Italian luxury fashion brand Gucci has announced that it has developed an eco-friendly material made from sustainable, renewable and bio-based sources.
The pathbreaking animal-free material ‘Demetra’ is a result of two years of in-house research and development by Gucci, and “combines quality, softness and durability with an eco-friendly ethos”.
As per the company, unlike the majority of innovative new materials, Demetra has no impediments to scalability or limitations on volume.
Demetra is produced entirely in a Gucci factory in Italy using the same expertise and processes for tanning that makes the material flexible and resilient, while giving it a supple finish.
In a press release, Marco Bizzarri, President and CEO of Gucci, stated, “In our 100th anniversary year, Demetra is a new category of material that encapsulates Gucci’s quality and aesthetic standards with our desire to innovate, leveraging our traditional skills and know-how to create for an evolving future.”
“Demetra offers our industry an easily scalable, alternative choice and a more sustainable material that also answers the needs of animal-free solutions.”
Gucci has also announced that as part of its mission to support a circular economy and through an extension of its Gucci-Up program, Demetra scraps produced during the manufacturing process will be upcycled and reused by the company.
The fashion major has launched three sneaker models made with Demetra – Gucci Basket, Gucci New Ace and Gucci Rhyton.
Gucci has been working towards building a sustainable brand philosophy for a few years now and had also launched Gucci Equilibrium, an online platform to facilitate its commitment to sustainability. Its 10-year sustainability plan is centred around three pillars: environment, people and innovation.
The company recently released its first-ever Equilibrium Impact Report. Commenting on the same, Bizzarri said, “Our inaugural Gucci Equilibrium Impact Report illustrates our actions and commitments to be inclusive, sustainable, responsible and accountable in everything we do. We have surpassed our target to reduce our total footprint four years early, an achievement that underlines our commitment to transformative change. It is our mission to be part of the solution for a better tomorrow and we will continue to build authentic value across our business and in the wider world – value for people, value for climate and value for nature.”
