Longchamp goes B Corp. What’s stopping the rest of luxury?

Last week, Longchamp announced its B Corp certification, a move that sees the French luxury leather goods maker double down on its environmental and social commitments heading into 2026. In line with the B Lab 2025 standards, the Parisian marque has established a comprehensive climate impact framework covering carbon, water, and biodiversity footprints and is committed to reducing its carbon footprint by 30% by 2033. It’s a continuation of the 78-year-old house’s sustainability growth trajectory, dovetailing from a 95% year-over-year reduction in energy-related emissions in 2024 and a lowering of air freight emissions by 60% in the same year. As part of the certification, the luxury leather goods maker said it plans to strengthen decarbonization through a transatlantic shipping partnership with Neoline and the installation of solar panels across its workshops. B Corp certification, which evaluates a company’s social and environmental practices against measured and audited criteria, requires companies to achieve a minimum score of 80 out of 200 on the B Impact Assessment and recertify every three years. Longchamp joins Danish accessible luxury fashion brand Ganni and French sustainable sneaker brand Veja in becoming B Corp-certified, following Richemont-owned Chloé, the first luxury brand to earn certification in 2021. Sustainability rising in China Sustainability markers like B Corp are becoming increasingly important in countries like China, where young, city-based, high-income luxury consumers are looking for sustainable brand options. “While rarely the primary purchase driver, [sustainability] is becoming a meaningful secondary consideration in fashion and luxury — especially among Gen Z and Millennials,” writes Euan Rellie, managing partner at BDA Partners, in the firm’s recent “Green is the new black. Can fashion and luxury really be sustainable, globally?” report. Five years after Chloé, why haven’t major luxury brands, including those in the portfolios of LVMH, Kering, and Richemont, hopped on the B Corp bandwagon to reclaim aloof young Chinese shoppers? Sustainability starts at the top The sustainability problem remains at the top level of luxury management, according to experts. “There is a recent, visible de-prioritization of sustainability in corporate boardrooms due to economic volatility and inflation-squeezed consumers,” explains Rellie. “In 2025, only 18% of fashion executives ranked sustainability as a top-three risk for growth, a sharp decline from 29% in 2024. And yet, for the next generation of industry executives and consumers, sustainability is paramount.” Amy Nelson-Bennett, CEO of Positive Luxury, a luxury sustainability consulting firm, says that sustainability for most luxury brands remains a “specialist function” instead of being a core operational value. In Positive Luxury’s recent “Luxury at a Crossroads” report, Nelson-Bennet explains that trust in brands, particularly around sustainability and the supply chain, has become “fragile” — and in some cases “damaged” — following scandals, greenwashing claims, and regulatory enforcement. Last year, LVMH’s Italian cashmere brand Loro Piana was placed under judicial administration for one year after authorities uncovered labor exploitation within its supply chain. The allegations came just months after similar alleged supply chain violations at Armani, Dior, and Valentino, causing an outcry for increased supply chain transparency at some of the world’s biggest luxury brands. “In 2026, luxury brands can no longer be judged by what they intend to do but what they can prove they are already doing — and how honestly and clearly they can explain it,” adds Nelson-Bennett. European luxury brands lead With the luxury industry showing signs of recovery last quarter, driven largely by renewed consumer demand in China, luxury brands must focus on rebuilding credibility and trust in the value of their goods. Sustainability plays a key role in these efforts, helping brands increase transparency and form relationships with their audiences, according to Marzia Casale, consumer insights manager at Deloitte. “The luxury market is moving toward a relationship-driven model, one shaped not by scale, but by cultural relevance, trust, and the ability to blend intimacy with innovation,” writes Casale in Deloitte’s “Global Powers of Luxury 2026” report, which surveyed 420 luxury industry executives from major luxury brands across Europe, Asia, and North America. From those surveyed, 25.7% of luxury leadership respondents believe enhancing R&D, innovation programs, and strategic collaborations is their most important sustainability priority in 2026, with apparel and footwear brands (30.3%) driving investments in innovations, such as sustainable biomaterials, low-impact finishing, and eco-engineered packaging. Advancing circularity and product lifecycle management is the second-highest sustainability priority for luxury executives (21.7%), outpacing compliance with sustainability regulations and reporting requirements (16.2%). However, the figure falls into the 20th percentile for European executives. “For European brands, compliance is not optional; it’s foundational. The focus is on integrating sustainability metrics into financial reporting and supply chain monitoring, turning governance into a competitive advantage,” writes Casale, whose comments align with European luxury brands like Longchamp and Chloé and their early adoption of B Corp certification. Deloitte adds that reducing environmental impact (16.4%) remains central in luxury companies’ strategies, with bags and accessories (20.4%) and apparel and footwear (19.1%) leading emission and waste reduction, thanks to textile recycling and low-impact packaging. Surprisingly, only 8.6% of executives are prioritizing transparency in the supply chain, with many citing they have already established a baseline for transparency. Looking ahead, the progression of blockchain-enabled traceability and the enforcement of the EU Digital Product Passport in Europe are expected to make digitized transparency a non-negotiable operating requirement across the industry, continues the report. “Transparency remains an important substratum upon which other sustainability ambitions are built; it is foundational,” adds Casale.

Sectors

Insights

Company

Longchamp goes B Corp. What’s stopping the rest of luxury?