Gucci Launches Equilibrium, Furthering Commitment to Sustainability and Transparency

Gucci has again affirmed its commitment to sustainability and transparency with the launch of Gucci Equilibrium, an online platform "designed to connect people, planet and purpose". 

“We have been working on sustainability for so long and we realised at one point that our actions needed to be better understood within and outside the company,” president and CEO Marco Bizzarri told WWD.

The Equilibrium.gucci.com website will launch a company-wide program for the 13,000 Gucci employees, allowing every member of the staff to dedicate one percent of their working time to volunteering in their local communities.

“These are critical times when we can all play our part in helping to deliver on the UN Global Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement,” Bizzarri added. “The only way to do that is by bringing people together, sharing ideas, innovation and experiences. This is the objective we have set for Gucci Equilibrium.”

Gucci’s 10-year sustainability plan centers around three pillars: the environment, people and innovation. Within the first pillar, it has set a target to guarantee the traceability of 95 percent of raw materials. Its “scrap-less” program in association with its tanneries, which reduces the quantity of leather that is treated during the manufacturing process, follows Gucci's late fall announcement that the house will no longer use fur in its collections.

Following in the footsteps of Salma Hayek and Beyoncé's Chime for Change dedicated to girls' and women's empowerment long embraced by Gucci, Gucci Equilibrium will launch a series of social enterprises, such as "I was a Sari", in which Gucci craftspeople teach women from Mumbai's marginalized communities in Mumbai how to upcycle saris. 

The third spotlight on “scouting, incubators, start-ups that can really change things” is an ongoing process with Gucci experimenting with 3D technology and the creation of new natural materials in its newly-built ArtLab. “We are not there yet,” Bizzarri asserted. Gucci is, however, making great strides to get there. via Vogue UK