Bridget Foley’s Diary: Kering’s Marie-Claire Daveu’s Views on Sustainability

WWD: How does a manufacturing-based industry such as fashion reconcile growth with sustainability? Marie-Claire Daveu: A few years ago, François-Henri Pinault [chairman and chief executive officer of Kering] put sustainability at the heart of our strategy. It’s something strong that you find at every level in the company, from the raw materials through to our finished product. At the same time, we are quite successful at [the bottom line]. So I think that gives you a concrete example. WWD: As part of François-Henri Pinault’s commitment to the environment, Kering has become very invested in sustainable innovation. M-C.D.: Sustainability can mean additional costs but also savings. With the knowledge that emerges while seeking solutions, most of the time, these solutions are very innovative, so you are becoming more efficient and more sustainable. We believe it’s a fact that sustainable design is smart business. Take the example of energy. When you are implementing some key solutions to reduce your consumption of energy, at the beginning it’s an investment, it costs money. But after a few years, you are able to [produce more efficiently]. It’s an investment, so you have to accept a different kind of payback that is not exactly the traditional payback. But at

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