The push for companies to become more sustainable has extended into the fashion industry, as more and more fashion houses are putting a stop to harmful practices like using fur and releasing multiple collections a season. Chloé has taken this a step further by obtaining B Corp status, the first major luxury fashion house to do so.
What is B Corp Certification?
B Corp certification is probably the best way for consumers to avoid companies that greenwash, since obtaining one is not easy. Brands are required to complete a B Impact Assessment, a set of 300 questions about their business, from products to social impact to the supply chain, operations and beyond. Then, there’s a legal requirement section, followed by the Verification & Transparency stage.
Afterwards, B Lab, the third party organisation that administers the B Impact Assessment, will verify the company on an 80-point bar to achieve certification. The process is so rigorous that there are only 3,500 B Corporations.
Certified B Corporations must update their assessments and re-verify every three years to keep their status. Certification fees will vary on location and revenue.
Chloé announced their intention to become a B Corporation last year, and since then has been making efforts to work with Fair Trade suppliers, training employees on circularity, eliminating single-use plastics in offices and reducing its greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption.
In March, Chloé presented a collection that included recycled cashmere and wool knits, reworked vintage handbags and puffer jackets made in collaboration with Sheltersuit, a nonprofit providing shelter for the homeless, using leftover Chloé textiles. The total carbon footprint of this collection was 400% smaller than the previous year’s. This year’s collection, which debuted at Paris Fashion Week in September, consisted of a line made entirely by hand to support artisans.
While obtaining a B Corp certification is a fantastic achievement for Chloé, the brand acknowledges that it has more work to do: they’ve set several sustainability objectives for 2022, including dedicating 1% of employee hours toward volunteer work.
The fashion industry is one of the most wasteful in the world, contributing at least 10% of annual greenhouse gas emissions. Hopefully, Chloé’s B Corp status achievement will set the example for other brands to follow and show that sustainability is not just a trend.
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See also: Good News: Levi’s Turns to Hemp For Sustainability
