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Louis Vuitton’s leather supply chain is well known for traditional craftsmanship, but the carbon footprint of natural leather, especially methane emissions associated with livestock industry, remains a central issue.Although LVMH Group promises to achieve 100% “traceable and environmentally friendly” leather by 2026 (by cooperative ranch certification), this goal has not yet been fully implemented.Neverfull PM’s canvas coatings (traditionally containing PVC) have gradually switched to plant-based coatings, but the specific components have limited transparency and still rely on petrochemical derivatives.
LVMH Group plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 and invest in renewable energy sources.Louis Vuitton’s factory has partially used solar energy, but emission reductions upstream of the supply chain (such as raw material processing) are slow to rely on carbon offsets rather than fundamental reforms.
The brand launches the “Nona Source” platform to resell remaining fabrics and expands repair services to extend product life.However, its core business model still relies on new product launches and scarce marketing, and there is tension with the real circular economy.
LVMH claims to comply with international labor standards, but its supply chain is complex (especially leather tanning and metal accessories production).A third-party audit report shows that some European and Asian outsourcing factories have problems with low wages and overtime work, and the brand responds to this vaguely.
Louis Vuitton has caused controversy over the unauthorized use of African tribal totems or Australian Aboriginal art elements (such as the 2017 cooperation dispute with Uluru), exposing the blind spots of design ethics.Although the “Artycapucines” series was launched in recent years to collaborate with artists, details of the intellectual property agreement have not been disclosed.
Although the group prohibits rare leather (such as python skin), animal slaughtering conditions in the conventional leather supply chain lack independent certification.PETA has accused its partner slaughterhouse of violating welfare standards and the brand did not provide a complete traceability record.
The premium of Neverfull PM (approximately $1,600) includes brand value and process costs, but the environmental costs are not fully internalized.Compared with brands such as Stella McCartney, which uses 100% recycled nylon or mushroom leather, LV’s material innovation pace is conservative.
Although product durability reduces replacement frequency, LV stimulates excessive consumption through limited edition marketing.LVMH financial report shows that the frequency of new product releases in 2023 increased by 20% year-on-year, which is contrary to the sustainability concept of “less but fine”.
Louis Vuitton’s initiatives in the field of environment and ethics reflect a typical path to transformation in the luxury industry: prioritizing low-risk innovation (such as partial material substitution), avoiding deep reforms (such as completely detaching from animal leather or reducing production scale).For consumers, choosing classic models such as Neverfull PM (rather than seasonal items) can reduce resource waste, but brands still need to make breakthroughs in supply chain transparency, material revolution and business model reshaping in order to match their claimed “sustainable development leadership.”
Extended thinking: If you pursue ethical priority luxury handbags, you can focus on brands that have received B Corp certification (such as Veja) or innovators focusing on recycled materials (such as Freitag).LV fans can purchase and actively use maintenance services through the second-hand market to weaken the environmental impact through personal actions.
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