Bridget Foley’s Diary: Views on Sustainability: Victor Luis

WWD: How does a manufacturing-based industry like fashion reconcile growth with sustainability? Victor Luis: Being sustainable is simply good business. If we’re using less energy or less water, and more sustainable materials that reduce overall costs, lessen environmental impacts and drives revenue, that’s a benefit on many levels. We do believe in being a better member of the global community by being aware of how much electricity we’re using, what role water plays across the organization; those are all areas where we have created specific targets and on which we report annually, in our Corporate Responsibility Report. I don’t think it’s one or the other — you don’t have to sacrifice growth for sustainability, or vice versa. Good performance in areas of sustainability has been linked to better performance overall. We focus on growing responsibly by factoring in the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and what’s important to our customers, our employees and the communities in which we operate when making business decisions. WWD: Is it realistic for growth-dependent public companies to put concern for the environment before shareholder return? V.L.: Black Rock is one of our largest shareholders, and in chief executive officer Larry Fink’s 2019 letter “Purpose & Profit” addressed to

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