Chanel's Pavlovsky Takes Co-Chair Role at The Fashion Pact

Chanel president Bruno Pavlovsky became co-chair of The Fashion Pact on Oct. 13, joining Inditex chief executive officer Óscar García Maceiras and cofounder Paul Polman on the steering committee of the CEO-led climate and biodiversity coalition. Chanel confirmed the appointment on Tuesday, placing one of the industry's most senior executives at the top of a platform that counts more than 50 signatories representing upward of 150 brands, including Burberry, Ralph Lauren, H&M Group and J.Crew.

The move matters for sourcing and supply-chain teams. The Fashion Pact, aligned with the Paris Agreement, requires signatories to set and maintain science-based carbon emissions reduction targets aimed at limiting global temperature rise. For brands weighing Scope 3 commitments, the governance signal is clear: the coalition's leadership now spans Chanel, Inditex and Unilever-era sustainability veteran Paul Polman.

What does the new leadership signal?

"Since its creation, The Fashion Pact has demonstrated the power of collective action across our industry. As it enters a new phase, the ambition is to build on this momentum and focus increasingly on concrete action and tangible, measurable impact," Chanel said in a statement.

Pavlovsky arrives with regulatory credentials. As president of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de Mode, French fashion's governing body, he has helped members navigate European Union rules governing the textile and apparel sector through stringent circular economy and sustainability mandates, and has represented their interests on the global stage.

He also carries operational evidence from Chanel's own supply chain. In 2024, Chanel launched Nevold, an independent business-to-business hub for circular material development. It combines three units:

• L'Atelier des Matières, which collects deadstock, production offcuts and unsold items
• Filatures du Parc, a legacy wool-spinning mill working in new and recycled yarns
• Authentic Material, an upcycled natural materials provider specializing in leather

What results does Chanel bring to the table?

The company published its first Climate Transition Plan in 2025, setting out priority actions to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 and to build long-term operational and supply chain resilience against climate risks. The plan separates stated ambition from measured performance, and Chanel reported both in its latest annual report.

The company said it achieved 100 percent renewable electricity in its own operations at the end of 2025. Its carbon footprint fell for the third consecutive year, with Scope 1 and 2 emissions down a combined 2.6 percent year-over-year and Scope 3 emissions falling by 10 percent. Scope 3, the category covering supply chain partners and raw materials, remains the hardest to shift and the one where coalition pressure on shared vendors is most likely to register.

Chanel was among the founding signatories of The Fashion Pact, which Kering chairman François-Henri Pinault and French President Emmanuel Macron announced in 2019 on the sidelines of a Group of Seven meeting in France.

"At Chanel, we believe that the transformations facing our industry require long-term commitment and collective action, particularly across supply chains. I am proud to contribute to this next chapter of The Fashion Pact and I look forward to working with the other co-chairs and all members to make the coalition even more global, practical and effective," Pavlovsky said.

Watch for the coalition's next phase to translate science-based targets into audited, supplier-level requirements that brands and their factories will need to cost into sourcing decisions.