We have committed to sourcing 100% of our leather from tanneries with environmental, traceability and social compliance certifications by 2022. We fully support tannery certification as one of several ways to help drive more responsible leather production. We recognise certifications by the Leather Working Group (LWG), the Italian Istituto di Certificazione della Qualità per l'Industria Conciaria (ICEC) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
We are a member of the Leather Working Group, a multi-stakeholder organisation that aims to improve the tanning industry by creating alignment on environmental priorities, bringing visibility to best practices and providing guidelines for continual improvement. We encourage our tanneries to be audited by the Leather Working Group.
We currently source 80% of our leather from certified tanneries. We encourage our key tanneries to monitor their water, energy and chemical consumption and to validate the effectiveness of waste water treatment processes and air emissions management.
Even when product patterns are carefully planned to maximise the use of a leather hide, the process inevitably creates small offcuts. Through the Burberry Foundation, we are working with sustainable luxury company Elvis & Kresse to transform leather offcuts from the production of our products into a range of accessories and homeware. Half of the profits from this range are donated to charitable organisations promoting renewable energy, while the remaining half is reinvested by Elvis & Kresse to expand their work and generate apprenticeship and work experience opportunities.
We are partnering with Canopy, an NGO that works to protect the world’s forests, species and climate by collaborating with business leaders, scientists and decision-makers, utilising Canopy’s hot button report and working directly with suppliers and producers to ensure we only source viscose from responsible sources. We are collaborating with Canopy and innovative companies to encourage the development and use of fibre sources that reduce environmental and social impacts, with a focus on agricultural residues and recycled fabrics. Preference is given to lines with the greatest possible proportion of lower impact man-made cellulosics.