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Mulberry launches new sustainable manifesto
The British heritage brand Mulberry, most known for its leather goods, is celebrating its 50th anniversary by launching its new manifesto called Made To Last. A manifesto that consists of six key actions to become a company with a circular and regenerative business model, encompassing the entire supply chain by 2030

By OLIVER DAHLE
22 Apr 2021

To be more precise, the manifesto is declaring that Mulberry will; Pioneer a hyper-local, hyper-transparent ‘farm to finished product’ supply chain model, develop the world’s lowest carbon leather sourced from a network of environmentally conscious farms, achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2035, continue to extend the life of Mulberry products through repair and restoration, buyback, resell or repurpose any Mulberry bag, extend our commitment to being a real Living Wage employer by working with our network of suppliers to achieve the same.

To achieve these ambitious goals, Mulberry has set up a plan of different actions the company will work with. For example, later this year the brand will launch their locally made ‘farm to finished product’ bags using the world’s lowest carbon leather. Something which will be made possible by working closely with local, organically and environmentally conscious farmers.

Besides a more environmentally friendly production, the manifesto stresses the fact that Mulberry will work even more with extending the life of its bags by its restoration offering. This is made possible with their Somerset factories, where today over 10 000 bags are being restored each year. Mulberry is also highlighting their buyback and resell program, which earlier this year committed to a partnership with Vestiaire Collective.

— So while at a first glance, the question we ask ourselves in the manifesto, ”can a bag save the world?”. It may seem like an obsolete question, and the answer is an absolute no. This question, when we ask it to ourselves is powerful serious, yet ambitious, because we believe that a business as Mulberry can deliver on this bold commitment to regeneration, renewal and reimagination and we can truly play a part in making things better, explains Mulberry CEO, Thierry Andretta, on the newly released manifesto and Mulberry’s part in making a more sustainable fashion industry.

The campaign and manifesto are brought to life by an open letter and a digital campaign accompanied by profiles, farmers, specialists and workers from the Somerset factories. One of the protagonists is Wilson Oryema, artist, writer and entrepreneur, who is a long term collaborator with Mulberry. He explains his collaboration with Mulberry and what he expects from the brand with a lot of anticipation

— Above all, I think, they have to be willing to take big risks, because nothing great ever came easy. We have been in this space for the last few decades, since the 70s maybe, where there been a stifling innovation in most industries apart from telecommunication and the internet. So to really move forward in a way that considers the health of the planet, our fellow humans and other ecosystems. We have to be willing to take big risks and be willing to make mistakes. I don’t think it’s going to be an easy path. And you do need to be transparent in everything you are doing.