Daveu leads the group-level sustainability team, which sets the topline sustainability goals and strategy, including Kering’s novel approach to water, science-based targets for nature, and regenerative agriculture. She regularly meets with brand-level sustainability, creative and business leaders, helping to translate these strategies into product-level change. She is also an active member of Kering’s executive committee. “My role is to provide direction while empowering experts to do their best work,” she says. “A key part of that is being able to speak multiple ‘languages’ across the organization — whether that’s the language of design, sourcing, operations, finance or executive leadership. Driving change requires not only expertise, but also the ability to build bridges, convince stakeholders, and translate sustainability ambitions into business-relevant actions.”
Because sustainability is increasingly recognized as a framework for managing business risks, as well as a financial opportunity and cross-functional competency, Kering spins certain specialist subjects out into independent teams, which essentially act as in-house consultants. In 2013, Kering created the Material Innovation Lab (MIL), which identifies, pilots, and operationalizes innovations, doing the heavy lifting behind the scenes before presenting them to brands. Then, in 2020, it applied the same model to jewelry through the Jewelry Innovation Lab (JIL). In 2022, Kering created a separate sustainable finance department to bridge its economic and environmental activities, to expand on the environmental profit and loss (EP&L) framework it introduced in 2016 to quantify, monitor, and communicate its environmental footprint across the entire value chain.
Sustainability is undoubtedly changing, but Daveu says there will always be a place for a core team of sustainability specialists that drive progress and hold other business functions accountable. Within these teams, there is growing demand for specific expertise in circularity, sustainable materials, biodiversity, climate analytics, sustainable finance, data science, and AI. “The future is not about larger sustainability departments working on their own. It is about building stronger sustainability capabilities throughout the business, supported by a core team of highly specialized experts,” she says.
The most effective sustainability teams have multiple archetypes in play. “You need a mix of engineers, technical experts, innovators, and change agents. Beyond expertise, we look for curiosity, adaptability, resilience, and a collaborative mindset. Sustainability professionals are often tackling complex, long-term challenges, so it’s important not to get discouraged and to keep momentum even when progress takes time.”
Veja: Sustainability is everyone’s mandate
For some born-good companies, like French sneaker brand Veja, sustainability is not a separate function at all. Co-founder and creative director Sébastien Kopp says the function is present across every decision — from sourcing to raw materials and production — and it is every employee’s responsibility to drive it forward. “You cannot make a shoe with sustainability on the side. You’re missing the point if you do that,” he says.
Veja doesn’t have a dedicated sustainability team, but every employee is assessed based on how they push for progress. The company says fair wages are the main driver of change throughout the supply chain.Photos: Veja
