Burberry announces Biodiversity strategy at COP26 in Glasgow

Burberry has unveiled a new biodiversity strategy at COP26 in Glasgow, as the company seeks to build on their pledge to become climate positive by 2040.

In a statement, the British heritage brand said it will take action to "protect, restore and regenerate nature" and expand the scope of its current initiatives by applying a nature-based approach in its own value chain and in areas of greatest need beyond its operations to help slow further global warming as part of the transition towards the 1.5°C pathway set out in the Paris Agreement.

The biodiversity strategy will be focused on three areas - to protect and restore nature within and beyond Burberry’s own value chain through projects supported via the Burberry Regeneration Fund, to expand support for farming communities by intensifying existing efforts around farm-level certifications and training where Burberry sources raw materials, and developing regenerative supply chains, applying regenerative and holistic land management practices to grazing or farming systems.

The company also plans to reduce their impact by sourcing more sustainable, recycled or certified fabrics by 2022. This year, Burberry partnered with The Biodiversity Consultancy to identify its highest ecological impacts - leather, cashmere and wool - and account for the company's carbon footprint.

Besides establishing the Regeneration Fund in 2020, Burberry has become the first luxury brand to sign up to the LEAF Coalition with an investment to become the world’s largest public-private initiative providing results-based finance to countries committed to making ambitious reductions in tropical deforestation.

Dr Gerry Murphy, Chair of Burberry, said in a statement: "Climate change is not just a future environmental risk, it’s a socio-economic crisis that is impacting millions around the world today. Protecting, restoring and regenerating nature is key to safeguarding the planet for generations to come, and we must be ambitious in our intentions and action-oriented in our approach.

"Burberry’s biodiversity strategy will not only address impacts in our own extended operations, but also help to create new systems to reduce biodiversity loss in the world’s greatest areas of need, making a meaningful contribution to global conservation efforts."