Our planet is at a turning point. While we were expecting 2020 to be a monumental year, with world leaders coming together to create a new deal for nature, the global pandemic and international human rights movements have forced us to pause and rethink what we want our industry, economies and communities to be like in the future. Facing climate and biodiversity crises, the time for action is now.
We can collectively rise to the challenge, address deep-rooted issues and accelerate change in the right direction; as a brand we are already committed to making every action count. Case in point: our Eco Impact Report 2018/19, which uses natural capital accounting to measure our environmental impacts so that we can manage them better. Positively, our results showed a slight decrease – €8.22 million in 2018 and €8.21 million in 2019.
Like all companies, we rely on “free” goods and services from nature that are not easy to value and therefore are often ignored. This has led to brands operating without regard or recognition of their impacts on ecosystems – so much so that they have been depleting our natural resources faster than Mother Earth can restore herself.
We believe it is crucial that companies measure, disclose and take action to not just reduce, but reverse environmental degradation – using environmental impact results to inform sourcing decisions, design and innovation research. We consequently use natural capital accounting methods to measure our total environmental impacts and assign a monetary value to them; from growing and extracting raw materials to the manufacturing of products to the running of stores and offices.
Our largest impacts were land use and greenhouse gas emissions, driven mostly by cotton and wool sourcing. Since ending our partnership with the Kering Group in 2018, we have tailored our natural capital accounting methodologies to incorporate more data from supply chain partners in order to better reflect our realities. The Stella McCartney Eco Impact Report 2018/19 additionally outlines our approach and recent activities supporting the people in our supply chain, ensuring every worker is respected, valued and heard.
Bringing a conscience to the fashion industry, we will be taking steps to keep growing as a business with a truly positive social and environmental impact. Our future impact strategy focuses on restoring ecosystems through nature-based solutions, which can get us 37% closer to meeting the Paris Climate Goal.
Our nature-based solutions include regenerative farming to improve soil health, drawdown carbon, enhance biodiversity and support local communities – giving back to nature instead of taking from it. We will also continue avoiding high-risk locations and high-impact materials, restoring and regenerating ecosystems, and working to transform the fashion industry.
For more information on our methodology, results and sustainable strategies moving forward, please refer to the full Stella McCartney Eco Impact Report 2018/19.
