BURBERRY BEYOND
DRAWING ON OUR HERITAGE OF EXPLORATION AND THROUGH OUR CREATIVE SPIRIT, WE COMMIT TO CONTINUALLY EVOLVE, INNOVATE AND DEFY CONVENTION TO BUILD A BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.
As a brand built on the desire to explore nature and the great outdoors, our new strategy, Burberry Beyond, is our commitment to be a force for good through how we design, source, create and advocate. We are determined to be a better company, to create a more sustainable future for luxury, and to have a positive impact on climate, nature and people. This compels us to draw on our creative spirit, to evolve, innovate and, at times, defy convention. It also requires us to enhance our metrics to track, guide and report on progress.
Climate
We’re going beyond net zero, reducing emissions across our extended supply chain and investing in initiatives and projects that support wider climate change efforts beyond our business. These include programmes that remove carbon from the atmosphere, designed to accelerate climate action and build resilience for climate-vulnerable communities.
Nature
We are taking action to protect, restore and regenerate nature by applying a nature-based approach to our own value chain and in areas of greatest need beyond our operations. We are committed to restoring ecosystems within Burberry’s own value chain, working with key partners such as the Savory Institute’s Land to Market Initiative to develop regenerative supply chains and Global Canopy to ensure that the viscose we source does not harm the environment. We are also continuing to evolve our understanding of our nature impacts in partnership with The Biodiversity Consultancy in addition to working with organisations like the Science Based Targets Network and the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures to support the development of a robust framework to monitor and drive progress.
People
We are committed to having a positive impact on our people and communities. We are collating information about the work we do across our business, from protecting and nurturing luxury craftmanship skills, to driving progress towards our diversity, equity and inclusion ambitions, in order to establish and evaluate the full picture of our impact on people within and beyond our company.
LEVERS FOR ACTION
There are four main levers for action that will underpin our progress
DESIGN
We will harness our expertise in design, using the freedom creativity brings to usher in a new generation of luxury that not only does no harm, but seeks to have a positive impact.
SOURCE
We will ensure the materials we source are aligned to our ambitions, equipping and empowering our supply chain to achieve meaningful change at scale.
CREATE
As we create, from the manufacturing of garments through to putting on shows, we will carry an ethos of innovation that continues to push boundaries.
ADVOCATE
We will use our voice to call for strengthened policies, standards and behaviour change to drive positive social and environmental impacts.
OUR GOAL TO BE CLIMATE POSITIVE BY 2040
Climate Positive 2040 is about going further than net zero. Our goal is to implement steep reductions in our carbon emissions footprint and neutralise residual emissions by investing in compensation and projects that remove carbon from the atmosphere.
Our strategy follows the SBTi Net Zero Standard recommendations and we have set up the Burberry Regeneration Fund to support our neutralisation efforts.
RESPONSIBILITY AGENDA
In 2017, we launched our current Responsibility agenda, comprising a series of ambitious targets to 2022 across our Product, Company and Communities.
The strategy, developed in collaboration with global innovators and key stakeholders, aims to address the most material social and environmental impacts along our value chain.
Our goals
Our progress
PRODUCT
Drive positive change through all our products
Goal: To have 100% of product with more than one positive attribute by 2022, where positive attributes relate to social and/or environmental improvements, achieved at either raw material sourcing or product manufacturing stage
Achievement: 99% of products with more than one positive attribute
Goal: To procure 100% of our cotton more sustainably by 2022 by using a portfolio approach. This includes working with partners and exploring new sources, including organic and regenerative cotton
Achievement: 100%
Goal: To source 100% of leather from tanneries with environmental, traceability and social compliance certifications by 2022
Achievement: 92%
SDGs: SDG 6, SDG 8, SDG 9, SDG 12, SDG 13, SDG 15 and SDG 17
COMPANY
Be carbon neutral and revalue waste
Goal: To achieve carbon neutrality in our own operational energy use by reducing absolute emissions, improving energy efficiency and switching to renewable electricity sources, before offsetting any remaining emissions
Achievement: 100% reduction in market-based emissions (including offsets) since base year FY 2016/17
Goal: To achieve 100% renewable electricity by 2022, driving this through close collaboration with our procurement and retail teams and engagement with landlords
Achievement: 100%^
Goal: To reduce and revalue waste and achieve zero operational waste to landfill across key sites. We already reuse, repair, repurpose, donate or recycle unsaleable products and we will continue to expand these efforts
Achievement: Zero^ operational waste sent to landfill from key sites
SDGs: SDG 7, SDG 12, SDG 13 and SDG 17
COMMUNITIES
Positively impact one million people
Goal: To positively impact 1 million people by 2022
Achievement: 1,247,780^ people positively impacted
Goal: Tackling educational inequality and building cultural capital
Achievement: 658,121 people positively impacted
Goal: Fostering community cohesion and employability skills
Achievement: 219,456 people positively impacted
Goal: Supporting economic and social empowerment
Achievement: 124,357 people positively impacted
SDGs: SDG 1, SDG 4, SDG 5, SDG 8, SDG 10 and SDG 17
REFLECTING ON OUR PROGRESS
MATERIALITY
Our Responsibility strategy was developed with the support of key stakeholders, to address the most material issues for our business, as well as the most pressing social and environmental needs along our value chain.
