The Prada Group is joining the Sustainable Markets Initiative’s Fashion Task Force, a collective effort led by private sector leaders to spearhead the fashion industry’s shift towards sustainability.
“We are honored to be part of this coalition and to contribute by sharing our experience in the field of traceability,” Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada Group’s head of corporate social responsibility, said in a statement. The task force aims to find eco-friendly solutions within the fashion, textile, and apparel sectors. Bertelli highlighted the importance of collaborative efforts in addressing the complex challenges of sustainability and the continuous quest for improvement. “Building on everyone’s valuable expertise and trying to achieve common goals in sustainability is a productive way to face today’s complexity and to constantly improve.”
Initiated by the then-Prince Charles at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in 2002, the Sustainable Markets Initiative’s Fashion Task Force brings together industry giants, including the Aura Blockchain Consortium, Brunello Cucinelli, Burberry, Chloé, Gabriela Hearst, Giorgio Armani, Puig, Moda Operandi, and Zalando. The group, led by entrepreneur and former Yoox Net-a-porter chairman and chief executive officer Federico Marchetti, focuses on action-oriented projects to align the fashion industry with environmental preservation.
“We are thrilled to welcome Prada Group and Lorenzo Bertelli to our action-oriented Fashion Task Force,” Marchetti said, acknowledging the shared values of customer-centricity and innovation that make Prada a perfect match for the coalition’s mission.
Since its formation in 2021, the Fashion Task Force has embarked on significant initiatives, including introducing the Digital Product Passport at the G20 summit in Rome and supporting regenerative agriculture in the Himalayas and Apulia, Italy. These projects underline the task force’s commitment to making substantial contributions to sustainability in fashion.
The Prada Group’s involvement in sustainability extends beyond the Fashion Task Force. As a member of the Fashion Pact and a co-founder of the Aura Blockchain Consortium alongside LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton and Compagnie Financière Richemont, Prada is at the forefront of the industry’s eco-friendly transformation.
Prada has pledged to allocate one percent of the proceeds from its Prada Re-Nylon collection to the Sea Beyond project, reinforcing its partnership with IOC/UNESCO. The brand’s transition to Re-Nylon across its product lines showcases its dedication to sustainable practices. The label’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets have received approval from the Science-Based Targets initiative, setting a path towards achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
UNESCO also recently appointed Bertelli as “Patron of the Ocean Decade Alliance,” celebrating Prada’s contributions to ocean literacy through its Sea Beyond educational initiative and Bertelli’s personal advocacy for the ocean’s role in sustainable development. The Sea Beyond project, launched in 2019, focuses on promoting ocean literacy and preservation, further demonstrating Prada’s commitment to environmental education. It recently partnered with Emma Watson and Benedict Cumberbatch on a campaign to promote its ocean conservation efforts and use of ocean-bound plastic for its Re-Nylon materials.
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