Brand owner: Gucci Group / PPR
Head office: Paris, France
Sector: Luxury brands
Categories :
Free Tags: High-end, Fragrances, Shoes, Accessories
| 1. Is there a policy for the brand to minimize, reduce or compensate carbon emissions? |
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Brand owner of Balenciaga (Gucci Group/PPR) has implemented the following policies: 1) Favoring river transport over road and air freight. 2) Usage of electric vehicles for city-centre deliveries. 3) The company’s cars are selected according to economic & energy performance 4) Reduction the environmental impact of stores and infrastructures (see p 45). | Source |
| 2. Has the brand (company) disclosed the annual absolute carbon footprint of its 'own operations' (Scope 1 & 2) and has the brand already reduced or compensated 10% of these emissions in the last 5 years? |
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Gucci Group/PPR has issued annual reports on its emissions, which includes the following sub categories; Shipping, delivering & personal means of transport, environmental impact of stores and infrastructures, packaging & water consumption, and waste production (see page 41). Having compared the reports of 2010/7 a 14% increase in CO2 emissions was noted. | Source |
| 3. Has the brand (company) set a target to reduce its absolute ‘own operations’ carbon emissions by at least 20% within the next 5 years? |
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Gucci Group/PPR had set the following targets: 1) Reduce transport-related CO2 emissions by 20% by 2020. 2) Reduce stores’ related CO2 emissions by 20% by 2020. However, it is unclear what the overall reduction target is. | Source |
| 4. Does the brand (company) also have a policy to reduce/compensate carbon emissions generated from the product supply chain that is beyond own operations (Scope 3)? |
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Gucci Group/PPR aims to obtain ISO 14001 certification for Gucci Group owned tanneries by 2011. However, it does not provide any clear policies on reducing carbon emissions in the supply chain. | Source |
| 1. Does the brand (company) use environmentally 'preferred' raw materials? |
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Gucci Group/PPR mentions using and promoting organic and fair trade materials (see pages 64-65), but the percentage of total production is not clear. | Source |
| 2. Does the brand (company) use environmentally 'preferred' raw materials for more than 25% of its volume? |
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See remark for environmental policy question 1. | Source |
| 3. Does the brand (company) use environmentally 'preferred' raw materials for more than 50% of its volume? |
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See remark for environmental policy question 1. | Source |
| 4. Does the brand have a clear and effective policy to avoid the use of leather that originates from cattle farms in deforestated Amazone areas? |
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Gucci Group/PPR claims that 100% of leather from domestic livestock within its products will be from responsible and verified sources that do not result in converting sensitive ecosystems into grazing or agricultural lands for food production and livestock. However, PPR does not provide clear results on this matter yet. | Source |
| 5. Does the brand (company) have a clear and effective policy to minimize environmental pollution of chromium and other harmful substances from leather tanning processes, e.g. by waste water treatment or by vegetable tanning? |
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No specific leather policies were published yet on the Gucci Group/PPR website. | Source |
| 6. Is there a policy for the brand (company) to eliminate all hazardous chemicals from the whole lifecycle and all production procedures to make the footwear? |
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Gucci Group/PPR has set the target to phase out and eliminate all the hazardous chemicals from its production by 2020. | Source |
| 7. Does the brand (company) have a clear target to phase out PVC in their products, and has the brand already achieved a PVC phase out level of more than 90%? |
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Gucci Group/PPR mentions that all its collections will be PVC free latest by 2016. However, information regarding the achievement of an PVC phase out level of more than 90% is not available on its website. | Source |
| 8. Has the brand (company) a clear and effective policy to minimize the use of solvents based chemicals in their shoe production, and has the brand already achieved a level of average max. 40 grams of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) emissions per pair of shoes? |
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See remark for environmental policy question 5. | Source |
| 9. Does the brand (company) sell footwear or footwear with base materials that have an environmental certification? |
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Neither Balenciaga nor Gucci Group/PPR mention to sell footwear or footwear with base materials that have an environmental certification on its website. Sustainability information should be easily accesible for consumers to make responsible choices. | Source |
| 1. Does the brand (company) have a supplier Code of Conduct (CoC) which includes the following standards: No forced or slave labor, no child labor, no discrimination of any kind and a safe and hygienic workplace? |
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Gucci Group/PPR is supporting member of SA8000 and aims to "Extend SA8000 certification to 100% of the Gucci brand’s supply chain by 2011", (see pag 5). All these standards are covered by SA8000 Code of Conduct. | Source |
| 2. Does this CoC include at least two of the following workers rights: 1. to have a formally registered employment relationship 2. to have a maximum working week of 48 hours with voluntary and paid overtime of 12 hours maximum 3. to have a sufficient living wage? |
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See remark for labour conditions question 1. | Source |
| 3. Does this Code of Conduct include the right for workers to form and join trade unions and bargain collectively; and in those situations where these rights are restricted under law, the right to facilitate parallel means of independent and free association and bargaining? |
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See remark for labour conditions question 1. | Source |
| 4. Does this labour conditions policy also apply further down the production chains, at least covering the leather production or the animal farms? |
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Neither Balenciaga nor Gucci Group/PPR provide specific information whether this labour condition policy also apply further down the production chains on their websites. | Source |
| 5. Does the brand (company) have a published list of direct suppliers, that have collectively contributed to more than 90% of the purchase volume? |
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Neither Balenciaga nor Gucci Group/PPR have a significant list of direct suppliers published on their websites. | Source |
| 6. Is the brand (company) a member of a collective initiative that aims to improve labor conditions, or does the brand (company) purchase its supplies from accredited factories with improved labor conditions? |
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Gucci Group/PPR is a supporting member of Social Accountability International (SAI) and the SA8000 certification for its brands (see page 5). However, it is not clear what percentage of factories/annual volume is currently certified already or how Gucci defines its supply chain. | Source |
| 7. Do independent civil society organizations like NGO's and labor unions have a decisive voice in this collective initiative or in these certification schemes? |
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SA8000 is acknowledged as a ‘Multi Stakeholder Initiative’ (MSI), but its not clear what percentage of factories/annual volume are certified (see previous question's remark). | Source |
| 8. Does the brand (company) annually report on the results of its labor conditions policy? |
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Gucci Group/PPR reports carrying out 2,892 audits in 2010 (see page 6). However, there is no comprehensive reporting on the results of their labour conditions policy or the percentage those audits represent in the total production. | Source |
| 9. Has the brand’s labor conditions policy resulted in a ‘compliance level’ of at least 30% of the purchase volume, or a ‘monitored level' of at least 80%? |
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See remark for former question. SA8000 seems substantially covered for the Gucci Group/PPR, though the percentage on total volume is not clear and the report does not give any details on the supply chain. | Source |