In order for luxury brands to survive sustainability is key. So no matter what economic recession or depression occurs the luxury brand is built to last. Mega luxury brand PPR is mastering luxury PR by communicating with their public audience. No secrets PPR is announcing how they plan to sustain over five years.
Luxury brands should take notes. After all PPR is doing something right, they own luxury brands ranging from Yves Saint Laurent to Stella McCartney. Should PPR be worried about giving away their secret sauce for sustainability? Of course not more luxury brands can learn a lot from the value of brand awareness and true luxury public relations. How a luxury brand communicates with its audience is the strategic approach for planning to gain brand recognition. In the meantime luxury brands can also gain sustainability through trust by turning up luxury PR. All the elements that make an amazing luxury brand appeal sustainable.
Which is what PPR is doing, through on its commitment to putting a value on eco-system services by announcing a series of environmental targets to reduce its footprint.
The five year plan, which covers all the company’s brands, ranging from Yves Saint Laurent and Alexander McQueen to Balenciaga and Stella McCartney, includes reductions of CO2, waste and water, the sourcing of raw materials and hazardous chemicals and materials.
PPR’s sports division Puma last year became the first company to publish an economic valuation of the environmental impacts caused by greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) and water consumption along its entire supply chain. The group has committed to implementing an Environmental Profit & Loss Account (E P&L) by 2015 across all its businesses.
At the time, PPR made it clear that current accounting systems are responsible for degrading the planet’s eco-systems and irresponsibly depleting natural resources and needed to go through fundamental change.
The group says it wants to use the E P&L to “ultimately implement efficient and innovative initiatives to reduce the environmental impacts from the sourcing of raw materials, processing, manufacturing, and distribution of the Group’s products.”
In the meantime, the company has made several commitments, including ensuring that all its gold and diamonds will be sourced from operations that do not have a harmful impact on local communities, wildlife or the ecosystems which support them.
PPR controversially uses precious skins and fur but has committed to ensure they come from verified captive breeding operations or from wild, sustainably managed populations.
The company says that for crocodiles there are already norms in place as well as EU standards for furs. But the market in snakes is unregulated and PPR believes there needs to be more transparency and traceability in sourcing.
Most appealing is that PPR is also offsetting its global emissions from its direct operations via carbon credits purchased from Wildlife Works’ REDD (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) offsetting project in Kenya and is buying a 5% stake in the business.
We can all learn from this five year sustainability plan of action. Luxury brands must take on a global social responsibility as well as producing exceptional luxury goods and experiences. In terms of luxury PR this same approach must also be incorporated in online engagement.
Job well done!