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The Science Based Targets Network has announced the first set of companies adopting science-based targets for nature, and Kering is leading the charge for fashion.
The announcement, made today during the UN biodiversity conference in Cali, Colombia, follows a year-long pilot of the targets by 17 global companies. Kering is now one of three companies (along with pharmaceuticals giant GSK and building materials company Holcim) to formally adopt its targets — meaning it has committed itself to meeting them, and to publicly disclosing progress along the way — as the heat on companies to preserve biodiversity catches up to the pressure they’ve been facing to act on climate change.
“This is a significant milestone in advancing ambitious and measurable action on nature, because we have the first three companies publicly adopting their targets,” says Erin Billman, executive director of the Science Based Targets Network (SBTN). “We hope and anticipate that more will follow suit.”
Science-based targets for nature are here. What does it mean for fashion?
From today, a new pilot will test science-based targets for biodiversity and nature conservation, building on the success of targets for reducing carbon emissions. Moving nature into the boardroom will be a big task.
Biodiversity loss has received less attention globally than climate change, but scientists emphasise it is just as much of a threat to the health of the planet — and while fashion is behind on missing its climate targets, it’s even further behind on its biodiversity efforts. It’s a particularly difficult issue for even the most informed and proactive companies to tackle, because biodiversity strategies need to encompass everything about how fashion impacts nature — from soil health and water pollution to the relationships that so many communities around the world have with their local ecosystems. Biodiversity is also geography-specific, meaning efforts will vary from one region to another, whereas carbon emissions — or emissions reductions — contribute to the global total wherever they are generated.
“Climate and nature are intrinsically connected. For too long they have been placed in separate silos by the global community, when in reality, biodiversity restoration leads to climate mitigation and holistically safeguards against climate-related issues,” says Marie-Claire Daveu, chief sustainability and institutional affairs officer at Kering.
Of the 17 companies that participated in the pilot, which included LVMH, L’Occitane and H&M from fashion and beauty, SBTN says a majority of them were able to complete the main steps involved — assessment, prioritisation of their environmental impacts and target setting. Some are anticipated to publicly adopt their validated targets by the deadline of six months after the pilot concludes (10 January 2025); others are planning to resubmit their targets using updated methods from SBTN, while others “viewed the pilot as a test-and-learn opportunity”, says Billman.
