Circularity ambition

The creations of the Group’s Houses are the result of strategic know-how and excellent craftsmanship. They are designed and created from unique materials 
and go through rigorous quality controls to ensure their longevity and durability. As a Group, we constantly strive for more sustainability. This is why our Houses offer repair services to their customers which allow them to maintain the quality of their products and ensure that they have a longer lifespan.
Kering is also seeking new business models that help to preserve products’ value and to extend their lifespans. As such, the sale of second-hand products is a strategic focus for the Group, which in 2021 has chosen to invest in Vestiaire Collective, the leading global platform for second-hand fashion. 

Circularity begins with raw material extraction. To design products that last, our Houses must ensure that materials are not only high-quality, but are also cultivated in a way that replenishes and respects nature. Circularity must also extend to the entire sourcing process. This is why Kering is accelerating its transition towards regenerative agriculture and is shifting towards more sustainable sourcing and production processes.
In a drive to increase energy efficiency, reduce pollution and manage waste in its manufacturing processes, the Group is working closely with the Clean by Design program to improve the results of its textile mills. In addition, Kering is transforming its production process to prevent microfiber fragmentation from textiles.
The Kering Standards for Raw Materials and Manufacturing Processes present clear criteria for every material we use, from cotton to gold. The Standards drive the use of raw materials that are designed for circularity: materials which do not contribute to soil depletion, which are renewable, and which are produced using regenerative agriculture or by recycling. The Group has committed to 100% alignment with the Kering Standards by 2025. 

To achieve a business model based on circularity, Kering pools its Houses’ resources in an effort to reduce waste, eliminate single-use plastics and ensure industry best practices are applied. In order to better predict sales and minimize excess inventory, the Group is increasingly using artificial intelligence solutions. 
Over the past two years, Kering and its Houses have contacted more than 100 partners and set up 65 initiatives alongside social enterprises whose business is focused on sorting, selling and recycling clothes and accessories. Kering also supports social impact companies to train people in upcycling, including Le Relais, for used fabrics and uniforms, and Tissons la Solidarité, a community-based network that creates skillsets and jobs focused around recycling garments.

We firmly believe that the transition to a circular economy requires cooperation within and between sectors. This is why Kering collaborates with a range of experts from the Microfiber Consortium to the Apparel Impact Institute, or Fashion for Good and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. 
The Italian NGO, Legambiente, ensures that the Group’s actions are underpinned by transparent auditing that leads to a real paradigm shift, allowing Kering to achieve its ultimate goal of a circular model with time. 
In May 2017, the Global Fashion Agenda, a strategic partner of Kering, launched a call to accelerate the transition towards a circular economy. In 2018, the initiative published operational guidelines to implement a circular fashion model.