LONGCHAMP AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Our family-owned and human-sized luxury House is strongly influenced by our culture of craftsmanship, our love for beautiful materials, and our respect for each other’s work.

Longchamp’s sustainable development policy stems from this history and these values.

WHERE ARE LONGCHAMP PRODUCTS MANUFACTURED?

Since its creation, the House of Longchamp has opened six production sites in Western France (in the Mayenne, Vendée, Maine-et-Loire, and Orne regions). For more than 70 years, highly skilled men and women have been perpetuating the leather goods expertise of this family-owned company. In 2019, these sites employ more than 800 people, spread over 28 human-sized workshops. The craftspeople employed in these workshops all have rare expertise.

In addition to this industrial network, the House operates two production sites abroad, namely in Tunisia, and Mauritius. Lastly, the brand also works closely with partner workshops in France, China, Romania, and Morocco. Regardless of the geographical location of the workshops, the “made by Longchamp” label guarantees consistent quality in the manufacturing of the brand’s products, which all meet the same quality standards. Moreover, Longchamp transparently chooses to display the country of assembly of each model, visible on the labels inside the bags.

WHY DOES LONGCHAMP COMBINE QUALITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY?

Like all skilled craftspeople, Longchamp is committed to creating durable products, made to last. This is the House’s first responsibility 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 40,000 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.

WHERE DO THE LEATHERS USED BY LONGCHAMP COME FROM?

Longchamp’s leathers come from animals raised in Europe, Africa, and South America. Longchamp ensures that the 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.

IS THERE FUR IN THE LONGCHAMP COLLECTIONS?

The House no longer uses exotic species or farmed fur-bearing animals in the manufacture of its collections. Biodiversity, wildlife, exotic species, and endangered animals are a concern for Sophie Delafontaine, Artistic Director, who now prohibits their use in the Longchamp collections. The leathers Longchamp uses to manufacture its products exclusively come from animals, both ovine and bovine, primarily intended for food consumption.

ARE LONGCHAMP’S LEATHER TANNING ACTIVITIES ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY?

Longchamp’s partner tanneries use high-performance water treatment systems. Following a circular economy approach, by-products from tanning are often reused directly by the tannery or recycled via third parties. Ensuring healthy and quality products has always been essential for Longchamp. The brand is strongly committed to manufacturing safe products, free of chemicals that could harm the health of the House’s customers or employees.

WHAT IS LONGCHAMP'S KNOWLEDGE OF ITS SUPPLIERS AND SUBCONTRACTORS?

Loyalty is at the heart of the relationship between Longchamp and the various suppliers in its supply chain. The House has fostered a stable partnership with its suppliers of leather, textiles, buckles, accessories, and packaging - many of whom have been working with the House for more than thirty years. This long-term collaboration guarantees consistency in production and sustainable product quality.

Like Longchamp, these suppliers are family businesses. The House maintains close ties with its suppliers. Based on trust and mutual respect, these privileged relationships allow Longchamp to commit to environmental responsibility throughout its production cycle.

WHAT ARE LONGCHAMP’S EFFORTS TOWARDS WASTE REDUCTION?

The House is engaged in a process of continuous progress and improvement regarding waste management in its workshops, boutiques, and head offices around the world. Their waste recovery rate is one of the key indicators, monitored by the House’s Quality and Environment Department.

Longchamp has eliminated plastic wrap from its packaging items – i.e., bags, pouches, and boxes -, transforming them into recyclable products. Regarding packaging and paper, Longchamp favors FSC-certified materials, an ecolabel that guarantees sustainable forest management, the well-being of forest workers, the protection of biodiversity, and the preservation of the rights of indigenous populations.

Whenever it is possible, the brand recycles diverse materials such as scrap leather, textiles, pallets, cardboard, plastic, paper, etc., to give them a second life. Dedicated teams are setting up partnerships with various organizations to develop innovative recycling solutions. The development and production teams are also exploring the use of recycled materials in the collections.

WHAT MEASURES IS LONGCHAMP IMPLEMENTING TO REDUCE ITS ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND CO2 EMISSIONS?

To limit lighting needs, Longchamp’s workshops are designed to favor as much natural light as possible. The House also implements innovative insulation, heating, and air conditioning solutions to reduce its energy consumption. All Longchamp boutiques 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. In parallel, the company is developing teleworking and video conferencing solutions to reduce travel needs.

To transport its goods, Longchamp favors 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 House favors service providers that try to reduce their environmental impact through the use of hybrid, electric, and natural gas vehicles.

For any other questions about Longchamp's environmental policy, please write to: csr@longchamp.com