Editor’s Note
This article outlines Louis Vuitton’s strategic commitment to responsible sourcing, focusing on biodiversity, resource preservation, and supply chain transparency. The reported progress reflects a growing industry imperative to align luxury with environmental stewardship.
As a company that relies heavily on raw materials from nature, Louis Vuitton is implementing a supply chain and procurement strategy to commit to methods that have a regenerative impact on biodiversity. The company’s priorities are to preserve resources and the climate, respect animal welfare, avoid deforestation, eliminate the use of hazardous chemicals, and reduce air and water pollution.
Louis Vuitton reports that 78% of its raw materials are responsibly sourced, working towards a 100% target by 2025, when it also aims to have eliminated the use of single-use plastic. As of 2022 statistics, 78% of the materials the company sources comply with responsible sourcing policies, meaning they are either certified or recycled under strict environmental standards.
96% of the leathers used are Leather Working Group-certified (LWG), the highest environmental standard in leather tanning. Working alongside its suppliers, the company is constantly researching innovative tanning methods and has already implemented a water-free process for some leather goods collections.
99% of sourced wool supplies are traced from the country of origin, and nearly 50% come from supply chains with responsible practices. Men’s Ready-to-Wear Collections use two 100% Responsible Wool Standard-certified wool yarns, the world reference in terms of respect for the environment and animal welfare.
100% of supplies of feather and down come from a fully integrated supply chain in France, guaranteeing traceability from the breeding farm to the feather processing.
93% of the wood used in their creations comes from sustainably managed forests. 100% of the wood used for the fabrication of trunks and hard-sided boxes has been certified according to the strictest standards for this supply chain.
70% of its cotton volumes come from organic supply chains or ones that support the development of more sustainable agricultural practices.
44% of the polyester used in its collections is recycled and is currently undergoing the Global Recycled Standard certification process.
93% of the gold sourced for all its product categories has been certified by the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC). This certification guarantees that all the steps of the extraction, transformation, and marketing processes respect sustainable development standards. Since 2012, 100% of the gold used in Jewelry Collections is certified by RJC.
100% of the diamonds used in Jewellery Collections are sourced from Responsible Jewellery Council-certified and Kimberley Process-certified suppliers, guaranteeing a “zero conflict” status.
All procurement partners have signed the LVMH Suppliers Code of Conduct, which defines the ethical, environmental, and social principles for both Louis Vuitton and its supplier ecosystem. Roughly 250 audits are carried out per year and, since 2018, the audit scope has been extended to include animal welfare and raw material traceability.