Golden Goose unveils ambitious sustainability plan

Sneaker brand Golden Goose has unveiled 10 “clear-cut goals” to meet by 2025 as part of its new ambitious Forward Agenda sustainability plan, centred around four pillars - innovation, craft, caring for people and products, and engaging with communities.

The Forward Agenda is about creating a long-term responsible journey moving forward, explains Golden Goose, by reducing its environmental impact by becoming carbon neutral, using responsible materials and tracing raw materials, and continuously improving social and environmental standards throughout its supply chain.

There is also a strong focus on community, with the new agenda encompassing awareness-raising initiatives to foster and enhance diversity while promoting an inclusive culture and empowering local communities.

To help it achieve its sustainability goals, Golden Goose has put together 10 goals to meet by 2025.

1. Launching its 1st Circular Design Project
2. Using 40 percent of low-impact materials in its sneakers’ collections, compared to 2021
3. Ensuring new Golden Goose products are safe, circular, and responsibly made through the Cradle to Cradle Certification
4. Tracing 100 percent of key raw materials
5. Using 50 percent responsible materials for ready to wear, compared to 2021
6. Achieving level 3 or 4 (scale 1-4) of social compliance standard for at least 80 percent of direct suppliers and strategic sub-suppliers
7. Attaining gender equality certification for the Golden Family worldwide
8. Attaining ISO 45001 health and safety Certification for Golden Goose offices and stores worldwide
9. Becoming carbon-neutral at Golden Goose sites worldwide
10. Supporting local communities through impactful social projects, engaging in high social value projects on a multi-year

Golden Goose to open a craftsmanship academy and innovative retail concept stores in Milan and New York

To kick-start its plan, Golden Goose will also launch several projects in 2022 and 2023 around its four pillars to “reveal the community culture of the company,” and how it will guide its major initiatives.

These include announcing a merger with a renowned research and development Italian supplier in April as part of its innovate pillar to elevate its commitment to sustainability, scalability solutions, and innovations to be shared with other brands. This merger will also produce a new Golden Goose sneaker developed utilising the most advanced technologies and bio-based materials, the brand added.

With a focus on craft, Golden Goose will open Fondamenta, its first craftsmanship academy in 2023. This academy will share the brand’s artisanal heritage and people-centric attitude and educate rising artisans throughout every stage of the supply chain and full production process, while also acting as a creative hub and a professional shoemaking school.

For its care pillar, the brand will launch Forward stores between spring and autumn 2022 in Milan and New York. These innovative retail concept stores will highlight how to lengthen products’ life cycle, with local and artisanal shoemakers sharing their knowledge and providing expertise to repair and personalise any product.

The final project will centre around community, with the introduction of Golden TV, a community-driven approach to social media, which will share stories from the G Generation, a collective of Golden Goose employees under 30 and brand lovers.

Golden Goose chief executive Silvio Campara said in a statement: “We will continue inspiring everyone to express their inner star by unleashing their creativity and daring to move forward together, with you. We will keep enabling people to share their stories that are relevant and empowering for their communities, for the Golden Family and for others.”