This story is part of ‘The Business Case for Nature’, a series exploring fashion’s impact on nature and vice versa. Read more here.
In 1966, the banks of the Arno river burst, causing the most destructive flood Florence had ever experienced. It took dozens of lives, displaced thousands of people, and claimed millions of rare books and art works.
The region has seen many more floods since then. In 2023, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni declared a state of emergency for the worst-hit areas amid Storm Ciarán, which caused an estimated €1.89 billion in damages. One of the fashion suppliers hit was Prato-based Beste Group, whose HQ sits directly on the bank of the Bisenzio river. The company purchased a new machine — worth around €7 million — the month prior, which was then destroyed by the floods. It was only insured for 60% of the price, so replacing it cost the company several million euros. On top of that, the waist-high water brought production to a standstill for three weeks.
When Rachel Kolbe Semhoun, head of sustainable sourcing and nature initiatives at Kering, read about these losses in Vogue Business, it started a chain reaction that eventually led her to create the group’s industry-first water strategy. “They had done everything right inside the factory, but they were still flooded,” she says. “It was a great example of how nobody can make resilience happen by themselves. The only thing that would have helped was collectively investing in better nature infrastructure upriver.”
When Kering set that strategy 18 months ago, its goal was to become “net water-positive” by 2050, with “measured net-positive water impacts” in 10 priority water basins by 2035. It was a bold aim. No other fashion company had developed a dedicated strategy for water resilience, and there was no blueprint for the French luxury group to follow.
On Monday, Kering officially opened its first Water Resilience Lab in the Arno Basin, outlining a roadmap for building water resilience that it says can be replicated in the other nine priority areas, spanning France, Spain, Türkiye, Mongolia, India, Peru, Argentina, South Africa and Australia. Vogue Business got a first look.
Water resilience is a critical risk for fashion
“Most of fashion’s strategic raw materials rely on water,” says Kering chief sustainability and institutional affairs officer, Marie-Claire Daveu. This doesn’t just apply to the growing phase for natural fibers like wool, leather and cotton, but also to the production processes that follow, including washing, dyeing and tanning. “To ensure resilience and business continuity for the fashion industry, we have to support the regeneration and replenishment of the key basins where we operate as an industry, which are home to our suppliers. Ultimately, this becomes a significant driver of long-term value creation for businesses, strengthening supply chain resilience, reducing water-related risks, and supporting the health of ecosystems and communities our industry relies on.”
