• Browse by: category | company | brand | product type  
  • HOME
  • THE GUIDE
  • ISSUES
  • GET INFORMED
  • GET INVOLVED
  • SHOP
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT US
  • All  |
  • Baby  |
  • Clothing  |
  • Food & Drink  |
  • Household  |
  • Office Supplies  |
  • Personal Care  |
  • Pet  |
  • Retail  |
  • Technology  |
  • Toys
  • |  Print Guide  |
  • App
  • Clothing  |
  • Electronics  |
  • Food & Drink  |
  • Household & Personal Care
  • Issues  |
  • New! Clothing  |
  • Why Shop Ethically?  |
  • 5 Principles  |
  • Companies to avoid  |
  • News  |
  • Sign Up for Updates
  • Go ethical at school, work, home  |
  • Campaign  |
  • Spread the Word  |
  • Volunteer  |
  • Workshops  |
  • Movie Nights  |
  • Fundraising
  • All Products  |
  • Shop Ethical! app  |
  • Shop Ethical! book  |
  • Stockists  |
  • Other books  |
  • Fregie sacks  |
  • FREE STUFF!  |
  • DONATE
  • Introduction  |
  • About Us  |
  • Ratings & Assessment  |
  • Media Mentions  |
  • Testimonials  |
  • FAQ

LVMH

OVERALL

Owned
FRA
Rating
Criticisms

Luxury goods

World's largest luxury goods company. Wines and spirits, perfumes, cosmetics, fashion and leather goods, watches and jewellery, plus a retail division. Chairman Bernard Arnault and his family, through Groupe Arnault, own about 47% of LVMH.

LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA   FRA     website   email   facebook   twitter

