LVMH announces reduction of its global footprint linked to water consumption

Luxury goods group LVMH has announced that it will reduce the "global footprint" of its water consumption by 30 percent. This commitment must be put into practice by 2030.

It's a well-known fact that the fashion industry is extremely water-intensive. In 2019, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) estimated in a report that around 93 billion cubic metres of water are used each year by this industry.

At a time when, as is the case almost every summer, the news is partly dominated by announcements of water restrictions, Louis Vuitton's parent company is joining in the debate with a press release on its commitment to reducing its water consumption.

LVMH, an 'ambitious plan to reduce water consumption'

More specifically, the giant LVMH is talking about an "ambitious water sobriety plan to reduce the Group's overall water consumption footprint by 30 percent". It has also announced that by the end of 2023 it will unveil a "qualitative objective to reduce its water consumption footprint and improve the quality of discharges into natural environments". The target will be validated by one of the group's partners: SBTN (Science Based Target for Nature).

Today, at LVMH, this water consumption footprint concerns in particular the extraction of mineral resources needed to manufacture products, the irrigation of vineyards in Australia, New Zealand, Argentina and California, and crocodile farms and tanneries.

Furthermore, with regard to the prevention of water pollution, the LVMH Group stated in 2022 in a document entitled 'Management Report of the Board of Directors' that "only the discharge of substances into water by the Wines and Spirits, Fashion and Leather Goods and Perfumes and Cosmetics businesses that contribute to eutrophication is retained as an important and relevant indicator". The group's other activities have very little impact on water quality. According to the CNRS, "eutrophication is a singular but natural form of pollution of certain aquatic ecosystems that occurs when the environment receives too much nutritive matter that can be assimilated by algae, causing them to proliferate". This phenomenon causes major disruption to aquatic ecosystems.

In practical terms, to reduce its water consumption and its environmental impact, the group says it is putting in place "specific action plans in areas suffering from water stress, restoring to the natural environment what is borrowed from it and supporting local communities". Other initiatives include the use of the most efficient technologies for reusing waste water.

This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.FR. Translation and edit by: Rachel Douglass.