Chanel forges ahead with transparency and sets its sustainable objectives

Chanel also sets its own sustainable goals. The French company, one of the few large unlisted luxury groups, has drawn up a strategic plan to reduce its environmental impact throughout the entire value chain.  

The group of sustainable objectives of Chanel is called Chanel Mission 1.5, in reference to the objective of limiting the increase in global temperature to 1.5 degrees, included in the Paris Agreement, according to WWD. 

The plan includes four commitments: reduce the company's carbon footprint in its operations and along its value chain; adopt 100% renewable electricity worldwide in 2025; “Balance” residual carbon emissions and finance measures to mitigate the effects of climate change. 

Chanel aspires to reduce its carbon emissions by 50% by 2030  

The company has set itself the objective of reducing its own emissions by 50% by 2030 and reduce supply chain emissions by 40% per unit sold by 2030, in comparison to 2018. Chanel’s goals have been approved by the Science Based Target Initiative, an independent organization that oversees and approves the emission targets of companies.  

On the other hand, Chanel has joined the RE100 coalition, dedicated to the promotion of renewable energy. Currently, 41% of the electricity used by the group already comes from renewable sources and expects to increase the quota to 97% in 2021.   

The last two points contemplate the investment in initiatives that compensate for their carbon footprint and the support of projects that fight climate change. In addition,  Chanel was one of the signatories of the Fashion Pact, along with another fifty major companies.  

The company has pledged to transition to 100% renewable electricity for its own operations by 2025  

The announcement of Chanel Mission 1.5 outlines a new step in terms of transparency for a company that is not used to corporate communications. The company first published its annuals in 2018 and did it again last year.  

Although Chanel has already talked about its sustainability strategy in the past, this is the first time it has set specific goals. In a report published in 2018 under the name of Report to society, the company had an impact on “building a more sustainable business model for luxury”, aligning with the objectives for the sustainable development (SDG) of the United Nations, initiating the investigation in new materials, seeking alliances with local communities, improving its supply chain and, collaborating with startups in search of technologies to accelerate in this area in production and retail.