goes well with luxury... and sustainable development is really awareness of the object and of life and of the end of the product’s lifespan. There is maybe, ultimately, a difference between these two concepts.” In this regard, luxury is synonymous with dreams, while environmental issues recall reality, which is not always positive.
Moreover, quality is an integral part of the definition of luxury: “For me, luxury products are a guarantee of quality. They are products that are unquestionably expensive but that, for me, symbolize a form of quality.” This can be jeopardized by the inclusion of sustainable attributes. It is, in particular, the use of recyclable materials that has been subject to criticism and associated with a reduction in perceived quality:
Recycling and luxury, that doesn’t work, I’m not sure that that works... it’s not in the spirit of haute couture, it doesn’t go with luxury; the use of recycled products to make new luxury products should be avoided. That is, at a given time, they could be recycled to make other less high-end products but recycled materials shouldn’t be used to make luxury products; I think that, rightly, luxury cork... some cottons, very high-quality materials, you don’t get anything from recycling them.
The two concepts also seem to diverge from an environmental point of view. Sustainable development means the preservation of the planet and natural resources. Luxury, meanwhile, is associated with the idea of wasting resources. Indeed, the ostentatious dimension of luxury leads to a misuse of the considerable packaging: “I would say that the packaging of some products can be a bit excessive... in order to draw the eye, there is sometimes a bit much for a small item. We could maybe make reductions at this level to protect the environment.” The problem of waste intensifies when rare raw materials are used (for example, leather products from exotic animals). Moreover, the specificity of luxury product categories often leads to the use of chemical ingredients that are harmful to the planet: “I imagine that when we tan hides or make fabric dyes... it can only have a negative impact. So yes, in textiles, leather goods, since there are material treatment processes that use chemicals... and we’re aware that this is never very good for the environment.”
Finally, at the social level, different aspects push apart the two concepts – luxury and sustainable development. Firstly, in terms of social equality, sustainable development promotes justice-related values, while luxury refers to the idea of inequalities within society. One characteristic of luxury relates to separating rich individuals from those with limited income, and dismissing people whose image is considered far from the ideal:
There is the counterfeits issue because we see people who don’t have the money and who have a luxury product, but in fact it’s a fake because it gives off an image of them... so it’s true that, for me, I think the biggest problem with luxury is that, it’s social problems, because it’s only for a specific group of people... that annoys me a bit.
Secondly, the idea of working conditions strengthens the contradiction between luxury and sustainable development. The latter advocates protecting workers and safeguarding their well-being. However, luxury often conjures negative perceptions of working conditions. The place accorded to workers in this sector remains secondary in comparison to the luxury product that garners all the attention: “The workshops that use all these small hands who make delicate things. Here’s the whole chain of artisans, workers who participate in the production of the product and who are forgotten in favor of the showy aspects of the object.” Moreover, workers’ rights, including the case of workforces in developing countries, may be tarnished: “You know that for diamond exploration, they [luxury actors] are really exploitative.” Lastly, the issue of animal welfare has provoked varied reactions from consumers; this is one of the aspects that creates a gap between the two concepts. While sustainable development “promotes the protection of animal species”, the luxury sector exploits and mistreats these species to the benefit of the products created and the satisfaction of demanding customers: “A luxury product is going to be a rare product, so it’s going to affect protected species. Their consumptions are going to have an impact! The use of fur, I don’t know, it’s kind of the first thing that comes to mind for me... because, really, it’s something that affects animals that are in danger of extinction.”
2.3.2. What solutions are there for better integrating sustainable development into luxury?
Sustainable development can be an opportunity for increasing economic prosperity and this is the challenge that luxury brands are now facing. In order to achieve this, they have several levers that can allow them, first of all, to overcome the perceived contradiction between the values they spread and those promoted by sustainable development, and then to provide an example of responsible engagement. In the following section, we will propose some potential avenues for reflection on better integrating the challenge of sustainable development into luxury.
2.3.2.1. Building the image of luxury as a vector for sharing and of preserving resources
Overcoming the image of companies that waste natural resources to satisfy secondary desires must be among the priorities of luxury brands. They have several arguments for this. The first concerns the essence of luxury, namely scarcity. This refers to a reasoned use of rare natural resources. The case of Ferrari, which, in 2013, decided to reduce its production by 4%, is interesting. Even if the aim behind this decision was to “encourage scarcity”, the brand can also boast an objective of preserving natural resources. The second argument concerns items being passed down from generation to generation. The exceptional quality of luxury products does grant them a much longer lifespan than ordinary products. This longevity refers back to the value of sharing, as promoted by sustainable development. The watchmaker Patek Philippe is a good example of a luxury brand that capitalizes on this sharing value through its “Generations” advertising. This is an advertising campaign that was first launched in 1996 and is still ongoing. Through this message, the brand is looking to remind consumers of the exceptional quality of its products and that their longevity that makes it possible to hand them down: “You never really own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation.”
2.3.2.2. Sustainable luxury: a high quality that should be maintained
The inclusion of a sustainable attribute in luxury products has been associated with a decrease in the quality level by consumers, which requires the target market to be reassured. We can highlight some initiatives to this end. For example, the Stella McCartney brand indicates on its website that the use of vegetable raw materials to replace animal-based materials has no effect on the beauty and luxurious nature of its products: “As a vegetarian brand, we never use leather, skin, fur or feathers. By taking this stance we are proving it is possible to create beautiful, luxurious products that are better for everyone – animals, people and the environment.” To convince consumers that sustainable luxury products are not of a lower quality than their conventional equivalents, Stella McCartney has associated the viscose used in its luxury products (a forest-friendly material) to the excellent reputation and knowledge of its country of origin, Italy.
Furthermore, to consolidate their position as being luxury and of high quality, sustainable luxury products must be sold at the same price, or even a higher one, than conventional luxury products. Offering sustainable luxury goods at lower prices would make them more accessible, which could damage their usefulness as a symbol of ecological dedication. On the other hand, higher prices can allow consumers concerned about the status of using sustainable luxury products to display their wealth. In this regard, the example of the Lexus brand is interesting. Its decision to set the price of its environmentally-friendly LS600h model at over 100,000 US dollars was received with skepticism from experts in the sector. This positioning turned out to be valuable as sales predictions increased by 300% (Puska et al. 2016).
2.3.2.3. Sustainable luxury products: a source of exclusivity and pleasure
Exclusivity is one of the key values of luxury. It can be encouraged by high prices as well as by the scarcity of products. The use of limited editions must therefore be promoted. This is the choice made