There is an inherent tension in the luxury goods universe between generating the irrational desire that drives sales for the likes of Swiss watches and saving the planet.
It is not so much the product.
Prestige timepieces use only small amounts of relatively common materials in a gadget likely to work for decades and to be passed down from generation to generation.
It is a labour- but not especially power-intensive industry.
There is a problem with sourcing precious metals and gems from less than ideal regimes, but this has been largely tackled in recent decades by the likes of the Responsible Jewellery Council and others.
The challenge for watchmakers is to create a wraparound cocoon of luxury around the marketing and sales of their products, which includes a lot of premium class flights, 5-star hotels, micro-gastronomy, lavish showrooms (sometimes without any watches to sell), etc.
While watchmakers’ carbon footprints may be shrinking at the manufacturing level, there is a never-ending arms race when it comes to staying ahead in the pursuit of the most luxurious, and carbon-hungry marketing.
But any company wanting to appeal to younger consumers needs a sustainability story, and the watch business is no different.
Breitling, which expects to have opened 200 boutiques around the world by the end of 2022, revealed an expansion of its sustainability programme at Geneva Watch Days in the summer.
It committed to using only gold approved by the Better Gold Association, a Swiss non profit that improves working and living conditions in artisanal and small-scale gold mining communities.
The transition to Better Gold for all watches will be completed by 2025.
By the same year, Breitling’s entire portfolio will use only lab-grown diamonds.
“By 2025 all watches will be made this way. The entire supply chain will be public and attached to watches with NFTs,” promised Breitling CEO Georges Kern.
As for reducing its overall carbon footprint, Mr Kern said a net zero target was under discussion, but no target date had been set. In the meantime, Breitling would be active in carbon offsetting.
It appears the WOKE crowd has infiltrated the watch industry. So lets be truely honest Breitling, and others planning for growth and boutiques all over the world. How much of that luxury realestate your stores require could be better used for low income housing world wide?