The Green Catwalk: How Kering Stole the Spotlight at ChangeNOW Summit
Paris in springtime isn’t just for lovers—it’s for planet-savers too. From April 24th to 26th, the Grand Palais morphed into a hive of eco-innovation as ChangeNOW Summit, the world’s largest gathering for planet-positive solutions, took center stage. Among the glittering roster of sponsors, one name stood out like a sustainably sourced diamond: Kering. The luxury fashion titan, parent company to Gucci and Saint Laurent, doubled down on its eco-credentials as a platinum partner for the sixth year running. But this wasn’t just another corporate greenwashing gig. Against the backdrop of the Paris Agreement’s 10th anniversary and ahead of critical climate talks like UNOC 2025 and COP30, Kering came armed with more than just press releases—it brought a blueprint for rewriting fashion’s dirty laundry list.
The ChangeNOW Playbook: More Than Just a Networking Happy Hour
Let’s be real: most summits are just excuse to sip lukewarm coffee and swap LinkedIn QR codes. Not ChangeNOW. This event is the Avengers assemble moment for sustainability, where innovators, CEOs, and policymakers actually roll up their sleeves. With heavy-hitters like Microsoft, Renault, and KPMG in the mix, the 2024 edition focused on turning vague eco-promises into tangible ROI. Kering’s role? The luxury industry’s reluctant conscience.
Since 2017, the conglomerate has used ChangeNOW as a launchpad for its sustainability moonshots—like its audacious “net positive biodiversity” pledge. But this year, they went granular. Rachel Kolbe Semhoun, Kering’s Head of Sustainable Sourcing, spearheaded a panel dissecting “Nature as an Economic Choice.” Translation: how to make CEOs care about mangroves by slapping a price tag on them. Using water as a case study, the discussion revealed Kering’s secret sauce: treating ecosystems like balance sheets. Monetize a wetland’s flood prevention value? Suddenly, conservation looks sexier to shareholders.
From Soil to Sequins: Kering’s Regeneration Game
While fast fashion brands were busy churning out polyester disasters, Kering quietly bet big on regenerative agriculture—the Cinderella of climate solutions. At a live session, experts unpacked how healing degraded soil could sequester carbon *and* grow luxury’s next cash crop: climate-proof cotton. The math is simple: healthier soil = resilient supply chains = fewer embarrassing PR fires about deforestation.
But here’s the kicker: Kering isn’t just offsetting—it’s rewriting its entire playbook. By 2025, the group vows full traceability for raw materials, from Mongolian cashmere to Brazilian leather. That means no more “oops, our suppliers burned the Amazon” scandals. For an industry built on opaqueness, this transparency pivot is like a Kardashian swearing off selfies—revolutionary, if they pull it off.
Luxury’s Trojan Horse: Selling Sustainability Without the Sermon
Let’s face it: no one buys a $3,000 handbag to save the planet. Kering’s genius lies in baking ethics into desirability. Their “sustainable luxury” mantra isn’t about hemp sack dresses—it’s about making eco-consciousness feel exclusive. Take their partnership with Vestiaire Collective: by legitimizing resale, they’ve turned pre-loved Gucci into a status symbol rather than a thrift-store compromise.
At ChangeNOW, this strategy crystallized. While activists outside protested green capitalism, Kering’s execs pitched circularity as the ultimate flex. Their innovation lab showcased everything from mushroom-based leather to blockchain-tracked emeralds. The message? Sustainability isn’t a compromise—it’s the new VIP section.
The Ripple Effect: Why This Summit Actually Matters
ChangeNOW’s real win wasn’t the panels or pledges—it was the alliances forged backstage. Kering’s collab with SWEN Capital Partners on regenerative finance, for instance, could funnel billions into soil projects. Meanwhile, their tête-à-têtes with policymakers hinted at upcoming industry-wide regulations (read: competitors scrambling to catch up).
As the curtains closed, one thing was clear: Kering’s presence wasn’t about PR points. By anchoring luxury’s future to biodiversity credits and traceable silk, they’ve set a trap for rivals. The question isn’t whether fashion can go green—it’s who’ll survive the transition. And if ChangeNOW is any indication, Kering just might be holding the winning hand.
In the end, the summit proved sustainability’s golden rule: the future belongs to those who make it profitable. And as Kering’s stock price suggests, doing good might just be the best trend yet.
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