To mark their 50th anniversary year, Mulberry announces the launch of the Made to Last Manifesto, laying out an ambitious commitment to transform the business to a regenerative and circular model, encompassing the entire supply chain, from field to wardrobe by 2030.

To achieve this commitment the Made to Last Manifesto focuses on six key actions for change:

1. Pioneer a hyper-local, hyper-transparent ‘farm to finished product’ supply chain model 
2. Develop the world’s lowest carbon leather sourced from a network of environmentally conscious farms
3. Achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2035
4. Continue to extend the life of Mulberry products through repair and restoration
5. Buy back, resell or repurpose any Mulberry bag
6. Extend our commitment to being a real Living Wage employer by working with our network of suppliers to achieve the same

Launching on World Earth Day, 22nd April 2021, with an open letter and digital campaign, the Mulberry Made to Last Manifesto asks a series of bold, challenging, and sometimes uncomfortable questions, that we respond to with honesty and intention, even if we don’t have all the answers.

Over the last 50 years, Mulberry has been at the forefront of designing and manufacturing leather goods in the UK, but in 2021 we are taking this moment to ask the question ‘Can leather ever be sustainable?’. To answer this, we are looking at every part of our supply chain to embed principles of regeneration and circularity at every stage.

Acknowledging the environmental issues associated with cattle farming, Mulberry believes the continuation of a long and successful association with leather is dependent on achieving full traceability from farm to finished product, allowing us to put in place a network of organic and environmentally conscious farms to supply the hides that create our leather. This network will provide the foundations of our commitment to a regenerative and circular supply chain by 2030.

Mulberry has always been a brand built on community and locality, and since our inception we have remained committed to making more than half of our products in our Somerset factories. Today those factories are carbon neutral and every person working in them is paid a real Living Wage, but proud as we are of these achievements, we know we have to go much further to make transformational change, and that’s why we are asking the question, ‘Can you make a blue bag green?’. Later this year Mulberry will release our first locally made ‘farm to finished product’ bags using the world’s lowest carbon leather. This collection will represent the future of the business, establishing a model that can be replicated with a network of trusted partners and underpins our commitment to reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2035.

Our transformative approach to leather sourcing will be reflected in the way we innovate new solutions across our business, from integrating recycled nylon and regenerative organic cotton into our products to continuously assessing and reducing the environmental impact of our packaging and our physical store network.