Ralph Lauren has renounced its commitment to achieving net zero by 2040. Rather, it is concentrating on ‘rolling’ targets every five years that the leadership feels it can confidently accomplish. The move comes after the renowned fashion brand had exceeded its 2030 science-based emissions target for the last two years.
The company is an exception in fashion due to its ahead-of-schedule reductions, but concerns are raised since it has abandoned its 2040 net-zero vision. The company achieved 34% reductions in emissions over 2020 levels, ahead of its 2030 SBTi-validated target of 30% reductions. The brand now uses ‘sustainable’ materials in 98% of its products that prioritise natural fibres and this has helped in improving its emission cuts.
By eliminating its long-term goal, which the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has not validated, the corporation appears to be going against the corporate flow. According to the New Climate Institute, 70% of businesses on the Global Forbes 2000, including Ralph Lauren, have a net zero goal.
Ralph Lauren, on the other hand, surpasses its 2030 target of 30% carbon reductions, which is SBTi-validated, demonstrating success uncommon in the apparel industry: Since 2020, it has reduced Scopes 1, 2, and 3 by 34%. By 2024, it had already reduced emissions by 33%.
Instead of relying on emerging technologies that haven’t yet reached scale like textile recycling, the company stated that it aims to sustain advancement by concentrating on what it can directly manage. It intends to establish new sustainability goals in the upcoming years, with the deadline being 2035.
Ralph Lauren’s FY 2025 sustainability report, which was made public on October 2, showed that the company’s annual emissions decreased to 1,230,541 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. That is almost equal to the annual emissions of 151,000 households in the United States.
The report stated that in order to further work, “We will continue to follow a science-based methodology aligned with the Paris Agreement, further scaling proven approaches across raw materials sourcing; direct supplier engagement to phase out on-site coal; and advancing collective financing mechanisms to fund relevant supplier initiatives.”
Ken Pucker, a veteran of the clothing industry and Professor at Tufts and Dartmouth universities, said, “Ralph Lauren’s decarbonisation progress is impressive and can serve as an exemplar of what is possible.” However, “it is surprising to not see revised targets yet, given the removal of the company’s net zero goal and the focus on shorter-term goals,” he added.
