Protection has long been a guiding principle at Burberry, ever since its founder invented gabardine in 1879 to shield the wearer against the blustery, wet English weather.
Thomas Burberry’s wonder fabric, a weatherproof, breathable and hard-wearing material, would quickly become the choice of European explorers dressing for expeditions to the North and South Poles, and a staple of British officers’ wardrobes during World War I, and beyond.
In 1955, not long after taking the throne, Queen Elizabeth II made Burberry her official supplier of weatherproof gear, and handed the company a prized Royal Warrant. Three decades later, Prince Charles, now King Charles III, followed suit, anointing Burberry as one of his official outfitters.
You May Also Like
Related Articles
Thomas Burberry’s desire to create protective, practical clothing and cater to everyday needs have also inspired the brand and helped it to shape its policies surrounding environmental, social and governance and diversity and inclusion. Over the last decade Burberry has taken pioneering steps with regard to the environment, the communities it serves and the treatment of its own employees.
It has sought to soften life’s edges and protect the environment from further harm where and when it can.
“The values of our founder, Thomas Burberry, and his commitment to unlocking possibilities for communities ultimately guides our ambition to do well by doing right,” said Thibaut Perrin-Faivre, president and chief executive officer of the Americas at Burberry, who will be accepting this year’s Corporate Citizen Honor on behalf of Burberry at the WWD Apparel and Retail CEO Summit.
“It’s this ambition that runs right through the organization and is intrinsic to how we operate as a business, from creating luxury products that are made to last, to our approach to championing inclusion and empowering communities,” he added.
Perrin-Faivre joined Burberry almost 10 years ago and recalls being impressed by the company’s “collective effort to do good in the world and be a better business. Our founder, Thomas Burberry, spent much of his life pushing boundaries for the benefit of the community. He believed deeply in inclusivity — and he took action. He passionately advocated for minority groups. He opened his doors to those who were seeking food and warmth. This genuine desire to not only want the world to be a better place, but to innovate and harness creativity to make it one, is what drives us forward.”
In its bid to protect planet and people, Burberry has been working on a variety of fronts:
The Planet
The brand was one of the first companies in the fashion and luxury goods industry to receive approval from the Science Based Targets initiative for its net-zero emissions target.
Burberry is aiming to reach net-zero emissions by 2040, in line with the Paris Agreement. It is carbon-neutral across its global operations, and all the electricity the company uses is from renewable sources.
“It’s important to be bold if we’re going to meaningfully tackle the climate crisis, and it’s equally important that these ambitions are underpinned by commitments and targets that will have the necessary impact to bring about lasting change,” said Perrin-Faivre.
Burberry is also working to protect and restore natural habitats in countries where it operates. It is supporting farming communities and seeking farm-level certifications and training in places where it sources raw materials.
It is also helping to develop regenerative and holistic land management practices, such as grazing and farming systems.
The company has been working with various non-governmental organizations as part of the Fashion Pact. It is funding projects in Mongolia to help restore the grassland where goats graze, and supporting carbon insetting and reforestation initiatives in Australia.
Green Money
Burberry is among the luxury companies that have borrowed money to help it achieve its sustainability goals.
It has a 300 million pound loan coordinated by Lloyds Bank that is linked to its achievement of ESG targets, such as accelerating emissions reductions across its extended supply chain by 46 percent by 2030.
In 2020, Burberry also became the first luxury brand to issue a sustainability bond, enlisting the support of investors to finance sustainability projects such as refurbishing properties across its portfolio to conform with stringent certification standards, ensuring that natural resources are sourced sustainably and that pollution from packaging is prevented.
Fabrics and Sourcing
Burberry has been donating tens of thousands of meters of fabric to more than 30 fashion schools and universities across the U.K. as part of the ReBurberry Fabric program in partnership with the British Fashion Council.
The British luxury brand has also partnered with The Biodiversity Consultancy to identify its biggest ecological impacts: leather, cashmere and wool.
It plans to work toward reducing its own impact — by sourcing more sustainable, recycled or certified fabrics by 2022 as well as restoring and regenerating natural ecosystems in the areas where it sources raw materials and other “areas of great need” beyond its own operations.
The brand will do so by funding projects via its Regeneration Fund, established in 2020.
Burberry has rolled out new labeling across all key product categories in a bid to show how each product is meeting sustainability requirements.
Pistachio-colored labels have been attached to Burberry products. They outline key sustainable elements of a particular garment and how it has met certain “positive attributes” criteria set out by the brand.
Those attributes include the amount of recycled natural fibers, delivery against carbon emissions standards and social policies such as living wages for workers.
