World’s First Zero Deforestation Handbags Unveiled during Parish Fashion Week

Livia Firth, co-founder of The Green Carpet Challenge, partnered with Gucci and the National Wildlife Federation to launch the world’s first range of handbags crafted from Brazilian Amazon leather that is guaranteed to have caused zero-deforestation and is fully traceable from source to finished product.

Each Gucci for the Green Carpet Challenge bag carries a ‘passport’ containing the detailed history of the chain of supply, from the birth of the cow to the final accessory. The bags are made using leather from cattle ranches that have achieved Rainforest Alliance certification, covering environmental and social justice criteria as well as the ethical treatment of cattle. The range becomes the first ever leather line to achieve this.

The latest scientific data shows that cattle-ranching in the Brazilian Amazon is responsible for over three-quarters of forest clearing. Despite a downturn in deforestation in 2011 for Brazil, figures for August 2012 (the peak month for deforestation) were back up, showing a 220 per cent increase on last year. Meanwhile a lower standard of Brazil’s Forest Code was approved in October 2012.

“I believe that today more than ever before customers want to be associated with brands that are thoughtful and responsible. Through our sustainability, humanitarian and philanthropic actions we would like Gucci to not just be synonymous with Made in Italy, but also Made with integrity,” said Frida Giannini, Creative Director at Gucci, that also donated 50,000 Euro to the National Wildlife Federation to fund work to promote deforestation-free Brazilian leather.