Jeweller and watchmaker Cartier is embracing sustainability right across its business, as reported earlier, and now joins the CEO Carbon Neutral Challenge. An initiative by Gucci CEO and President Marco Bizzarri, the Challenge encourages businesses with a global footprint to adopt low-carbon practices and become players in an economy that is good for the planet. It is meant to inspire urgent and direct action to “take full responsibility and accountability for the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions they generate right away, and, after prioritising emissions reduction, deliver nature-based climate solutions for all remaining annual emissions to help mitigate climate change and biodiversity loss,” according to a statement released by Cartier.

Cartier President and CEO Cyrille Vigneron had previously signalled the firm’s intentions to address a variety of sustainability issues, including the transparent and responsible sourcing of raw materials, and the use of the same. The CEO Carbon Neutral Challenge should be seen in this light. “We firmly believe that aspirations for a sustainable industry can only be achieved through collaborative initiatives” said Vigneron. “As citizens of the world, we believe it is our duty to protect its biodiversity and make a positive impact on the planet. This means enhancing Cartier’s support for innovative partnerships such as the CEO Carbon Neutral Challenge issued by Marco Bizzarri and joining forces to deliver a positive impact on the planet and the people. We do hope that additional actors from the private sector will commit to join the challenge.”

• READ MORE: ESG Concerns: What Does This Mean for the Fashion Industry?

The press release for this announcement noted that Cartier has committed to the criteria set out by the Challenge. It is of course notable that Cartier, the jewel in Richemont’s crown, would sign-up to a project by Gucci, the leading light of Kering. Of course, the Challenge has already been taken up by plenty of non-Kering firms, including SAP and TheRealReal. Gucci has been much-lauded for its green stance, and Kering is a leading force in sustainability and transparency in luxury. As we noted in our own story on sustainability in watchmaking and jewellery, Richemont remains (as of 2021) the only firm with an independently audited sustainability report.

• READ MORE: The WOW Conversation: Sustainability in Watchmaking

Here is a summary of what Cartier says it is already doing, reproduced verbatim:
In 2020, Cartier increased the scope of carbon footprint measurement to include all indirect carbon emissions linked to its supply chain. In 2021, Cartier became a member of the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) with ambitious climate targets. Through these targets, the Maison commits to reducing emissions 46 per cent by 2030, to increasing the annual sourcing of renewable electricity from 48 per cent in 2019 to 100 per cent by 2021 and to continuing to annually source 100 per cent renewable electricity through 2030. Cartier’s CO2 emission reduction targets are aligned with a 1,5° trajectory for its entire footprint, and therefore consistent with the reductions required to keep global warming to 1.5°C, the most ambitious goal of the Paris Agreement.

Early 2022, Cartier joined the Science Based Target Network (SBTN) Corporate Engagement Program. This working group helps to develop science-based targets for nature in order to understand our impacts and dependencies on nature, measure them and set targets.

• READ MORE: Kering Group’s Saint Laurent Surges with 37% Growth in Q1 2022

In 2020, Cartier launched both Cartier For Nature, an independent structure fully funded by Cartier, supporting nature-based solutions to help protect, manage and restore our ecosystems in the long term, and joined The Lion’s Share fund, co-founded and fully supported by the United Nations Development Program (UNPD), supporting wildlife conservation and animal welfare.

In 2021, Cartier joined forces with Kering to launch the Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030, welcoming all watch and jewellery brands with a national and international footprint willing to commit to a set of ambitious and common objectives in three areas: building climate resilience, preserving resources, and fostering inclusiveness.

“Given the escalated warnings in the UN’s recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, it is becoming even clearer since I issued the CEO Carbon Neutral Challenge in 2019 that we need to act now for nature, as it is simply not enough to focus solely on reducing emissions over the coming decades,” said Marco Bizzarri.

“At Gucci we are committed to a nature positive approach and I applaud Cartier for joining the Challenge. Taking this leadership step to prioritise emissions reduction through their science-based target and holding themselves accountable for all their residual emissions every year by investing in nature-based solutions to protect, manage and restore natural ecosystems, are actions that are urgently needed to tackle the climate and nature crises.”

For more watch reads, click here.