Louis Vuitton′s commitment to the climate
In 2021, Louis Vuitton received approval for its greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets from the Science Based Targets (SBTi) initiative. Our commitment, aligned with a trajectory limiting global warming below 1.5°C, aims to reduce our carbon footprint by 55% by 2030 compared to 2018. Two years on, two major achievements highlight our environmental performance:
- Increased energy independence through lower consumption and greater use of renewable energies.
- A 12% reduction in the carbon footprint* of a Louis Vuitton product in just 3 years.
*2021 carbon footprint measured according to the GHG Protocol, based on existing emission factor databases.
These advances, reinforced by a particular focus on raising team awareness of climate issues, bear witness to an unprecedented internal mobilization leading to concrete achievements. We invite you to deep dive into our main reduction initiatives.
- Responsible sourcing:
Whether derived from animal, vegetable or mineral species, our materials are selected according to the most demanding environmental standards, thus contributing to the reduction of CO2 emissions from our products via two main axes: reducing the proportion of virgin materials on the one hand and optimizing the manufacturing processes of our materials (reducing energy consumption and the use of chemical products) on the other. As of 2022, 80% of our raw materials are certified or recycled. This commitment rises to 96% for our leathers.
To reduce pressure on virgin raw materials, our teams are also optimizing the use of materials and increasing the use of recycled and biosourced materials. For the brand as a whole, the use of recycled materials is increasing in our leather goods collections, with Pillow in Econyl©, a 100% recycled nylon, and the Re-Trunk phone case in 100% recycled polyurethane. On the footwear side, the LV Trainer Sustainable reinforces the Charlie line, both of which exceed 90% responsible materials.
Thanks to our responsible sourcing approach, our Maison has reduced the share of CO2 emissions due to raw materials by 8%.
- Decarbonized transportation:
This year, our Supply Chain teams strengthened their environmental contribution through the SHIFT program (Supply Chain Initiatives for a Faster Transition), which sets ambitious strategic objectives for warehousing, transport and product repair. In terms of transportation, our Maison is working to reduce its dependence on air freight by increasing the use of sea and rail transport since 2020, with the target of transporting 100% of our best sellers by boat or train by 2026, which represents, in terms of order of magnitude for leather goods and accessories, between 30 and 35% of our flows.
At the same time, Louis Vuitton is committed to taking part in the transition of the airline industry by increasing the use of SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel). Made exclusively from used cooking oil, this biofuel emits 80% less CO2 than fossil kerosene. In 2022, CO2 emissions from air freight within the Maison were thus reduced by 20% compared with 2018.
We are also decarbonizing local road transport. With a target of 100% alternative energies to diesel by 2030, our company is already encouraging all its partners to use electric or natural gas vehicles for deliveries between our workshops and our central warehouses or to our stores, as in France, more recently in India, and in some fifteen cities around the world.
- Energy efficiency:
Our Maison succeeded in reducing the energy consumption of our workshops by 30%, thanks to the control of our installations and temperature, the modification of our equipment and, above all, the strong commitment of our teams in the field. This reduction in size is in fact one of the tangible results of our global approach combining energy sobriety and the development of renewable energies.
The most recently inaugurated Louis Vuitton workshops feature a bioclimatic profile that reduces energy consumption by 50% compared to our previous workshops. To go even further, an energy-saving program was deployed in 2022 in all our workshops: these efforts have enabled us to reduce our energy consumption by 20% between 2021 and 2022, and by 15% between 2022 and 2023.
In addition, to consume more efficiently and participate in the energy transition, our company is investing heavily in renewable energies: by 2022, 100% of our sites in France (head offices, stores, workshops and warehouses) and 71% of our workshops and warehouses worldwide were consuming green electricity. The development of this initiative continued in 2023 with the use of renewable gas from methanization for our French workshops and warehouses, and the development of green electricity worldwide, including in our stores. These two successful initiatives have enabled us to reduce our CO2 emissions by 80%. Our company has begun installing photovoltaic panels on all our workshops and warehouses, with over 20 projects in 6 countries, covering an average of 30% of site consumption.
Thanks to all these actions, we are confident of achieving our goal of reducing our CO2 emissions from energy consumption by 55% by 2030.