Q&A with...
Christine Goulay, Head of Sustainable Innovation at Kering
BDC: Tell us about yourself: how does one go from getting a law degree to heading up sustainable innovation at Kering?
CG: Good question! The short answer is that I stopped doing what I thought I “should” do and started doing what I “wanted” to do. Life has improved greatly since then. Though I do, of course, benefit from having been a corporate lawyer in venture capital.
After law, I went to business school to get an MBA at INSEAD and studied in both France and Singapore. I then worked in Dublin for the socially conscious clothing brand, Edun, which was founded by Ali Hewson and Bono. Edun was a pioneer in ethical fashion that created employment opportunities in sub-Saharan Africa. This was very much a start-up experience. It was incredibly exciting and formative.
For the last five years, I have been working at Kering, first focusing on sustainable sourcing and now leading sustainable innovation. Looking back, I can see the threads that tied these experiences together, but at the time it did not feel like the steps were connected.
BDC: In 2019, Kering was charged by the French government to rally the fashion industry to address climate change. How has Kering led the charge?
CG: This is one of the most exciting sustainability initiatives in which Kering has been involved. President Emmanuel Macron asked our Chairman and CEO, François-Henri Pinault, to bring together a global coalition of fashion and textile companies to commit to key environmental goals. This became the Fashion Pact, which was presented to Heads of State at the G7 Summit in Biarritz in August 2019.
The pact focuses on three areas: stop global warming, restore biodiversity, and protect the oceans. There are now 66 companies representing 250 brands that have joined the Fashion Pact, roughly 30 percent of the fashion industry. This kind of industry-wide collaboration is critical to moving the dial on sustainability in the fashion sector.
BDC: Where does biodesign fit into your vision of the future of fashion?
CG: At Kering, we measure our impact through our Environmental Profit & Loss (EP&L), which is an accounting method that gathers environmental data across our entire supply chain.
We measure our impact along six indicators: land use, water use, water pollution, air pollution, CO2, and greenhouse gas emissions. From the EP&L, we discovered that over 90 percent of our impacts lie outside of our control in our supply chain, and almost 70 percent are occurring at the raw material production stage. In other words, the very first step of production—the cotton field, cattle ranch, gold mine, etc—is generally causing the most impact on people and the planet. Therefore, we need to find new ways of creating products that do not forever source virgin raw materials in ways that could be detrimental to natural ecosystems.
Alternatives exist. Regenerative agriculture improves soil health. Recycling, circular business models, and materials that extend product life certainly help as well. Last but not least: biodesign. Designing products in a smarter, more efficient, less resource-intensive way, and using nature as a foundation, can open up new avenues of creativity and material innovations.
There is so much opportunity and potential. This is why Kering is thrilled to once again sponsor the Biodesign Challenge in 2020. We know that young designers are the future of sustainable fashion, and we are honored to be part of this influential initiative.
BDC: What advice do you have for young designers who are trying to address sustainability in their work?
CG: First, I would say, “Bravo!” In today’s world, it can be challenging to incorporate sustainability into design. “Sustainable” materials are not always as available as we would like at prices that young designers can afford. You need to be tenacious in your vision and in your practice. Compromising on quality is never an option if you want to be successful. Compromising on sustainability should not be either.
BDC: Covid-19 has changed everything. How will it affect the textiles industry?
CG: This is a tough question as we are still very much in the midst of the pandemic. There most likely will be a before and after, but it is difficult to predict what that will mean concretely.
In my personal opinion, one big change that we have already seen is a rapid transition to digital technologies. We are all sitting behind our screens and connecting across the world by video conference, and it looks like this trend will continue as large companies will now allow its employees to work from home indefinitely.
But beyond our personal work habits, the transition to digital will probably also shift the way our companies do business. In fashion, we have seen virtual fashion weeks because people cannot travel to the runway shows and showrooms. Will this continue after Covid-19? We don’t know. We have seen brands providing virtual fitting and livestream shopping to consumers who cannot access physical stores. All of these changes will have environmental and social impacts. We need to understand whether this will net positive on society and our planet. A deep look at the data is necessary as we move toward the post-Covid world.
Resources Recommended by Christine:
Kering has a MOOC with the London College of Fashion, a great resource for students and professionals looking to understand key issues in sustainable fashion.
Common Objective links brands and designers with sustainable suppliers, and provides amazing content across a variety of topics.
The Sustainable Angle has a library of materials that have passed a rigorous sustainability methodology.
Biofabricate Summit provides an opportunity to learn and network.
Fashion For Good runs a startup accelerator for innovators, many of whom incorporate biodesign into their solutions. Fashion For Good also holds webinars and events, and posts great research on sustainable fashion and innovation.
About Christine
Christine Goulay is Head of Sustainable Innovation at Kering where she focuses on identifying and supporting innovations that can fast track a transition to a sustainable and circular apparel industry. Prior to this role, Christine worked on Kering’s sustainable sourcing strategy. Before Kering, she worked in INSEAD’s Entrepreneurship Centre, focusing on incorporating impact into traditional business models. She has startup experience managing the socially conscious apparel brand, Edun Live (founded by Ali Hewson and Bono) and also practiced corporate law in the venture capital and private equity sectors. Christine attended Harvard University, has a JD from Boston College Law School, and holds an MBA from INSEAD.
About Kering
A global Luxury group, Kering develops an ensemble of luxury houses in fashion, leather goods, jewellery and watches. By ‘empowering imagination’ Kering encourages its brands to reach their potential in the most sustainable manner.