Eco-Design

Commitments

The Group is committed to better controlling its impact throughout its value chain, from agricultural production to manufacturing and distribution processes right up to the end of each product life cycle. The artisanal process is constantly improved with the aim of lowering the rate of use of available materials, reducing waste and reusing material offcuts arising from production. 

Hermès objects are passed down and therefore, the House’s repair workshops ensure the maintenance and the lengthening of the products' life cycle. Products can be repaired with no time limit. Customised, bespoke solutions and new services are regularly launched.
 

The Group’s ambitions can be grouped into the following themes:

• a requirement relating to the indisputable terms of obtaining materials that are renewable and that must be obtained with a low environmental footprint;
• the search for materials with a long lifespan;
• the efficient use of materials, reduction of production offcuts and promotion of their reuse;
• the identification of original upcycling solutions, such as by petit h, which are then marketed on a larger scale;
• the reduction of unsold items, as a result of the stores' freedom of purchase, and their responsible management.

Hermès is committed to abolish the destruction of unsold items in France by 2022. The structure of the Group’s business model was intended to generate very few unsold items. Relying on the desirability of our objects and on the agility of the purchasing system used by stores that freely choose their stock, different means are put in place to avoid waste:

• transfers between stores, particularly within countries or the same region;
• exceptional sales to the public;
• sales to employees, for products from older collections;
• donations to partner organisations.
• As a last resort, the energy recovery from waste and unsold items.