Chloé, a French luxury fashion house, has recently been awarded the prestigious Benefit Corporation (abbreviated as B-Corp) certification. With such an accolade, Chloé joins the ranks of Allbirds and Patagonia as a company that stands for genuine environmental sustainability.

B-Corp was founded in 2006 by B-lab, a non-profit organization that independently tracks and determines the social and environmental impact of corporations. B-Corp’s certification consists of a rigorous assessment followed by a verified score. The bulk of the questions cover financial transparency, employee demographics, compensation and benefits, as well as the sources of energy at supply-chain facilities, and monitoring of waste production. In order to finalize the approval, the company must amend its documents to reflect a dual commitment to profit and purpose. By registering as such, the corporation in question can restructure as a Public Benefit Company, which allows it to shift focus away from solely profit.

Chloé is unique in the sense that it is the first luxury fashion house to receive such an honor. However, its B-Corp designation comes as no accident, as Gabriela Hearst, shortly after being appointed creative director, launched a debut collection of recycled, reworked, or leftover outerwear. In the production of Chloé’s new Nama shoe it uses 80% less water and emits 35% less greenhouse gases, compared to its previous line. Additionally, this re-prioritization was mirrored in its carbon footprint, as Chloé’s emissions have dropped by 400%.

“It is our strong belief that we need to take full accountability for the impact we have on people and planet, injecting purpose across everything we do, transforming how we do business and actively participating to build a better world,” said Chloé CEO, Riccardo Bellini. “B Corp offers us a powerful framework to accelerate and guide this transformation. We are proud of this achievement and I am thankful to the many people in our company that worked hard to make it possible during more than 18 months. By becoming B Corp today, we reinforce our commitment to continuously challenging ourselves to use our brand and our business as a force for good”

In regards to the B-Corp designation, Chloé emphasized that the verification would be used to cement their reputation as a leader of sustainability and accountability, opposed to using it as a marketing tool. “Beyond the fact that we are proud of it as a company, we also aim to inspire many others to join,” said Riccardo Bellini, CEO of Chloé. “We upgraded our operations, governance and policies in a way that allows us to operate in a more environmentally and socially responsible manner.”

To read more about B-Corp, check out our story on the certification process and what it means for the future of the fashion industry.