Burberry is aiming to have all of its products have more than one positive attribute by 2022. Only two-thirds of its products across men’s and women’s have at least one positive attribute.
The rollout of the pistachio labeling chimes with the ReBurberry Edit, a collection of top seasonal looks and heritage pieces that have been recreated using sustainable materials.
In addition, the brand no longer uses real fur and has ended its practice of destroying unsalable products and excess inventory by incineration, following a public outcry in the U.K.
Like many other luxury brands, Burberry used to destroy its products to protect the brand from counterfeiters and overstocking the market. Its decision to cease the practice of destroying goods is part of a five-year responsibility agenda to tackle waste.
Dealing With Waste
Burberry is moving to eliminate unnecessary plastic packaging by 2025, according to a report published by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
The company has already replaced all hangers, shrouds and poly bags with an eco-friendly option. It has also launched a hanger take-back program that sees discarded retail hangers recycled and reused. Rain covers for shopping bags are made from at least 30 percent bioplastics and are compostable.
By 2025 all of its plastic packaging will either be reusable, recyclable or compostable. So far the company has eliminated plastic lamination from its retail bags and poly bags for garment covers, reducing the use of 29 tons of plastic.
It has also created paper packaging using FSC certified virgin pulp and fiber from recycled coffee cups in partnership with CupCycling. According to Burberry, they’ve upcycled more than 11 million cups.
Protecting Staff
Burberry was one of the first luxury companies to join The Valuable 500 community, ensuring that disability inclusion is a priority on its agenda.
The Valuable 500 describes itself as a global organization aiming “to put disability on the business leadership agenda” and support the “social and economic value” of people living with disabilities.
“Disability inclusion has to be a priority for business and we are accelerating our own progress by implementing a global disability audit framework to highlight where we can have the most impact,” Burberry has said.
“This work is part of our broader commitment to foster a truly open and inclusive environment, and we look forward to partnering with other signatories to drive meaningful change across the agenda,” it added.
Burberry has also enacted an enriched global parental leave policy, giving new mothers and fathers the chance to work fewer hours, at full pay, in the weeks following their return from leave.
Burberry offers all employees 18 weeks of parental leave at full pay, and the opportunity to work a 30-hour week, at full pay, for four weeks after they clock back into work. That compares with a mixed bag of human resources policies across the other fashion brands and groups.
Earlier this month, in response to the rising cost of living in the U.K., Burberry brought forward the new U.K. real Living Wage pay rates by more than six months.
The company, which said it wanted to support staff during difficult times in the U.K., has been a real Living Wage employer since 2016, meaning that it’s committed to paying above the country’s minimum wage.
Looking After Communities
Perrin-Faivre said Burberry is “eager to create space for our people to engage with the communities we impact.”
Burberry staff worldwide are offered three days a year to volunteer in their local communities, and “we also encourage our colleagues to apply for match-funding for team fundraising activities to maximize engagement and make their donations go even further,” Perrin-Faivre added.
In the past the company has teamed with Marcus Rashford, the English professional footballer and anti-child poverty activist, to help charities that support young people in the U.K. and across the world. Rashford has also appeared in Burberry campaigns focused on trenches and outerwear.
The company has also been a longtime advocate of LGBTQ causes and charities.
Perrin-Faivre said he’s “deeply passionate about LGBTQ inclusion, and has been a proud sponsor of our LGBTQ ERG [employee resource group] for a few years now. We’ve also established a range of other networks in the U.S., including Asians in America, Empowered Black Network, Women Empowered at Burberry and the Working Parents Group. Everyone is encouraged to bring their whole self to work, and I feel fortunate to play but a small part in driving our organization to be even better.”
He touted the work of the Burberry Foundation, a charity that operates alongside the company.
Perrin-Faivre said the foundation, with the help of its NGO partners and community organizations, has positively impacted the lives of more than 1 million people in the past five years.
“We’re also particularly passionate about helping young people to explore new possibilities through the arts, which we’ve been able to do through our unique in-school cultural program, Burberry Inspire [part of the Burberry Foundation]. Over the program’s four-year duration, we helped more than 10,000 students engage with the arts and gain employability skills across the United Kingdom and the U.S. We’re excited to unlock the creativity of even more young people in future,” he said.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Burberry leveraged its global supply chain, manufacturing and sourcing tens of thousands of pieces of personal protective equipment, which it donated to Britain’s National Health Service and health care charities.
It also provided funding to support the development of the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca vaccine and donated to charities dedicated to tackling food poverty to help meet the most immediate medical and community needs.