French fashion house Chloé has officially reached new heights. Seeing as there are tools that measure fashion’s environmental impact, but none that calculate the social impact of sustainability, Chloé decided to create its own 18 months back. The brand is now prepping to share its model.
The Compagnie Financière Richemont-owned brand announced that the Social Impact Measurement tool or Social Performance and Leverage (SP&L) is an open-source methodology that can be mobilized throughout the fashion industry once ready. It hopes that the tool will provide guidance for decision-making when it comes to sourcing strategy and product design.
This project reflects Chloé’s long-term commitment to uplift women, eradicate gender-based inequalities and promote inclusivity, to create products that have a positive impact on people.
The new tool works alongside the Environmental Impact Report published by Chloé in July 2021 and will mobilize social auditing, integrating risk analysis and identifying potential positive impacts. Chloé notes that assessing social and environmental impact will become the basis of its sustainability strategy.
The SP&L is a collaboration between Chloé, Institut Français de la Mode and Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (the Foresight and Sustainable Development Department). The tool’s metrics are based on sustainable value creation reports published by the World Economic Forum and International Business Council.
The new tool is now entering an advanced stage of development, and is being designed to guarantee working conditions continue positive social practices, with six indicating metrics: gender equality, living wage, diversity and inclusion, training, well-being and job quality. It will allow brands to visualize their impact on people working directly on their products, whether it’s sourcing materials or boutique deliveries or more, including workers employed by the Maison’s suppliers and its own employees.
At the moment, the methodology is under review by professional services network PricewaterhouseCoopers, Chloé adds, prior to an industry-wide consultation process taking place later this year, where participating brand are to take part in pilot schemes to test the methodology and update if needed. Hopefully, the finalized SP&L methodology will be out by 2023.