> About the Ratings

Company Assessment

PRAISE CRITICISM INFORMATION
LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA
Environment CDP Forests Score of A
In 2022, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) asked companies to provide data about their efforts towards removing commodity-driven deforestation and forest degradation from its direct operations and supply chains. Responding companies are scored across four key areas: disclosure; awareness; management; and leadership. This company received a CDP Forests Score of A.
Source: CDP (2022)
Environment CDP Climate Change Score of A
In 2022, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) asked companies to provide data about their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change risk. Responding companies are scored across four key areas: disclosure; awareness; management; and leadership. This company received a CDP Climate Change Score of A.
Source: CDP (2022)
Social CDP Water Security Score of A
In 2022, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) asked companies to provide data about their efforts to manage and govern freshwater resources. Responding companies are scored on six key metrics: transparency; governance & strategy; measuring & monitoring; risk assessment; targets & goals; and value chain engagement. This company received a CDP Water Security Score of A.
Source: CDP (2022)
Business Ethics 70/100 S&P Global ESG Score
This company received an S&P Global ESG Score of 70/100 in the Textiles, Apparel & Luxury Goods category of the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment, an annual evaluation of companies' sustainability practices (last updated 23 Sep 2022). The rankings are based on an analysis of corporate economic, environmental and social performance, assessing issues such as corporate governance, risk management, environmental reporting, climate strategy, human rights and labour practices.
Source: S&P Global (2022)
Environment Supply chain practices in China
The Green Supply Chain Corporate Information Transparency Index (CITI) evaluates consumer-facing companies that have a sizeable supply chain in China. The evaluation uses government supervision data and public information to assess the environmental management of their supply chains in China. This company received a score of 6.28/100 (retrieved 24 Nov 2023).
Source: IPE (2023)
Social Human Rights Benchmark
The 2019 Corporate Human Rights Benchmark assessed 200 of the largest publicly traded companies in the world from the Agricultural Products, Apparel, Extractives and ICT Manufacturing sectors on 100 human rights indicators. This company's score was in the 10-20 band range. The overall average score was a disappointing 24%.
Source: World Benchmarking Alliance (2019)
Social 19/100 in KnowTheChain Benchmark
In 2021 KnowTheChain benchmarked 37 apparel and footwear companies on their efforts to identify and tackle forced labour risks in their supply chains. This company received a score of 19/100. The average score was 41/100 and the highest score was 89/100.
Source: KnowTheChain (2021)
Animals Animal Testing
A number of this company's fragrance and cosmetics brands appear on PETA's (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, USA) 'Companies That Do Test On Animals' list, signifying that they manufacture products that are tested on animals at some stage of development.
Source: PETA (2022)
Environment 33% in Forest 500 Rankings
Forest 500 identifies the 350 companies and 150 financial institutions with the greatest exposure to tropical deforestation risk, and annually assesses them on the strength and implementation of their deforestation and human rights commitments. This company received a score of 33%.
Source: Forest 500 (2022)
Environment Palm oil rating - WAZA
The PalmOil Scan app, produced by the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), rates companies on their commitment to sourcing sustainable palm oil. Companies are scored on their use of certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO), commitment to sourcing CSPO, on-the-ground conservation action, and membership to the RSPO. Companies can earn a rating of Excellent, Good, Poor or No Commitment. This company is rated "Poor" (retrieved 18 Nov 2023).
Source: WAZA (2023)
Animals Use of exotic skins
LVMH is being pressured by PETA to end its use of animal skins after an expose of crocodile farms in Vietnam. "PETA is calling on LVMH to stop supporting the torment and killing of ostriches, crocodiles, and other beautiful wild animals for bags, watchbands, and shoes."
Source: PETA (2019)
Animals Use of fur
This company has used fur in factory made clothing lines, and has not announced plans to stop.
Source: IFF (2021)
Business Ethics Tax fraud penalty
In 2019 LVMH subsidiary Sephora paid out US$159,349 to the State of Indiana in order to settle a dispute over tax fraud. The retailer stood accused of making false statements regarding its failure to collect gross retail taxes on shipping and handling fees for online sales to shoppers based in the state, in violation of the Indiana False Claims Act.
Source: The Indiana Lawyer (2019)
Business Ethics Tax avoidance
This company scores Ethical Consumer's worst rating for the likely use of tax avoidance strategies, and has at least two high risk subsidiaries in tax havens.
Source: Ethical Consumer (2022)
Business Ethics 17.4% in Nature Benchmark
The 2022 Nature Benchmark ranks 400 companies across eight industries on their efforts to protect our environment and its biodiversity. The companies were assessed using three measurement areas: governance and strategy; social inclusion and community impact; and ecosystems and biodiversity. This company ranked #160/400, with a total score of 17.4/100.
Source: World Benchmarking Alliance (2022)
Environment Irresponsible fabric sourcing
In 2015 the Rainforest Action Network (RAN) released a report documenting the results of decades of irresponsible fabric sourcing including land grabbing, forest destruction and human rights abuse to forest-dependent communities caused by deforestation from tree-based fabric production companies. This company was one of the "Fashion Fifteen" implicated in the report for irresponsibly sourcing tree-based fabrics such as rayon and viscose.
Source: RAN (2015)
Environment Microbeads scorecard
In 2016 Greenpeace East Asia ranked the world's 30 biggest personal care companies on their commitment to eliminating microbeads from their personal care products. The scorecard was based on four main criteria: commitment & transparency, definition, deadline and global application. This company ranked towards the bottom of the scorecard. Microbeads are not retained by wastewater treatment and end up in the ocean where they are a threat to the marine environment.
Source: Greenpeace (2016)
Environment No Detox commitment
Greenpeace launched their Detox Campaign in 2011 to expose the direct links between global clothing brands, their suppliers and toxic water pollution around the world. As a result, many companies have joined Greenpeace's Detox Program, which requires companies to adopt a credible, individual and public commitment to phase out the use and release of all toxic chemicals from their global supply chain and products, by 1 January 2020. This company is yet to make a commitment despite pressure from Greenpeace.
Source: Greenpeace (2016)