Our goals are informed by the Paris Climate Agreement and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), resulting in, for example; our climate-related commitments to be net-zero by 2040, adopting science based targets and a 100% renewable electricity target (in support of SDG 13 – Climate Action); driving positive change through all of our products (in support of SDG 12 – responsible production and consumption); and contributing to several SDGs through our goal to positively impact 1 million people with the support of the Burberry Foundation all by 2022.
Our community focused programmes were established based on key locations along our value chain where we are uniquely placed to make a difference (and contribute to: SDG 1 – No Poverty, SDG 4 – Quality Education, SDG 5 – Gender Equality, SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth, SDG 10 – reduced inequalities).
When establishing these programmes we worked with expert non-governmental organisations, to identify local community needs and effective ways to address them. All of our targets to 2022 are underpinned by SDG 17 – Partnerships for the goals, as we recognise a collaborative multi-stakeholder approach is required to tackle some of the greatest global sustainability challenges faced today.
During FY 2021/22, we undertook an ESG materiality assessment review to identify the most material risks and opportunities for the business. This included assessing environmental and social topics based on their importance to our stakeholders and their impact on Burberry, and determining which topics were most material for Burberry. We also reviewed the Group’s governance of ESG topics to ensure appropriate oversight of ESG risks and opportunities.
EXTERNAL ASSURANCE OF CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY DISCLOSURES
Burberry has appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) to provide limited assurance over selected Company, Product and Community information for FY 2021/22. Information forming part of the assurance scope is denoted with a ^ above. The assurance statement and Burberry’s basis of reporting are available here. Please click here for Burberry’s basis of reporting and the full independent assurance statement.
GOVERNANCE
Environmental and social responsibility is an essential element of Burberry’s strategy for which the Board is responsible. The Board is also responsible for ensuring its approach to ESG topics is integrated into, and implemented across, the business. The governance framework of committees and advisory forums provide updates and key information to the Board to ensure it is able to make informed decisions. The Board receives updates on priorities relating to the environment, people, supply chain, communities, sustainable finance and communications regularly.
In FY 2019/20, a Sustainability Steering Committee chaired by the CEO was established to review and oversee the Group’s strategy on environmental and social issues. During FY 2021/22, we reviewed the governance of ESG topics. As part of this review, the Sustainability Steering Committee evolved to the Sustainability Committee, which will meet four times a year and is co-chaired by the CEO and CO&FO. The Sustainability Committee will report to the Board at least twice a year to enhance the Board’s monitoring of progress.
The Chief Supply Chain Officer, the Chief People Officer, the Head of Ready-to-Wear, General Counsel, Senior Vice President Strategy, Vice President Corporate Responsibility and Senior Vice President Corporate Relations and Engagement are also members of the Sustainability Committee. Senior leaders are responsible for ensuring all decisions are taken with environmental and social impacts in mind. The Company has a cross-functional working group responsible for delivering the recommendations of the TCFD and evolving the company’s TCFD disclosures. The TCFD working group includes members from the Risk Management, Finance and Corporate Responsibility teams, and reports to the Risk Committee, which is chaired by the CO&FO. The Ethics Committee covers topics relating to ethics, compliance, environment and communities, and reports to the Audit Committee. The remuneration of the Executive Directors is partly linked to our progress in building a more sustainable future, including progress towards the Group’s Responsibility goals.
SUPPLY CHAIN ANALYSIS
Our supply chain analysis for FY2021/22 looks at our business model and external supply chain composition. Please click here to find out more.
