Climate Change: Implications and Strategies for the Luxury Fashion Sector

Authors

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  Elisa Niemtzow

  Vice President, Consumer Sectors and Membership, BSR

  

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  Elisa Niemtzow

  Vice President, Consumer Sectors and Membership, BSR

  

  Paris

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  Elisa leads BSR’s consumer sectors practice globally and oversees the BSR global membership network. She works with companies in the luxury, beauty, fashion, hospitality, retail, and food industries to better integrate sustainability into core business strategy, products, and operations.

  She helps companies understand the world’s big disruptions, create resilient and inclusive business models and practices, and evolve brand strategy to integrate changing consumer expectations. Elisa also leads BSR’s Responsible Luxury Initiative and the Southeast Asia Reptile Conservation Alliance (SARCA).

  Prior to joining BSR, Elisa was an account manager at CHANEL and a consultant at Accenture and Ernst & Young.

  Elisa is French-American. She holds an M.B.A. in Luxury Goods Marketing and Management from Sup de Luxe, an M.A. in International Relations from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques Paris, and a B.A. in French from the University of Pennsylvania.

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  Recent Insights From Elisa Niemtzow

  • Can Made in Italy Withstand Climate Change? / November 7, 2024 / News
  • The She’s Mercedes Program Drives Responsible Innovation with the Bertha Benz Prize. / October 9, 2024 / News
  • What Is Underconsumption Core? Experts Explain the Trend Putting Dirty Shoes All Over Your Feed / August 5, 2024 / News
  • AI, Outlets, Recycling: Can Luxury Solve Its Billion-Dollar Excess Inventory Problem? / March 4, 2024 / News
  • Can Sustainable Fashion Come Back From the Brink of Burnout / January 8, 2024 / News

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• Emilie Prattico

  Former Manager, BSR

• Tara Norton

  Former Managing Director, BSR

Dr. Helen Crowley, Head of Sustainable Sourcing, Kering, @keringgroup

Christine Driscoll Goulay, Sustainable Sourcing Specialist, Kering, @keringgroup

Bryndis Woods, Analyst, BSR

In this report, BSR and luxury goods leader Kering highlight some of the key risks and opportunities posed by climate change for the luxury fashion sector. The report provides an overview of climate change risks across the value chain and demonstrates the importance of addressing raw materials in any robust and ambitious climate strategy. The analysis focuses on six raw materials that are central to the luxury fashion sector—cotton, beef leather, sheep and lamb leather, vicuña, cashmere, and silk.

The report then offers guidance in the form of a resilience agenda for the luxury fashion sector. The agenda covers the dual aspects of resilience—mitigation and adaptation—by addressing greenhouse gas emission reduction efforts, as well as adaptive capacity-building measures. These measures are actions that companies can take to adjust their practices in their own operations or in their value chains to proactively manage risks and seize opportunities associated with climate change.