Environment Use of microplastics
This company uses plastic microbeads in some of its personal care products. These particles are not retained by wastewater treatment so end up in the ocean where they contribute to ocean plastic pollution, and are hazardous to sea life. While the effects of microplastics on human health are not completely understood, there are concerns about plastic additives, such as phthalates, which are known endocrine disruptors which are shown to have harmful effects on life.
Source: Beat the Microbead (2021)
Business Ethics Price fixing in France
In Jan 2012 a Paris appeals court upheld a 40 million euro fine imposed in 2006 by the French competition watchdog, which said the companies involved had reached illicit agreements on price fixing, enforced by procedures to monitor prices in outlets and backed up by commercial threats for non-compliance. Thirteen leading perfume and luxury goods companies were fined.
Source: news article (2012)
Environment Climate action commitments
As listed on the We Mean Business website, this company has committed to the following climate action initiatives: adopt a science-based emissions reduction target.
Source: We Mean Business (2021)
Environment Zero discharge of hazardous chemicals
In 2011, a group of major apparel and footwear brands and retailers, including this company, made a shared commitment to help lead the industry towards zero discharge of hazardous chemicals by 2020. It includes specific commitments and timelines to realize this shared goal.
Source: ZDHC (2023)
Animals Use of non-mulesed wool
Brands owned by this company are listed in Human Society International Australia's Better Wool Guide as using 100% non-mulesed wool from a robust certification scheme, or has a time-bound commitment to do so. Mulesing is the controversial practice of removing strips of the skin of a lamb's rear and is often done without pain relief. In Australia, the only country where mulesing still occurs, an estimated 10 million merino lambs are subjected to mulesing each year - equivalent to 19 lambs per minute.
Source: HSI Australia (2023)
Business Ethics Guidance member
This company is a member of Guidance, a pre-competitive global initiative, convened by Quantis, which aims to provide a methodological guide with credible references that companies can use to account for the climate change impacts of their efforts on sustainable forests and agriculture in an accurate and credible manner.
Source: Quantis (2016)
Business Ethics Responsible Beauty Initiative member
This company is a member of the Responsible Beauty Initiative, an industry initiative focused on sustainable procurement. It was founded in 2017 to improve sustainability throughout the entire beauty supply chain, through sharing best practices and processes, driving a common understanding across the industry, and to use and share common tools, creating efficiencies.
Source: Ecovadis (2023)
Business Ethics Sedex member
This company is a member of the Supplier Ethical Data Exchange (Sedex), a not-for-profit, membership organisation that leads work with buyers and suppliers to deliver improvements in responsible and ethical business practices in global supply chains. Tens of thousands of companies use Sedex to manage their performance around labour rights, health & safety, the environment and business ethics.
Source: Sedex (2018)
Business Ethics Textile Exchange member
This company is a member of the Textile Exchange, a global non-profit that works closely with its members to drive textile industry transformation in preferred fibres, integrity and standards and responsible supply networks. They identify and share best practices regarding farming, materials, processing, traceability and product end-of-life in order to reduce the textile industry's impact on the world's water, soil and air, and the human population.
Source: Textile Exchange (2019)
Business Ethics Responsible Mica Initiative member
This company is a member of the Responsible Mica Initiative, a Do-Tank which aims to eradicate child labour and unacceptable working conditions in the Indian mica supply chain by joining forces across industries.
Source: Responsible Mica Initiative (2023)
Business Ethics Fashion Charter signatory
This company is a signatory to the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action, a United Nations initiative which contains the vision to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
Source: UNFCCC (2023)
Business Ethics Leather Working Group member
This company is a member of the Leather Working Group, a multi-stakeholder group who's objective is to develop and maintain a protocol that assesses the compliance and environmental performance of tanners and promotes sustainable and appropriate environmental business practices within the leather industry.
Source: Leather Working Group (2022)
Business Ethics Better Cotton Initiative member
This company is a member of the Better Cotton Initiative, a voluntary program which encourages the adoption of better management practices in cotton cultivation to achieve measurable reductions in key environmental impacts, while improving social and economic benefits for cotton farmers, small and large, worldwide.
Source: Better Cotton Initiative (2022)
Social BHRRC company profile
Business & Human Rights Resource Centre digital platform presents news and allegations relating to the human rights impact of over 20,000 companies. Their enhanced Company Dashboards also include financial information, key data points based on corporate policies, and scores from prominent civil society benchmarks. Follow the link and use the search function to view this company's dashboard.
Source: BHRRC (2022)
Business Ethics 'C+' grade in WWF Deeper Luxury report
In 2007 WWF-UK analysed and ranked the 10 largest publicly-traded luxury brand-owners on their environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance. (Listed under information due to age of report)
Source: WWF UK (2007)
Business Ethics 59.0% in Newsweek Green Ranking 2017
This company received a score of 59/100 in the Newsweek Green Ranking 2017, which ranks the world's largest publicly traded companies on eight indicators covering energy, greenhouse gases, water, waste, fines and penalties, linking executive pay to sustainability targets, board-level committee oversight of environmental issues and third-party audits. Ranking methodology by Corporate Knights and HIP Investor.
Source: Newsweek (2017)
Business Ethics 29/100 in Fashion Transparency Index
The 2023 Fashion Transparency Index reviewed 250 of the world's largest fashion brands and retailers and ranked them according to how much they disclose about their human rights and environmental policies, practices and impacts. While Fendi scored 58%, other brands owned by this company scored 29% or worse, signifying it is doing a bit more than the others when it comes to having policies and commitments in place and auditing and reporting activities, but could be doing more. The average score was 26% and the highest score was 83%.
Source: Fashion Revolution (2023)
Business Ethics 30.4% in Gender Benchmark
The 2021 Gender Benchmark ranks 35 companies from the apparel sector on their efforts to drive gender equality and women's empowerment across their entire value chain. This company ranked #19/35, with a total score of 30.4/100.
Source: World Benchmarking Alliance (2021)

