09 May, 2024
A delegation from the Board of Directors of the Leaf Foundation, a tuscan organization based in Florence committed to promoting sustainability in the metal accessories sector for the luxury fashion supply chain, presented the “Leaf Hardware” ethical and environmental sustainability standard to a group of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) during a meeting at the European Parliament.
Leaf Hardware is the result of an internal effort that lasted two years, based on monitoring European and Asian companies to address a specific demand from the sector and fill an existing gap: prior to Leaf’s initiative, there was no specific sustainability standard for metal accessories on the market. Leaf Hardware is the first national and international experience of its kind. It originated in Italy, specifically in Tuscany, which, along with Veneto and Lombardy, is one of the regions home to the luxury accessories district.
The presentation at the European Parliament provided an opportunity to the need for an ethical, sustainable and transparent approach of the luxury accessories supply chain. This need is perceived as urgent by the brands themselves, which, thanks to clear, measurable, comparable, and understandable standards like Leaf Hardware, can certify their production sustainability without risking greenwashing (i.e., unclear and incorrect sustainability communication about products, sometimes inadvertently issued by companies due to a lack of objective and universal rules). The European Union is actively engaged in combating greenwashing to protect consumers and their purchases. The European Parliament is currently reviewing the so-called Green Claims Directive, which establishes common rules that companies must follow to ensure the truthfulness of their environmental claims.
The Leaf Foundation also aims to combat greenwashing: “I am very pleased to have had the opportunity to present the Leaf standard to the European Parliament, bringing to the attention of the attending MEPs the observations resulting from our work,” commented Luca Cartocci, president of the Leaf Foundation. “Companies play a key role in creating a circular economy and a sustainable and fair society. But while companies increasingly feel the urgency to act and adopt ethical, responsible, and sustainable actions and production models, it cannot be denied that all this has a significant economic cost, sometimes unsustainable. Not to mention that the growing complexity and global nature of supply chains make it difficult for companies to obtain reliable information on suppliers’ operations. This – specified Cartocci – “risks generating the opposite effect of the initial intent, turning into a disincentive for companies or even giving rise to greenwashing phenomena. For this reason, the Leaf standard aims to provide luxury accessories companies with clear and measurable criteria.”
Mimma Dardano, a member of Leaf’s Board of Directors, also reiterated in her speech to the European Parliament the importance of promoting sustainable actions in a work of transparency and fairness towards end consumers, also to protect those who work within the supply chain: “About 4% of our country’s GDP – she said – “Leaf Foundation’s utmost commitment will be to change the certification paradigm, no longer best practices but maximum focus on measurement, allowing companies to measure their environmental impacts according to shared rules and enabling consumers to trust product standards.” .
“For the future,” concluded Luca Cartocci, “Leaf Foundation’s utmost commitment will be to change the certification paradigm, no longer best practices but maximum focus on measurement, allowing companies to measure their environmental impacts according to shared rules and enabling consumers to trust product standards.”