Longchamp and the environment
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As a family-owned Maison, Longchamp is deeply infused with a culture of craftsmanship, and a profound respect for the work of every artisan. These values form the very foundation of the Maison’s sustainability philosophy.
As a manufacturer, our responsibility begins in our French ateliers, where meticulous attention has always been devoted to the treatment of materials and the refinement of production processes.
Since its creation in 1948, Longchamp has established six production sites in western France (Mayenne, Vendée, Maine-et-Loire, and Orne). For over 70 years, talented men and women have carried forward the leather goods savoir-faire of this family enterprise. These sites employ more than 800 people across 25 ateliers, each preserving a rare and precious expertise.
To this French network, Longchamp has added two production sites abroad, in Tunisia and Mauritius, along with carefully selected partner ateliers in France, China, Romania, and Morocco.
Wherever they are crafted, every product bearing the “Made by Longchamp” signature reflects the same uncompromising standards of quality. In the spirit of transparency, each bag proudly displays its country of assembly on the label inside.
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Like all skilled craftspeople, Longchamp is committed to long lasting products. This is the House’s first commitment towards the environment: ensuring that its customers can preserve their purchased items for a long time, take care of them, and transmit them. Moreover, because Longchamp feels responsible for its products long after they have left the boutiques, the House is proud to ensure that they can be repaired, whenever possible. To this end, a repair service - processing 60,000 products each year, some of which are very old - is available to customers. Taking charge of used or accidentally damaged products, restoring them, and extending their lifespan by several years, is not only satisfying to customers, it also helps to preserve the environment. Longchamp has always considered that a beautiful product should be repairable, and that giving it a second life is a source of pride.
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Longchamp’s leathers come from animals raised in Europe, Africa, and South America. Longchamp ensures that related livestock farming does not contribute to deforestation, particularly in the Amazon rainforest. These hides are processed by the best tanners in France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, England, Uruguay, and Brazil.
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The Maison is committed to continuous improvement in managing waste across its ateliers, boutiques, and head offices worldwide. Waste recovery rates are a key indicator monitored by the Quality and Environmental departments.
In 2020, our ateliers recycled or reused 100% of their plastic waste, 100% of their paper and cardboard waste, 100% of their wood waste, 100% of their metals and 100% of the canvas scraps from our "Le Pliage" bags. Dedicated teams establish partnerships with various organizations to develop innovative recycling solutions. Longchamp has also removed plastic lamination from its packaging, including bags, pouches, and boxes, making them fully recyclable.
Longchamp prioritizes FSC-certified sources for packaging and paper materials, ensuring sustainable forest management, the welfare of forest workers, biodiversity preservation, and the protection of indigenous communities’ rights.
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To limit energy consumption, Longchamp’s workshops are designed to maximise natural light. The Maison also implements innovative insulation, heating, and air conditioning solutions to reduce its energy consumption. In 2021, Longchamp fully renovated the 8,000 square meter facades of our workshops in Segré. With high performance triple glazing, we allow for more natural light and improve our thermal energy efficiency. All Longchamp boutiques, as well as workshops, are gradually switching to LED lighting to reduce electricity consumption and heat input.
For an international company like Longchamp, air transport, both passenger and freight, is a significant cause of greenhouse gas emissions. To limit its impact, all Longchamp employees around the world have given up flying for all their trips that don’t exceed 4 hours by train. To transport its goods, Longchamp favours maritime transport, recognized as the least polluting solution, and limits the use of air transport as much as possible. Regarding its road transport needs, the Maison favours service providers that try to reduce their environmental impact through the use of hybrid, electric, and natural gas vehicles.
Since the Maison was founded, Longchamp has attached great importance to the architectural quality of its production sites and their integration into the surrounding environment. Over the years, 12,500 trees have been planted around our workshops, helping to further reduce their carbon footprint. The hedgerows typical of the landscape of western France are being preserved and maintained, benefiting biodiversity. Since 2019, another 85 different tree species have been planted, including a traditional high-stem orchard. -
One of the founding acts of the brand is seeking solutions through innovation and design. The first Longchamp product – the leather covered pipe – was an innovation in itself, and it was the original casing that made it a success. Every day, Longchamp staff test, optimise and develop new and innovative projects. These efforts are now geared towards research into processes and raw materials that can help minimise products’ ecological impact. So for the Le Pliage bag, Longchamp staff developed a new canvas, both sides of which are made of recycled polyester derived from plastic waste (mainly recycled bottles). The customisable canvas is printed at our workshops in the Maine-et-Loire using a process that does not consume water. The launch of the My Pliage bag is one of the outcomes of this undertaking, which involves putting innovation at the service of the environment. Following the same principle, Le Pliage Energy and Le Pliage Green ranges are made from recycled polyamide canvas. Longchamp aims to use only canvas produced by recycling come 2023.
