The fashion industry is aware that it needs to move towards a more circular model to replace the traditional linear model, which uses virgin materials to create a new product that is discarded at the end of its useful life. But how can this be achieved?
Gucci is the first major luxury house to become a strategic partner of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on circularity. The coalition of a brand like Gucci and an organization like the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, which does excellent work and is a pioneer in the circularity debate, is advantageous for both parties.
With this partnership, Gucci will initially focus on expanding its efforts in two key areas: circular design and regenerative agriculture. Until a while ago, circularity was about avoiding product disposal at the end of its useful life. Now, the approach has evolved and addresses the process from the root, starting with the raw materials from which the product will be created. The first link is regenerative agriculture.
The perspective from which Gucci understands circularity is perfectly embodied in its Off The Grid line, which has been on the market since 2020 and is made from 100% recycled, biological and organic materials. These include nylon made from discarded fishing nets and other waste, such as Econyl and Demetra, a vegan leather that Gucci has developed from sustainably sourced wood and bio-based polyurethane.
Gucci achieved Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification in 2009 by providing a framework for creating healthy, highly efficient and cost-effective green buildings. LEED is recognised as the world's leading green certification for building and sustainability excellence.
In addition, all its shops in Italy have been SA8000® certified since 2007 and ISO45001 certified for occupational health and safety in 2019.
Luxury Vegan Leather Sneakers
The iconic Italian luxury brand has a sustainability strategy that counts on renewable energy, efficient lighting and green materials.
Gucci's vegan leather contains viscose and wood pulp compounds from sustainably managed forests. It also contains bio polyurethane from wheat and corn. The shoes still feature some synthetic materials, such as resin, but the Italian luxury brand has conveyed that it intends to replace them with more sustainable alternatives in the near future.
The Italian haute couture brand is not the first to decide to renounce the use of fur and opt for plant-based, sustainable and animal cruelty-free alternatives. Iconic brands such as Versace, Chanel, Prada, Armani, Calvin Klein, Hugo Boss, Ralph Lauren, Burberry, Michael Kors, Donna Karan, Adolfo Domínguez and Jean-Paul Gaultier have already abandoned the use of fur in their new collections in recent years.