> About the Icons

Company Details

Type Public company
Founded 1987
Revenue 44.6 billion EUR (2020)
Employees 145,247 (2018)
Subsidiaries LVMH Perfumes & Cosmetics Group Pty Ltd 

Fragrance and cosmetic products

Importer and distributor of luxury fragrances and cosmetic products with a distributing base in Sydney. Brands are Christian Dior, Guerlain, Kenzo, Givenchy, Fendi and Benefit.


Bulgari SpA 

Luxury goods

One of the world's largest watch and jewellery companies. Controlled by descendents of silversmith and founder Sotirio Bulgari. Acquired by LVMH in 2011.


Christian Dior SA 

Luxury goods

Bernard Arnault (the world's 7th richest person in 2009) is chairman of both LVMH and Christian Dior. In 2017 he consolidated control over Dior, folding it into LVMH.


Tiffany & Co 

Luxury goods, especially jewellery

Founded in 1837 in Brooklyn, USA. Known for its diamond and sterling silver jewelry. Acquired by French luxury giant LVMH in 2021 for US$15.8 billion.


Moet Hennessy (66% owned) 

Alcoholic beverages

Moet Hennessy is LVMH's wines and spirits division, with Diageo holding a 34% stake.


  - Moet Hennessy Australia Pty Ltd 

Alcoholic beverages


BeneFit Cosmetics LLC 

Cosmetics

Founded in 1976 in San Francisco by twin sisters Jean and Jane Ford. LVMH bought a 70% stake in 1999, and later bought the remaining 30%.


Stella McCartney Ltd (10% owned) 

Vegan fashion house

Stella McCartney is an English fashion designer, and the daughter of Paul and Linda McCartney. After 17 years of co-ownership with Kering (formerly Gucci Group and PPR), Stella McCartney bought back the 50 per cent of her business in 2018.


L Catterton Management Ltd (40% owned) 

Private equity firm

In 2016 LVMH merged its private equity arm with American private equity company Catterton to create L Catterton.


  - Birkenstock Holding plc (52% owned) 

Footwear

Germany's largest footwear manufacturer was established in 1774 and was a sixth-generation family company. In 2021 private equity firm L Catterton and Financiere Agache, the family investment firm of Bernard Arnault - chairman and CEO of luxury conglomerate LVMH - acquired a majority stake. Birkenstocks are manufactured exclusively in Germany. While most of their sandals are made with leather, they do have vegan options. Became a public company in 2023.


  - L Catterton Asia 

Private equity firm

Part owned by luxury goods giant LVMH. Owns majority stakes in three Australian clothing companies, 2XU, Seafolly and RM Williams.

Contact Details

Address Paris, France
Website www.lvmh.com

Products / Brands

LVMH
Acqua di Parma Fragrances
Fendi Luxury Brands
Givenchy Luxury Brands
Kenzo Luxury Brands
Louis Vitton Luxury Brands
Marc Jacobs Luxury Brands
Sephora Cosmetics

LVMH Perfumes & Cosmetics Australia
Benefit Cosmetics
Fendi Fragrances
Givenchy Fragrances
Guerlain Cosmetics
Guerlain Fragrances
Kenzo Fragrances

Bulgari
Bulgari Luxury Brands
Bvlgari Fragrances

Christian Dior
Dior Cosmetics
Dior Luxury Brands

Tiffany & Co
Tiffany Luxury Brands

Moet Hennessy Australia
Belvedere Vodka
Glenmorangie Scotch Whisky
Hennessy Cognac

Stella McCartney (10% owned)
Stella McCartney Luxury Brands

Birkenstock (52% owned)
Birkenstock Mens Shoes
Birkenstock Womens Shoes
Birkenstock Thongs/Sandals


  • About Us

    • Introduction
    • About Shop Ethical!
    • About ECG
    • About the Ratings
    • Assessment sources
    • Shop Ethical! database
    • Shop Ethical! book
    • Shop Ethical! app
    • Contact us
    • FAQ

    • Copyright
    • Privacy
    • Disclaimer
  • Get Informed

    • ISSUES
    • GET INFORMED
    • Electronics Guide
    • Clothing Guide
    • Values Screen
    • Why Shop Ethically?
    • 5 Principles
    • Be Inspired
    • Calendar
    • Local Harvest
  • Get Involved

    • GET INVOLVED
    • Go Ethical at school,
      work, home, church
    • Run a workshop or tour
    • Host a movie night
    • Spread the word
    • Resources
    • Volunteer
    • Support us
  • Connect

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Suggest brand/company
    • Report an error
    • Give feedback
    • Sign up for updates
    • Past newsletters
    • >>DONATE<<

    • GET the GUIDE
        • App Store
        • Google Play
        • buy our book