PARIS — Longchamp has been awarded B Corp certification, marking a new chapter in the French family-owned brand’s push to formalize and measure its environmental and social commitments across its global operations.
The certification, granted under B Lab’s 2025 standards, recognizes companies that meet verified criteria across governance, supply chain, environmental impact and employee policies.
For Longchamp, the milestone reflects what executives describe as long-standing company practices, but it also required significant structural changes behind the scenes.
Unlike many fashion companies that outsource most of their manufacturing, Longchamp operates with a highly vertically integrated model in its leather goods production, making the certification process particularly demanding, said Adrien Cassegrain, fifth-generation family member as well as the company’s transformation and CSR director.
“This is a bit different, because the complexity is also different,” he said, noting that Longchamp is directly responsible for production quality, chemical management, carbon emissions and water usage across its industrial sites. “It is not only the product that is certified — it is the whole company and operations.”
The certification currently applies to Longchamp’s leather goods division, the core of the business, but the assessment extended beyond raw material sourcing to encompass internal logistics, governance structures, supplier management and even event production and influencer marketing guidelines.
More than 300 criteria were evaluated, prompting the company to formalize policies that had previously been less structured. While Longchamp had already made progress in responsible sourcing, including Leather Working Group-certified skin and deadstock initiatives such as its Re-Play line, the B Corp process required development of a broader climate impact framework.
That included calculating not only its carbon footprint, but also its water use footprint and biodiversity impacts across operations.
The company has committed to a 30 percent reduction in its carbon footprint by 2033. In 2024, it reported a 95 percent reduction in emissions related to energy consumption compared with 2023, as well as a 60 percent reduction in air freight emissions.
Further reductions are expected to come from shifting transport away from air freight toward sea freight. Longchamp has partnered with Neoline for transatlantic shipping and equipped several workshops with solar panels as part of its decarbonization strategy.
The certification also accelerated investment in supplier oversight. More than 80 percent of Longchamp’s suppliers are rated via EcoVadis, and procurement teams work with lower-performing partners to drive improvements, rather than simply penalizing them.
“It’s not our job to just judge and assess,” Cassegrain said. “The idea of partnership that we try to build with our suppliers to work on their improvement.”
The company has also developed a traceability platform covering ready-to-wear, shoes, scarves and handbags, with small leather goods and belts to be added this year. In ready-to-wear — where production is not vertically integrated — Longchamp is working with external partners to increase the share of certified materials, including GOTS-certified textiles.
Deforestation risk has become another focus, particularly in South America, where cattle farming presents environmental concerns. Longchamp is building a more accurate monitoring tool using satellite imagery to ensure that leather supply chains are not linked to land deforested since 2021, and it has joined the Leather Deforestation Pledge through Textile Exchange.
Interior of Longchamp’s Paris flagship.
Courtesy of Longchamp
Internally, aligning policies across 25 countries posed another challenge.
“There are many cultural environments that are different, but we are still one global brand and company with one vision, and we have to try and make this vision apply as well as possible to all our employees,” Cassegrain said.
The company has expanded training programs as well as introduced structured initiatives focused on employee voice, safety and management development. Sixty-eight percent of managers are women, and internal programs include parental support and anti-sexism initiatives.
One unexpected outcome of the B Corp process was renewed emphasis on repair, which had been a long-standing service at the house but lesser known among consumers. In 2025, the brand repaired 80,000 products across 33 centers worldwide, the brand said.
“It’s not the sexiest part, but it’s an important part to ensure that all our operations are going in the same direction, and to ensure that there is nothing hidden behind the scenes,” Cassegrain said.
Achieving certification required meaningful financial investment, particularly in higher-quality raw materials and supplier support. Longchamp’s decision to switch its bestselling Le Pliage tote from virgin to recycled nylon increased production costs, though it did not raise the retail price.
“It cost us a lot, and from the client point of view, the product is exactly the same — no drop in quality, look and feel,” Cassegrain said.
“Most of the time it’s very easy to see the investment, but it’s quite difficult to see the return,” he added. “But being a family-owned company and independent brand, we have the ability to see things over the long run.”
The company expects to continue decoupling revenue growth from emissions, aiming to reduce its carbon footprint even as sales expand. Last year’s figures are still being finalized.
Longchamp plans to publish its next CSR report on June 5, coinciding with World Environment Day — a symbolic moment to highlight its effort to position sustainability not as a marketing pitch, but as an operational pillar for the family-owned brand.
The certification marks a milestone rather than an endpoint, Cassegrain emphasized. With B Lab’s recently updated and increasingly stringent standards, the company will be required to pursue continuous improvement and ongoing reassessment.
