Sustainability 14/09

Sourcing Responsibly

Most of the raw materials used to make and protect Louis Vuitton products come from nature, whether they are derived from animal, plant, or mineral sources. Since these raw materials are not all renewable, we are committed to transparency and accountability throughout all of our supply chains. Our priorities are therefore to preserve resources including animal species, water, and energy, respect animal welfare, avoid deforestation, eliminate the use of hazardous chemicals, and reduce air and water pollution.

Our commitments

100% responsibly sourced raw materials by 2025

0% single-use plastic by 2030

Sustainable Raw Materials

70% of our materials are, as of 2020, already engaged in a certification process.

Leathers

of our leathers are Leather Working Group-certified (LWG), which is the highest environmental standard in terms of leather tanning. Along with our suppliers, we are constantly researching innovative tanning methods, and have already implemented a water-free process for some of our leather goods collections.

Exotic Leathers

of our crocodilian leathers come from farms audited or certified by the LVMH Crocodilians Standard, the world’s very first crocodilian certification. In partnership with an independent third-party organisation, the entire supply chain is evaluated per four criteria: conservation of the species and respect of local communities, animal welfare throughout their entire lifespan, working conditions for those employed at the facilities, and environmental protection.

Furs

of our furs come from Furmark®-certified farms, the highest traceability and animal welfare standard in the world. We also guarantee the same requirements for species that are not covered by this program, such as rabbit and chinchilla.

Wool

of wool used by Louis Vuitton will be traced and examined by the end of 2020. Furthermore, the Men’s Fall-Winter 2020 collection saw the first use of a special 100% Responsible Wool Standard-certified yarn. This yarn was subsequently used to create pieces from the permanent collection..

Feather and Down

of our supplies of feather and down come from a fully integrated supply chain in France, guaranteeing traceability from the breeding farm to the feather processing. 100% of our feather and down are either DownPass or Responsible Down Standard-certified.

Wood

of the wood used in the manufacture of our trunks comes from sustainably managed forests under the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) and Program for the Endorsement of Forest CertificationTM (PEFCTM) labels. Additionally, since 2014, the majority of our products made of wood – from publications to store flooring – have been certified according to these standards.

Cotton

of our cotton has been certified by the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) or Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) since 2019. Constantly increasing, this percentage reached 99% for the denim used in the Pre-Fall 2020 Collection.

Polyester

of our polyester volumes are currently transitioning to become Global Recycled Standard-certified by 2021.

Viscose

of our viscose supplies are European Ecolabel-certified as of 2020, a major European label recognised around the world. Louis Vuitton also created a 100% sustainable gown made of TencelTM Luxe, a new viscose certified by the European Ecolabel, as part of the Red Carpet Green Dress challenge for the 2020 Oscars Ceremony.

Gold

of the gold used in our Watchmaking and Jewellery collections has been Responsible Jewellery Council-certified since 2012. This certification guarantees that all the steps of the extraction, transformation, and marketing processes respect sustainable development standards.

Diamonds

of our diamonds used in our Watchmaking and Jewellery collections are Responsible Jewellery Council-certified and Kimberley Process-certified, thus guaranteeing a “zero conflict” provenance.

Coloured Gemstones

of our coloured gemstones suppliers have participated in our audit program launched in 2019 complying with the standards of the Coloured Gemstones Working Group (CGWG).

Responsible Packaging

In line with our original activity as a trunk and luggage-maker, Louis Vuitton’s current packaging serves as a reminder of the Maison’s original mission: to protect one’s most valuable and precious goods. Today, we further our commitment of responsible protection by developing sustainable packaging throughout our entire value chain through three main actions: reducing the volume of materials used, prioritising recycled and recyclable materials, eliminating single-use plastic by 2030.

Our best practices

Our shopping bags and boxes are 100% recyclable and made from 100% Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) fibres, of which 40% are recycled fibres. Our boxes are collapsible in order to lower their volume during transport to our stores, which in turn reduces CO2 emissions from transportation.
Our dust bags are made from 100% Better Cotton Initiative (BCI)-sourced cotton, an organisation that supports the development of ethical, social, and environmental farming practices.
The plastic used to pack our products for e-commerce deliveries is gradually being replaced by sustainable alternatives such as adjustable shipping boxes made from recycled cardboard.

Committed Value Chain

Working with our suppliers and manufacturers:

of our partners have signed the LVMH Suppliers Code of Conduct: this code defines the ethical, environmental, and social principles for both Louis Vuitton and its suppliers. Roughly 250 audits are carried out per year and, since 2018, we extended our audit scope to include animal welfare and raw material traceability.

Regulate the use of chemicals: we are firmly committed to eliminating all hazardous substances from our supply chain through a stringent Inoculation Plan that was first launched in 2014. All suppliers are imposed a Restricted Substances List (RSL) that goes above and beyond regulations such as the REACH and Prop65 targets and we continually verify compliance by testing both raw materials and final products.

Read more