Prada is one of the leading luxury designers in the world with 600 locations across the globe from London, New York, Milan, Dubai, and Los Angeles. For over 100 years, Prada has been a status of luxury and wealth. But what is one of the most well-known designer brands in the world contributing to society beyond material goods?
CSR Report
Talk is cheap but Prada is not. In 2021, Prada earned revenue of €3.4 billion through its designer bags, clothing, and leather goods. During that year, Prada made an effort to donate to charity with a mere €3 million of its €3.4 billion. In 2020 and 2021, Prada invested in energy efficiency and sustainability programs.
In Prada’s 2019 CSR report, it states, “Investments continued to be made in the energy efficiency program, and new environmental projects were set in motion whose impact in terms of reduced resource consumption will be evident in the next few years.”
Prada failed to detail the investments it is involved in to lessen its influence on waste with vague words like ‘new environmental projects’. However, since the release of the report, Prada has made an impact on its sustainability by creating the Re-Nylon program and stopping fur production.
Prada Re-Nylon
The Prada nylon bag made its first appearance in 1984 with the Vela backpack as a part of Miuccia Prada’s collection. The backpack was used with a water-resistant nylon called pocone; a material also used for army tents. The Prada nylon bag became a distinctive material for the brand whereas Chanel and Louis Vuitton were still using leather at the time. Since the 1980s, the bag has become a classic, an “it bag” that never loses its popularity through the years.
Prada made the initiative to stop producing their goods with new nylon and replace it with the production of recycled nylon with its new Re-Nylon program. Aquafil, a sustainable textile company, patterned with the brand to help manufacture the nylon bags with Econyl, a regenerated-nylon yarn that can be recycled an indefinite number of times without affecting the quality of the material. Econyl is made by recycling discarded plastic from landfills and oceans across the globe.
Prada collaborated with National Geographic to create a video with actress Bonnie Wright and national geographic explorer Asher Jay. In Arizona, U.S., Econyl has a facility that recycles carpets from landfills into nylon fabric visited by Wright and Jay. There are 3.5 billion pounds of carpets in landfills each year that can stay for centuries. The facility in Arizona recycles these carpets to make Econyl fabrics.
By producing Prada products with Econyl nylon, the organization has made a significant result since starting in 2019. For every 10,000 tons of Econyl created, it saves 70,000 barrels of petroleum and reduces the global warming impact of nylon up to 90%.
Fur and Leather Goods
In 2020, Prada announced it would stop the production of fur products across the brand with the halt on kangaroo leather as a material. However, the brand still continues to practice the use of leather goods such as sheepskin and calfskin.
Prada’s Impact
The brand’s effort on its sustainability is more than other luxury designer brands such as Louis Vuitton, however, still lacks conviction in its mission. The brand contradicts its commitment to lessening its impact on the environment by continuing its leather goods practices but has made strides in reducing overall waste on nylon products.
