LVMH aims for 30% reduction in water use by 2030.
- September 5, 2023
- Posted by: Sinead Sprigg
- Category: Companies, Environmental, Global, Water Issues
Luxury conglomerate LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy) has pledged a 30% reduction in its global water consumption footprint by 2030, as part of its LIFE 360 environmental strategy. The move comes in response to concerns about water scarcity driven by changing demographics and climate change impacts.
LMVH said “An essential component of the Group’s activities, such as Wines and Spirits, water is also essential to its Perfumes and Cosmetics, as well as to the raw materials for its Fashion and Leather Goods. It is, in fact, a strategic resource that contributes directly to the high quality of the products developed by LVMH, and it is therefore the Group’s responsibility to act to preserve it.”
The Group’s water conservation plan builds on their existing energy efficiency initiatives. For example, Hennessy has targeted a 26% reduction in water usage in its distillery processes from 2019 to 2022. Similarly, Loro Piana within the Fashion and Leather Goods sector achieved a 25% reduction in water consumption over the same period, mainly through wastewater recycling technologies.
LVMH is implementing several key measures in order to reach its 30% reduction target:
- Enhancing measurement of water consumption throughout the value chain, targeting action plans in water-stressed areas and supporting local communities.
- Implementing efficient technologies for reusing treated wastewater and rainwater capture at production sites and across the value chain, including support for partner breeders, growers, and winegrowers.
- Introducing water-efficient manufacturing processes, such as water recycling systems in distilleries and workshops.
- Continuing the Group’s regenerative agriculture program, which began in 2021, to improve soil quality for better water retention.
- Raising consumer awareness through environmental product labeling.
By the end of 2023, LVMH plans to establish qualitative targets for improving the quality of discharges into natural environments, with validation from the SBTN organization (Science Based Targets for Nature).
In December 2022, LVMH was awarded a triple A rating by the CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) for dedication to climate, forest, and water protection.
Read the full press release here.