In a context in which environmental awareness is becoming increasingly important, the fashion group LVMH and
Paris Good Fashion
Paris Good Fashion is an association of fashion professionals committed to a more responsible fashion industry
teamed up to launch an innovative initiative: the Green Store & Building Challenge.
The latest collaboration aims to raise awareness and mobilize the sector’s key players – from brand managers to store owners – to significantly reduce the environmental impact of fashion retail. In an exclusive interview with Nicolas Martin, Sustainable Store Design Manager at LVMH, FashionUnited explores the goals this initiative aims to achieve towards a more sustainable fashion industry.
LVMH and Paris Good Fashion Store Guide
The idea for the Green Store & Building Challenge came in part from the Stores Awards, which LVMH has organized every two years since 2016, says Martin. After the success of these events, the group proposed extending this approach to the Paris Good Fashion network and thus the Green Store & Building Challenge was born.
Ahead of the launch of the challenge, LVMH and Paris Good Fashion jointly developed a comprehensive guide that highlights key action points and provides various recommendations to support stores on the path to sustainability. “We relied on our experience and our internal framework, which consists of 60 sustainability criteria. In order to include as many partners as possible, we have simplified the guidelines in coordination with third parties who accompany us,” says Martin.
“Sustainability is no longer a choice, but an obligation. What is changing is the speed at which these practices are being adopted. And here the human factor is important. That’s why Store Challenges have their rightful place in the arsenal of transformation tools.”
Insight into the state of sustainability in retail by Nicolas Martin
Asked about the current state of sustainability in French and global retail, Martin emphasizes that it is difficult to paint a complete picture of this constantly evolving sector. However, he mentions two positive aspects that make him optimistic: the tightening of regulations, particularly through initiatives such as RE2020 to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, and the European taxonomy, which provides for a classification of economic activities with a positive impact on the environment and investments in sustainable ones to direct projects. He also points to the growing vigilance of younger generations about the importance of sustainability. “Sustainability is no longer a choice, but an obligation. What is changing is the speed at which these practices are being adopted. And here the human factor is important. That’s why Store Challenges have their rightful place in the arsenal of transformation tools,” he explains.
Of the improvement measures identified by LVMH as store priorities, three points stand out: turning off lights after 10 p.m. — a practice that has been used in stores for over a year; the closing of the doors, a cultural shift aimed at reducing energy consumption; and the measurement of installed lighting power, which underlines the importance of energy efficiency even when using technologies such as LEDs. Despite this progress, Martin admits there is still a lot of work to be done to improve sustainability in stores. It highlights the need for a holistic approach and involvement of all sector stakeholders to truly transform the retail landscape towards greater sustainability.
LVMH: How sustainable business reduces costs and improves customer experience
In practice, implementing LVMH’s recommendations in different stores offers two tangible benefits. Firstly, boutiques’ operating costs can be reduced, which has a positive impact on their profitability. In addition, “a sustainable store offers a more pleasant working and shopping environment for our employees and customers, with better air and light quality, which increases the success of the sales area,” explains Martin. In addition, the additional costs are generally minimal.
What is beneficial for the environment often also turns out to be cost-effective: reusing furniture and an economical approach to the selection of materials or lighting, for example, help reduce costs. This common sense, Martin said, and efficiency are well illustrated by the higher rated projects that are also less energy intensive. The only additional cost that LVMH’s Sustainable Store Manager considers acceptable is the additional time required by teams and partners to be more attentive and careful with material and energy resources.
LVMH internal performance indicators: simplification of existing standards and labels
Is LVMH’s goal to label and certify such an award? Martin points out that there are already a significant number of labels worldwide, eight of which have been consolidated into an internal framework at LVMH. The group relies on standards such as LEED ID + C (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for interior design and construction (ID+C), an American program for certifying environmentally friendly buildings that is used worldwide. Likewise Energy Performance Diagnostic (DPE), a French certificate that provides information about the energy and climate performance of a house or building. “These labels and certifications are in fact just a means to an end. The real goal is change, action, continuous improvement. But the more complex a standard is, the less we know what to do. There is often a lack of pedagogy among non-experts in the construction industry. But it is possible,” says Martin.
LVMH strives to make existing labels and standards accessible to a broad audience. “The Paris Store Challenge is really about shining a light on ‘just’ twelve simple key performance indicators (KPIs) that can easily improve a boutique’s energy profile and its indirect impact on biodiversity. I would be happy if we could display them at the entrance to the boutiques, just five technical pieces of information, similar to how we display a ‘Nutriscore’. All of this is linked to our public guide on a mini website that explains the meaning of these parameters. It’s just about education,” he explains.
More than green contracts: nuances of sustainability in fashion boutiques
When asked about possible expansion of the recommendations to other areas such as renewable energy and water management, Martin highlights an important distinction: of the twelve criteria, none directly relates to boutique renewable energy. However, this is the result of a well-thought-out strategy: energy efficiency takes priority over simply concluding green electricity contracts. According to Martin, true sustainability lies in reducing consumption, a much more challenging task than simply switching energy suppliers.
“You are right, among the twelve criteria there is none that relates to renewable energy in boutiques. Do you know why? Because we tend to forget that efficiency is just as important as switching to a ‘green’ electricity contract. To be truly sustainable it is important, above all, to reduce consumption, which is much more difficult than changing the contract.” As for the impact of water consumption in boutiques, it is considered negligible and therefore not identified as a priority area for improvement.
As for next steps, Martin says LVMH does not want to limit the partnerships to the current seven strategic landlords. Rather, the group wants to expand its collaboration in the field of eco-design and emphasizes the importance of collective progress in this constantly evolving sector. With ten participants this year and four prizes awarded, Paris Good Fashion hopes to triple the number of participants for the 2024 edition.
This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.uk. Translated and edited by Simone Preuss.