How Louis Vuitton are Sourcing Responsibly with Suppliers

The majority of the raw materials used to produce Louis Vuitton products come from nature, whether they are derived from animal, plant, or mineral sources. By their very nature, these raw materials are not all renewable, but the company is implementing a supply chain and procurement strategy to commit to methods that have a regenerative impact on biodiversity. The company's priorities are to preserve resources and the climate, respect animal welfare, avoid deforestation, eliminate the use of hazardous chemicals, and reduce air and water pollution.

Progress in responsible sourcing strategy

Louis Vuitton is reporting 78% of their raw material are responsibly sourced, which is against a 100% target by 2025, when they are also aiming to have eliminated the use of single use plastic.

As of 2022 statistics, 78% of the materials the company sources comply with responsible sourcing policies, which means they are either certified or recycled under strict environmental standards.  

Leather    96% of the leathers used are Leather Working Group-certified (LWG), which is the highest environmental standard in terms of leather tanning. Working alongside its suppliers, the company is constantly researching innovative tanning methods, and have already implemented a water-free process for some leather goods collections.

Wool  99%  of sourced wool supplies are traced from the country of origin and nearly 50% come from supply chains with responsible practices. Men's Ready-to-Wear Collections use two 100% Responsible Wool Standard-certified wool yarns, the world reference in terms of respect for the environment and animal welfare.

Feather and down  100% of supplies of feather and down come from a fully integrated supply chain in France, guaranteeing traceability from the breeding farm to the feather processing. 

Wood  93% of the wood used in their creations come from sustainably managed forests. 100% of the wood used for the fabrication of trunks and hard-sided boxes have been certified according to the strictest standards for this supply chain.

Cotton  70% of its cotton volumes come from organic supply chains or ones that support the development of more sustainable agricultural practices.

Polyester 44%  of the polyester used in its  collections is recycled and is currently undergoing the Global Recycled Standard certification process.

Gold  93% of the gold sourced for all its product categories has been certified by the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC). This certification guarantees that all the steps of the extraction, transformation, and marketing processes respect sustainable development standards. Since 2012, 100% of the gold used in Jewelry Collections is certified by RJC.

Diamonds 100% of the diamonds used in  Jewellery Collections are sourced from Responsible Jewellery Council-certified and Kimberley Process-certified suppliers, guaranteeing a “zero conflict” status.

Working with suppliers on responsible sourcing 

All procurement partners have signed the LVMH Suppliers Code of Conduct, which defines the ethical, environmental, and social principles for both Louis Vuitton and its supplier ecosystem. Roughly 250 audits are carried out per year and, since 2018, we extended audit scope to include animal welfare and raw material traceability.  

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