Over the years, the fashion industry has had a negative environmental impact, being responsible for almost 8% of greenhouse gases and 20% of total global water waste, according to the United Nations. However, it is also undeniable and worth highlighting the efforts that more and more brands have been making to try to reverse this situation, with plans, for example, to reduce their emissions to zero.
Burberry to Become Climate Positive
Burberry is setting a bold new sustainability ambition, going beyond its current zero emissions target to become Climate Positive by 2040. To do so, it will invest in key initiatives that support wider climate change efforts, including outside its value chain.
Luxury brand Burberry announced last August that its climate targets have been approved by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) for meeting the criteria to keep global warming to 1.5°C in line with the Paris Agreement. Burberry is the first luxury fashion brand to receive approval from the initiative for its net zero emissions target.
Burberry first set science-based targets in 2019, and last year the company committed to go beyond net zero, to become "climate positive" by 2040. The company's short- and long-term climate commitments include a target to reduce absolute Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 95% by 2023 from a 2017 baseline year, and absolute Scope 3 GHG emissions by 46.2% by 2030, from a 2019 baseline.
In the longer term, the company aims to maintain at least a 95% reduction of Scope 1 and 2 GHGs from 2023 to 2040 compared to a 2017 baseline year, while reducing absolute Scope 3 GHG emissions by 90% by 2040 from a 2019 baseline year.
Action for the Environment
Burberry is on track to meet its goal of becoming carbon neutral in its own footprint by 2022, which it has achieved by reducing emissions, improving energy efficiency and switching to renewable sources of electricity, before balancing remaining emissions.
Burberry’s facilities are LEED Silver certified, and its sustainable leather is sourced from Leather Working Group-certified tanneries. It currently sources 93% of its electricity from renewable sources, on track to achieve its goal of using 100% renewable electricity in its own operations by 2022.
All of its events, including shows and presentations, have been certified carbon neutral since 2019 and it has successfully reduced its market emissions by 92% since 2016. Burberry is working with leading climate solutions provider South Pole to update its science-based targets and develop its roadmap to achieve net zero by 2040.
In September 2020, Burberry became the first luxury brand to issue a sustainability bond, securing the support of investors to fund ambitious sustainability projects.
About SBTi
SBTi is one of the key organisations focused on aligning corporate environmental sustainability action with global goals to address and limit climate change. Last year, the organisation launched its Net Zero Standard, which sets out strict criteria it uses to assess and certify corporate commitments to achieve net zero emissions.
SBTi also tightened its criteria for approved climate targets, announcing that it will only accept targets aligned with its 1.5°C warming ambition, as necessary to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.