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Burberry builds on Climate Positive commitment with biodiversity strategy to protect, restore and regenerate nature

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Burberry today announces its biodiversity strategy to support global conservation efforts. Through this plan, Burberry will take action to protect, restore and regenerate nature, helping to slow further global warming as part of the transition towards the 1.5°C pathway set out in the Paris Agreement.

Building on Burberry’s recent commitment to become Climate Positive by 2040, the luxury Company’s biodiversity strategy will expand the scope of its current initiatives, applying a nature-based approach in its own value chain and in areas of greatest need beyond its operations.

The biodiversity strategy encompasses three focus areas:

  • Protecting and restoring nature within and beyond Burberry’s own value chain through projects supported via the Burberry Regeneration Fund.¹
  • Expanding support for farming communities, intensifying existing efforts around farm-level certifications and training where Burberry sources raw materials.
  • Developing regenerative supply chains, applying regenerative and holistic land management practices to grazing or farming systems.

 



This year, Burberry completed a biodiversity baseline assessment in partnership with The Biodiversity Consultancy to determine its highest ecological impacts. It highlighted that leather, cashmere and wool have the most significant impact on biodiversity as well as accounting for a high proportion of Burberry’s carbon footprint. Burberry will apply Nature Based Solution Principles and Guidelines that it developed in partnership with The Biodiversity Consultancy to projects funded via its Regeneration Fund, ensuring natural ecosystems are protected, restored and regenerated.

Beyond its value chain, Burberry is the first luxury brand to sign up to the LEAF Coalition with an investment in what is expected to become the world’s largest public-private initiative providing results-based finance to countries committed to making ambitious reductions in tropical deforestation. Through a partnership with the Savory Institute’s Land to Market programme, Burberry is also facilitating the regeneration of the world’s grasslands in the leather supply chain and the livelihoods of their inhabitants. Both programmes will play an important part in global regeneration and conservation efforts. 

Aligned to the “ARRRT" framework, the strategy covers four impact areas that build upon Burberry’s long-established programmes:

  • Avoid: continuing efforts within Burberry and across its extended supply chain to avoid negative impacts on biodiversity, conservation or the environment.
  • Reduce: reducing Burberry’s impact on biodiversity through the responsible sourcing of key raw materials and ensuring key materials are traceable, certified or recycled by 2025.²
  • Restore & Regenerate: restoring ecosystems within Burberry’s own value chain, working with key partners such as Land to Market at the Savory Institute and the Sustainable Fibre Alliance.
  • Transform: accelerating solutions to drive change and protect vulnerable ecosystems beyond Burberry’s own value chain through our active participation in The Fashion Pact and UN Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action.

¹ The Burberry Regeneration Fund was established in 2020 to accelerate low-carbon future solutions and invest in nature-based projects.
² Burberry will ensure all key materials are 100% traceable by 2025 e.g. sourcing more sustainable cotton, leather and wool, as well as recycled polyester and nylon.

 


 

“Climate change is not just a future environmental risk, it’s a socioeconomic crisis that is impacting millions around the world today. Protecting, restoring and regenerating nature is key to safeguarding the planet for generations to come, and we must be ambitious in our intentions and action-oriented in our approach. Burberry’s biodiversity strategy will not only address impacts in our own extended operations, but also help to create new systems to reduce biodiversity loss in the world’s greatest areas of need, making a meaningful contribution to global conservation efforts.” 

Dr. Gerry Murphy, Chair of Burberry


 

NOTES TO EDITORS 

Climate Positive

  • In June, Burberry outlined its ambition to become Climate Positive by 2040
  • To achieve this, Burberry will go beyond net-zero and invest in initiatives to tackle climate change beyond its value chain
  • Within its value chain, this includes:
    • Cutting emissions across its extended supply chain by 46% by 2030
    • Becoming net-zero by 2040, 10 years ahead of the 1.5°C pathway set out in the Paris Agreement
    • Accelerating low-carbon future solutions and investing in nature-based carbon removal and compensation projects through the Burberry Regeneration Fund
  • Beyond its value chain, this includes investing in a portfolio of projects:
    • That remove carbon and protect and restore natural ecosystems
    • That help build climate resilience for vulnerable communities to adapt to changing realities and protect livelihoods
    • That support advocacy efforts to transform the fashion industry, in partnership with NGOs, peers and policymakers

Burberry Regeneration Fund

  • The Burberry Regeneration Fund was established in 2020 to accelerate low-carbon future solutions and invest in nature-based projects
  • Through this fund, Burberry supports a portfolio of verified carbon offsetting and insetting projects, which enable it to compensate and store carbon, promote biodiversity, facilitate the restoration of ecosystems, and support the livelihoods of local communities on the frontline
  • To ensure projects support positive outcomes for biodiversity, Burberry developed its Nature Based Solution Principles and Guidelines in partnership with The Biodiversity Consultancy
  • For its inaugural insetting project, Burberry is partnering with PUR Projet to implement a regenerative agricultural programme with wool producers in Australia. The project works at farm level to improve carbon capture in soils, strengthen watershed and soil health and promote biodiverse habitats

Collaborating to achieve a more sustainable future

  • Burberry contributes to several leading forums where it shares its experiences and collaborates with others to adopt more sustainable ways of working, as well as learning from innovators within and outside the luxury industry. These include Race to Zero, the UN Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action, The Fashion Pact, Science Based Target Network, RE100, Canopy, Sustainable Fibre Alliance and many more

Biodiversity strategy evolution

  • In recognition of the fact that the Science Based Targets for Nature (SBTN) are still in development and the rapid developments in monitoring and evaluation of nature-based approaches, Burberry plans to evolve its biodiversity strategy as needed to adapt its approach over time

 


Climate Positive


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