Italian fashion brand Gucci has joined a wildlife conservation project in a bid “to protect our natural habitats and most threatened species.”

 In line with its mission of “Reducing environmental impact and safeguarding flora and fauna”, the luxury fashion brand has signed up for the Lion’s Share Fund- a wildlife conservation project that was conceptualized to tackle ‘the crisis in nature, biodiversity and climate across the globe”

The fund was launched in 2018 to protect wildlife, their habitat and the environment. It is led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and a coalition of businesses and partners.

The fund aims to raise over USD$100 million annually within the next five years by asking brands to donate 0.5 per cent of their media spend every time they use an animal in their promotional campaigns or ads.

So far, the fund has accomplished the following:

• Provided a grant so that law enforcement officers protecting wildlife in Mozambique’s Niassa Nature Reserve can improve their radio systems.
•   Helped stop elephant poaching
• Provided a grant to help secure cover for endangered orangutans, elephants and tigers in North Sumatra, Indonesia.

 “This partnership with Gucci marks the continuing evolution of this innovative fund, which provides a unique opportunity for brands across all industries to join forces and help preserve and protect biodiversity across the globe,” said UNDP Administrator, Achim Steiner.

“Wildlife populations are half the size they were just 50 years ago, and their habitats and ecosystems are destroyed at an unprecedented rate due to human activity. The Lion’s Share is an idea that is as innovative as it is simple – and it makes a real impact on wildlife conservation.”

Environmentalist Gucci

Being the first fashion brand to join the fund, Gucci’s, President and CEO Marco Bizzarri said: “The Lion’s Share Fund is an important addition to our conservation strategy.

“Nature and wildlife provide Gucci with inspired creation that is an integral part of our narrative through our collections and campaigns.”

 “With the increasing threats to the planet’s biodiversity, groundbreaking initiatives like The Lion’s Share Fund have the potential to be transformative by organically connecting the business community with direct action to protect our natural habitats and most threatened species.” Bizzarri added.

Carbon neutral

Last year, Gucci also announced that the luxury brand had become “carbon neutral across the board and throughout their entire supply chain,” by implementing a strategy of reduction, elimination and offsetting “unavoidable emissions”.

The company clarified that instead of focusing on no emissions, it had partnered with United Nations project Redd+, to reduce emissions from deforestation on four projects supporting forest conservation in Peru, Kenya, Indonesia and Cambodia to offset carbon emissions it generated inadvertently as part of its business operations.  

Ethical operations

As part of its environmental and the ethical codes on the website, the company stated that it promoted the ethical treatment of animals, and refused “to deal with suppliers or sub-contractors who acted cruelly and/or endangered the life and/or the welfare of animals.”

It also ditched fur from its designs in 2017 and subsequently banned angora wool the following year after being relentlessly pursued by PETA.

At the time, Bizzarri said: “Today the world is changing so fast, it’s not even an option not to change,”

 “We are not perfect, but we are doing our best to improve what we are doing.” Indeed, change and moral progress are inevitable as decent people realize that it’s wrong to ignore the suffering of sentient beings, regardless of species.”

• Read: Calvin Klein and 16 other brands ban fur because ‘the future of fashion is vegan’

 Share this story to let others know how one of the world’s leading fashion brands is working to be more ethical, eco-friendly and accountable towards the planet.

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