Calculating the Environmental
Impact of Luxury Fashion Production

The creation of the processes database for luxury metal hardware production, which included data from EU and Asian companies, allowed for the definition of benchmark environmental impact results. The results were grouped into different product categories to obtain environmental threshold limits tailored for specific metal hardware products (e.g. brass with electroplating finish or stainless steel with PVD finish).

Environmental impacts on single or family of products can therefore be compared with the benchmark situation and obtain the LEAF Hardware certification if these impacts are lower than the benchmark.

LEAF Hardware represents the first product certification for luxury metal hardware.

EXPLORING NEW POSSIBLITIES & DEFINING SYSTEM BOUNDARIES

Identifying relevant sustainability standards and frameworks.
The team reviewed the ISO 14020 series of standards on environmental labeling, focusing particularly on ISO 14025 which is based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. LCA provides a scientific approach to evaluating the environmental impacts across a product's entire life cycle.

Establishing Product Category Rules and developing Environmental Product Declarations.
Our team registered PCRs for fashion luggage and handbags, and created the first EPD for a fashion handbag. This was challenging due to limited available data, especially for textile, leather, and metal hardware production.

Building a comprehensive database.
To address the data gaps, the team collected primary data through on-site inspections at representative production facilities. This allowed them to map all the activities and material/energy inputs across the entire value chain - from raw material extraction to final product finishing.

Calculating environmental impacts.
With the detailed process data, the team was able to conduct full LCA studies, as well as carbon footprint assessments aligned with ISO 14064 and 14067. Third-party verification confirmed the robustness of the methodology.

Establishing environmental benchmarks.
The LCA results were grouped by product category to define benchmark thresholds for different types of metal hardware (e.g. brass with electroplating, stainless steel with PVD coating). This enabled the creation of the "LEAF Hardware" certification program - the first product-level certification for luxury metal components.

SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING

Beyond product-level assessments.
We support companies in using LCA to inform their broader sustainability reporting. Calculating the annual environmental impact is a key requirement for standards like the GRI. LCA helps identify the most impactful processes so that companies can prioritize improvement actions.

Additionally.
We assist luxury brands in developing integrated Quality, Health, Safety and Environment (QHSE) management systems. This involves training, internal audits, and preparing companies for formal certification to standards like ISO 14001 and ISO 45001. As well as conducting second-party audits of Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers in the luxury supply chain. These audits verify compliance with health & safety, environmental, social responsibility, and gender equality requirements, based on standards like ISO 45001, SA8000, and the new Pdr 125:2022.

Overall, Bureau Veritas is helping the luxury fashion industry tackle its environmental challenges through a combination of innovative assessment methodologies, data-driven benchmarking, management system development, and supply chain assurance. This holistic approach supports brands in enhancing their sustainability performance and transparency.

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Calculating the Environmental Impact of Luxury Fashion Production

Calculating the Environmental
Impact of Luxury Fashion Production