LVMH

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In 2019, CEDRE recovered 62% of the waste delivered by LVMH by selling it on to specialized recycling centers. CEDRE, which was initially used by four perfume and cosmetics

Maisons, now works with 11 Maisons and also handles fashion

and leather goods items, recycling all natural materials like

linen and cotton.

This year, four new recycling streams were developed for

transparent glass, silk scraps, two new metals, and Surlyn

(a thick, transparent plastic). Bvlgari has been working with

an Italian contractor since 2018 to recycle its perfume and cosmetics products locally.

FINDING SOLUTIONS FOR UNSOLD ITEMS

Very tight, skillful inventory planning right from the design

stage is a hallmark of the LVMH Maisons business model,

putting it at the other end of the scale from mass production

and minimizing the volume of unsold goods, the destruction

of which was forbidden by the circular economy bill enacted

in France at the beginning of 2020.

As well as managing waste and obsolete goods, the Maisons look for ways of handling unsold goods. One such solution

is to have unsold clothing items taken apart and recycled by

CEDRE. Other solutions include staff sales and donations to non-profits.

Upcycling, which is encouraged by in-house hackathons, also

offers new prospects. Louis Vuitton, for example, created

a buzz in April 2019 when it launched Be Mindful , its first upcycled collection made from unsold silk scarves. This

collection of fashion jewelry and textile accessories, each one-of-a-kind, is the result of a reverse creative process that

starts with the available products and achieves a virtuous

circle of creativity, sustainability and savoir-faire.

The Group also has a special policy for unsold food items.

The food halls of La Grande Épicerie de Paris operate several

fresh food kitchens. The Maison has developed a meticulous

sales forecasting system that enables it to precisely adjust the quantities produced each day. It has also partnered with

the French Red Cross, which arranges for daily collections of

unsold produce. In 2018, it joined forces with Too Good To Go, the company that enables stores to offer their unsold food to

users of the eponymous app. Both La Grande Épicerie Rive

Droite and La Grande Épicerie Rive Gauche plan to sign more partnerships with food waste specialists and expand the

range of produce they offer as part of these collaborations.

11 Group Maisons use the Environmental Center for Eco-friendly Packaging Breakdown and Recycling (CEDRE)

96% of the props used by Louis Vuitton at events around the world was recovered in 2019

91% of waste was recovered in 2019