Benetton Group, always sensitive to sustainability issues, is pleased to announce the validation of its near-term science-based emissions reduction targets by the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi), global organization born from the partnership between Climate Disclosure Project (CDP), the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources institute (WRI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) that drives and assist companies in their commitment to reduce their GHG emissions.
The targets set by Benetton Group have been defined coherent with the urgent pathway planned to limit global warming to 1.5°C to challenge climate change, in line with the 2015 Paris Agreement. This achievement further strengthens the company’s commitment to a lower-impact business.
Benetton Group set out the following targets:
- A 50% reduction of absolute Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 2030, from a 2019 base year
- A 30% reduction of absolute Scope 3 GHG emissions by 2030, from a 2019 base year
Here below you can read the official certificate emitted by SBTi.
Scope 1 and 2 relate to the emissions generated from Benetton Group’s own operations, such as gas and electricity used in stores, logistic hubs, and offices.
100% of the electricity powering Benetton campus and the stores of the company in Italy comes certified water and ocean renewable sources. Aiming to further reducing Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions, Benetton Group continued the company’s fleet transition to 100% electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles and completed the installation of 44 charging stations on the campuses of Ponzano and Castrette. Finally, the Company is evaluating the total procurement of certified renewable energy in its foreign offices.
Scope 3 covers emissions generated from indirect activities of the Benetton Group’s supply chain and represent the most consistent impact in terms of carbon footprint.
Starting from the targets approved by SBTi, Benetton Group commits to reduce its absolute Scope 3 GHG emissions from purchased goods and services, fuel and energy related activities, upstream and downstream transportation and distribution, employee commuting, and franchises by 2030.
Benetton Group uses the Higg FEM to monitor its suppliers’ energy usage.
In 2022, we estimate the energy coming from renewable sources is over 15% of total energy used.
In 2019, Benetton Group installed a solar energy heating system in its Tunisian site and launched a feasibility study for the implementation of a photovoltaic system.
Benetton Group is actively involved in the contrast to global climate change, as it monitors its suppliers’ fossil fuels usage. In 2022, we estimate the coal-based energy usage in Benetton Group’s supply chain is equal to 27% of the total energy sources. In particular, the main contributors to the Benetton Group’s supply chain global coal usage are India, China, and Turkey (which count as 59%, 22% and 17% of the total coal-based energy usage respectively). *
*The total energy usage of Benetton Group’s suppliers has been calculated by combining the onsite energy production with the offsite energy sources, coming from the respective country energy mix.
The definition of the SBTs led the company to rethink the process of value creation, focusing on decoupling economic growth from increasing the volume of products manufactured. Benetton Group is working to recover product margins by producing less and more in line with market demand, opening up to experimentation with new business models that favor durability - physical and affective – of garments and the re-use of materials in the production cycle.
The initiatives undertaken by Benetton Group during the period 2021-2023 to reduce the emissions produced showed encouraging outcomes, with a significative decrease of several emission categories compared to 2019 and the commitment to further improve these results in the future.
Hereafter the comparison between base year 2019 and 2023 is exhibited as significant evidence of Benetton Group progress in reducing its carbon footprint.
For the calculation of GHG inventory the following references and measures were used: GHG Protocol Corporate Standard; GHG Protocol Scope 2 Guidance; Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Accounting and Reporting Standard; Apparel and Footwear Sector: Science-Based Targets Guidance.
For the category “Purchased goods and services” of Scope 3 emissions, in particular, the following methodology was used: EcoInvent database for emission coefficients related to raw materials used and primary data on supply chain energy consumption multiplied by emission factors published by Defra, Terna and AiB.