Green Week 2017: procurement that preserves natural resources
LVMH
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The second day of Green Week 2017 organized by the European Commission features a conference in Brussels on “Green jobs and water”. The LVMH Group has defined responsibilities and deploys expertise to make sustainability an integral part of procurement.
To manufacture high quality products while preserving natural resources, LVMH and its Maisons strive for excellence at every link in their supply chains. Suppliers are considered as key stakeholders in achieving this goal, including compliance with the Group’s codes of conduct and charters.
LVMH is continually strengthening its sustainable procurement strategy, including the LIFE 2020 program objective of reducing emissions linked to energy consumption by 25% between now and 2020.
LVMH Maisons currently meet best-in-class environmental standards across 70% of their raw materials supply chain. The objective is to achieve 100% by 2025. To reach this goal , they are strengthening responsible procurement policies, as Fabrice Pailler, Leather Goods Procurement Manager for leather goods at Louis Vuitton, explains: “We conduct regular onsite audits at our tanneries, as well as our raw materials suppliers to guarantee that the leather, metal parts, canvases and textiles all meet our environmental standards. After each audit we work with suppliers to implement an action plan to improve key areas such as water management or waste recovery.”
Training and active support are essential to help environment managers, buyers, auditors, legal experts and quality managers ensure that the Group meets all relevant regulatory obligations. To go even further, some Maisons have developed specialized expertise that allows them to manufacture products while preserving biodiversity. This includes agro-environmental measures in vineyards and the creation of a dedicated ethnobotany research and innovation department by LVMH Perfumes & Cosmetics houses