runway shows,” Pam Batty, vice president of corporate responsibility at Burberry, said.
“As we look to the future, our move to implement carbon insetting in our supply chain is testament to our restless approach to finding new ways to protect our environment and strengthen our deep commitment to our local communities,” Batty added.
Burberry’s existing commitments to combating climate change are already approved by the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi), the statement said, and it has been certified carbon neutral in its Americas, European, Middle Eastern, African and Indian retail stores, along with operations in the U.K.
Burberry is on track to achieve its goal of being carbon neutral throughout its global operations by 2022, the company claimed.