LONDON — Chanel on Wednesday extended its sustainability partnership with the University of Cambridge for another three years.
The two first teamed in 2021, and the brand has since partnered with experts from across the university — including the Institute for Sustainability Leadership, the Institute for Manufacturing, and the Cambridge Judge Business School — to deliver on three core impact areas: building sustainability skills and knowledge, implementing innovative solutions and supporting students on their path to sustainability leadership.
The brand said nearly 500 leaders and key operational team members across Chanel have attended bespoke executive education programs at the university on topics such as biodiversity, climate change and efficient usage of materials.
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Alongside education programs, teams from Chanel Fashion have worked with technical experts within the Institute for Manufacturing to run a series of intensive workshops, prototyping effective solutions for Chanel and its value chain, and resulting in significant energy and material use savings year-on-year.
Chanel has also sponsored students from underrepresented backgrounds to join the Institute for Sustainability Leadership’s master’s program as the biggest, single company supporter.
Moving forward, Chanel said the next phase of the partnership will build on strengthening ongoing education programs for company leaders to develop the knowledge, mindset and capabilities for a sustainable business transition; continuing to explore and implement innovative solutions across the value chain; working together to develop research on regenerative business practices, and continuing to provide bursary funding to students on sustainability leadership courses at the university.
Kate Wylie, Chanel’s global chief sustainability officer, said a long-term partnership with Cambridge is vital for the brand to address global challenges with solutions informed by the latest research and innovation.
“From providing deeper education to leaders to implementing innovative solutions in our operations, we have collaborated on concrete changes to advance our sustainability ambitions. The programs have inspired a collective sense of responsibility for sustainability, leading to business transformation. Now, we are focused on maintaining momentum in these areas, as well as helping inspirational students from diverse backgrounds shape an inclusive approach to sustainable action,” added Wylie.
Lindsay Hooper, interim chief executive officer at the Institute for Sustainability Leadership, praised Chanel’s leaders for their commitment to and curiosity about sustainability.
“We have seen leadership teams question, engage and commit to action — and most importantly, implement it. Chanel has a unique opportunity to work throughout its value chain to research, role model and learn from leading practices in sustainability,” Hooper said.
Chanel said its collaboration with Cambridge is an example of its commitment to working with leading academic institutions, NGOs, industry associations and governments around the world to support research and action on sustainability.
Most recently, it set the goal to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across its value chain by 2040.