I’ve always been advocating on the blog about luxury brands taking the lead to test the waters in using renewable chemicals, ingredients, materials and packaging, especially since they can easily afford to pay high premiums for low-volume, sustainable products. Gucci has long been doing this, as far as I recall. I reported on a blog post back in 2012 about its Pre-Fall collection that included several lines of shoes with bio-based soles and shoelaces, as well as biodegradable and renewable-based sunglasses.

Gucci, with the support of its parent company Kering, recently announced an investment in a new “Circular Hub” in Italy, which will focus on promoting circular production and design practices. The Circular Hub will support the creation of circular luxury products of the future – products that maximise the use of recycled materials, durability, repairability, and recyclability.

The hub will be located in the heart of Tuscany and will bring together various stakeholders, including universities, research institutions, and start-ups, to promote innovation in circular production. The hub will see the involvement of Kering’s facilities, starting with Gucci’s production sites, its Italian-based raw material suppliers, and finished products manufacturers (comprising more than 700 direct suppliers and 3,500 sub-suppliers). The hub’s activities will then be extended to Kering’s other brands and eventually become open to the entire sector.

The Circular Hub will also offer a range of services, including product testing, prototyping, and certification, to support businesses looking to adopt circular practices. Gucci aims to use the hub to develop new circular products and technologies that can be shared with the wider fashion industry. Due to its distinctive positioning within the luxury sector and the circular economy, the hub will promote the development of a “circular Made in Italy”, which will contribute to minimising the environmental and social impacts of Italian manufacturing and raw material supply chains through economies of scale and purpose.