Emma Watson to chair Kering’s sustainability board
Actress Emma Watson – who supports a fashion website with an anti-leather stance – has been appointed chairperson of Kering’s sustainability board.
She is a supporter of Good On You, a site and app that says it “allows consumers to check the sustainability credentials of clothing brands”.
Unfortunately for leather-using companies, Good On You promotes shoes made with synthetic leather as “cruelty-free vegan and vegetarian shoes”. It also features articles which suggest leather isn’t in fact a true byproduct of the meat industry and that it has “hidden costs” for humans and animals. Her support for the site is mentioned in Kering's statement on her appointment.
Ms Watson first came to the public’s attention playing Hermione Granger in the film adaptations of the Harry Potter book series and has since earned a degree in English Literature from Brown University. She has been appointed UN Women Global Goodwill Ambassador.
Kering – which owns brands including Gucci, Bottega Veneta and Saint Laurent – has also appointed Jean Liu, president of transportation company Didi Chuxing, and Tidjane Thiam, former CEO of Credit Suisse, to its board.
Group CEO François-Henri Pinault said: “Their respective knowledge and competences, and the multiplicity of their backgrounds and perspectives will be invaluable additions to Kering’s board of directors. The collective intelligence that comes from diverse points of view and the richness of different experiences are crucial to the future of our organisation.”
