LVMH - 2019 Environmental Responsibility Report

LVMH

2 0 1 9 E n v i r o n m e n t a l R e s p o n s i b i l i t y R e p o r t

S Y LV I E B É N A R D A N D T O N I B E L L O N I L O O K B A C K O V E R 2 8 Y E A R S O F

E N V I R O N M E N TA L A C T I O N

S y l v ie , a f t er h e a d i n g th e E n v i ron m e n t Dep ar t ment for 2 8 years , you re h anding over the reins this year. What role does the Department play in the Group today?

Sylvie Bénard: I am proud of how far we ve come since 1992. The Department is made up of a dozen experts that work hand in hand with the

Environment Managers in the Maisons. This struc-

ture makes it possible to launch pilot projects, spread best practice and share tools. Alongside Toni, we positioned the Department as the link between the Executive Committee and the

Maisons environmental departments. We have

successfully involved all Group employees and we

encourage them, when they hear environmental

responsibility, to think innovation, progress and

team cohesion.

You were directly involved in setting up the Environment Department. Where did the idea for this pioneering body come from?

S.B.: In 1992, at the first Earth Summit in Rio, we acknowledged the damage done to the planet

and the need to put in place a shared environ-

mental policy. That is why we set up a specific Environment Department. Having it report to the Group s senior executive team enabled us to

implement meaningful initiatives. We brought our

commitment to sustainable development to life,

and in 2001 we began publishing an Environmental

Report and drew up an Environmental Charter.

Which projects best reflect your own personal commitment and that of LVMH?

S.B.: Several key steps punctuated the imple- mentation of the environmental strategy. For

example, in 1998, Hennessy became the first wine and spirits producer in the world to obtain

ISO 14001 environmental certification. In 2000-01, we began discussing what eventually became

carbon accounting, to identify the most significant contributing factors to CO

2 emissions. In 2012, the

LIFE program was developed as the backbone of

our environmental policy, formally structuring our

commitment. And in 2015, we set up the internal carbon fund to finance innovative projects, before doubling the budget in 2018.

How do you coordinate initiatives across the Maisons?

S.B.: We set up a network of environment corre- spondents in each Maison. The Environment

Department brings them together three times a

SYLVIE BÉNARD