The Fashion Pact: 32 industry leaders sign ahead of G7 in Biarritz

Some 32 industry leaders – including Britain's Burberry, Matchesfashion.com, Selfridges and Stella McCartney – have signed The Fashion Pact ahead of the G7 Summit in Biarritz.

The Fashion Pact is an initiative that was launched by French President Emmanuel Macron, who charged Kering chief François-Henri Pinault to lead it, with the aim of setting practical objectives for reducing the environmental impact of the fashion industry.

Pinault said of the initiative: "The global challenges we are facing are complex. They know no borders. Only coalitions can overcome them, bringing together Governments, businesses and civil societies."

Burberry CEO Marco Gobbetti added: “We know that one company cannot solve the environmental challenges facing our planet alone and we believe in the power of collaboration to drive real change.”

Macron, accompanied by Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, Minister of Labour Muriel Pénicaud, and Deputy Minister of Ecological and Solidary Transition Brune Poirson, invited representatives of the 32 fashion and textile companies to the Elysée Palace to launch the Fashion Pact by his side today.

The pact is being hailed as an historic move for the industry, given its scale and profile, and its signatories include groups and brands in luxury, fashion, sports and lifestyle, along with suppliers and retailers, all of whom are already involved in separate environmental strategies. It will be presented to all heads of state during the G7 summit.

The full list of signatories in alphabetical order is as follows: 

• Adidas
• Bestseller
• Burberry
• Capri Holdings (parent of Michael Kors, Jimmy Choo and Versace)
• Carrefour
• Chanel
• Ermenegildo Zegna
• Everybody & Everyone
• Fashion3
• Fung Group
• Galeries Lafayette
• Gap Inc.
• Giorgio Armani
• H&M Group
• Hermes
• Inditex
• Karl Lagerfeld
• Kering (parent of Gucci, Saint Laurent and Balenciaga among others)
• La Redoute
• Matchesfashion.com
• Moncler
• Nike
• Nordstrom
• Prada Group
• Puma
• PVH Corp.
• Ralph Lauren
• Ruyi
• Salvatore Ferragamo
• Selfridges Group
• Stella McCartney
• Tapestry (parent of Coach, Stuart Weitzman and Kate Spade)

The Fashion Pact’s objectives draw on the Science-Based Targets initiative, which focuses on action in three essential areas for safeguarding the planet:

Stop global warming: by creating and deploying an action plan for achieving the objective of zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, in order to keep global warming below a 1.5°C pathway between now and 2100.

Restore biodiversity: by achieving objectives that use Science-Based Targets to restore natural ecosystems and protect species.

Protect the oceans: by reducing the fashion industry’s negative impact on the world’s oceans through practical initiatives, such as gradually removing the usage of single-use plastics.

These commitments are designed to be embraced by every company involved and backed by cross-sector initiatives, along with the deployment of innovation accelerators.

The full text of The Fashion Pact can be read here.