LVMH unveils the winners of the 2024 LIFE 360 in Stores Awards, celebrating the environmental excellence of its Maisons’ stores

Created in 2016 by LVMH, the biannual “LIFE 360 in Stores Awards” honor those stores in the Group’s portfolio that have taken the most virtuous and innovative initiatives for improving their environmental performance, based on an external audit conducted by an independent agency.

This fifth edition highlights the most advanced sustainability projects within the Group’s boutiques, fostering continuous improvement in environmental performance and aiming to transform retail spaces into models of sustainability. 

Under the leadership of Antoine Arnault, LVMH Image & Environment, and Hélène Valade, LVMH Environmental Development Director, the Awards brought together experts, partners, employees, and industry leaders. Together, in the spirit of co-creation and transparency embodied by the “Joining Forces” initiative launched during the LIFE 360 Summit, they shared recent advancements and solutions deployed across the Group’s retail spaces to accelerate the ecological transition. 

“Our stores embody our vision of sustainable luxury, combining LVMH’s core values of creativity, innovation, and excellence. Naturally, this also involves guaranteeing the environmental performance of over 6,000 of our Maisons’ stores worldwide. Collaborations with key partners, including leading landlords in various regions, allow us to deliver on our environmental commitments, particularly in the fight against climate change,” said Antoine Arnault, LVMH Image & Environment. 

The 2024 LIFE 360 in Stores Awards: 

Organized every two years, the LIFE 360 in Stores Awards is an internal competition open to all LVMH Maisons, recognizing environmental excellence in retail spaces. The projects and initiatives implemented in stores are evaluated across 50 specific criteria by TERAO, an independent external auditor. 

For 2024, the winners in the following categories are: 

• Best Store for the Environment (Store of the Year): Parfums Christian Dior K11, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China (SAR China) which achieved the highest score across all eight categories. 
• Collaborative Governance:  Bulgari Shenyang, People’s Republic of China, honoured for integrating environmental objectives into project management strategy with close stakeholder collaboration. 
• Smart Building Facade: Bulgari, via Monte Napoleone, Milano, Italy, recognized for its building’s design, balancing climate resilience with optimal natural lighting. 
• Energy Synergy: CELINE, Seoul, Republic of Korea, highlighted for its exceptional energy management, focused on reducing direct CO2 emissions. 
• Water Stewardship: Louis Vuitton, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, celebrated for its sustainable water management practices in both technical and retail spaces. 
• Lighting the Way: Parfums Christian Dior K11, Hong Kong, SAR China, for its eco-responsible design, aiming to optimize lighting, which accounts for an average of half the store’s energy consumption, while significantly reducing its environmental impact. 
• The Air We Share: CELINE, Seoul, Republic of Korea, recognized for concrete initiatives to measure and improve indoor air quality for employees and customers. 
• Sustainable By Design: Le Bon Marché, espace Bijoux, Paris, France, highlighted for its use of sustainable materials and the reuse of furniture in interior architecture, including the sourcing of FSC-certified wood and a design conceived to facilitate recycling at the end of the store’s lifecycle. 
• Smart Maintenance: Louis Vuitton Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, awarded for enhancing environmental performance throughout the store lifecycle. 

Four new categories were introduced for this edition: 

1. Shared Well-Being: Sephora France was recognized for its approach, which considers not only the quality of the interior architecture of retail spaces but also the back-office arrangements designed to optimize employee well-being. 
2. Learning to Impact: Le Bon Marché was rewarded for its employee training on environmental issues. This commitment is also reflected in the Group and Maisons’ strategy and is measured by two indicators: the proportion of employees trained and the diversity of training methods used. 
3. Pop-Ups with Purpose: CELINE in Wuxi, China, was highlighted for its ability to incorporate the reuse and recycling of structures and furniture. The pop-up activity is particularly strategic in this regard. 
4. Windows in Transparency: Jointly awarded to Louis Vuitton 5 Canton Road, Hong Kong, China, and Bulgari, Via Monte Napoleone, Milan, Italy, these boutiques were recognized for their responsibility in the use of Visual Merchandising (VM). Given its ephemeral nature, VM represents a key challenge for the eco-design of stores. This year, LVMH established 12 specific criteria to address the challenge of reducing the environmental impact of window displays. 

In addition to these distinctions, LVMH continues to structure its efforts to enhance its positive environmental impact: 

• The “LIFE in Architecture” guide, dedicated to sustainable building construction and operations, is now available as open source on the LVMH.com website. Continuously evolving since 2015, this guide serves as the foundation for the development and evaluation of real estate projects. By making it accessible to all, including external stakeholders, LVMH adopts a best practice sharing approach, aiming to inspire and unite the entire industry, including competitors, around the challenges of eco-design for buildings and boutiques. This initiative is fully aligned with the “Joining Forces” spirit. 
• In collaboration with Paris Good Fashion, LVMH supports the publication of a “Best Practices Guide” featuring 12 specific solutions to reduce the ecological footprint of boutiques. This simplified educational guide is designed to inspire and guide Parisian sector players. Staying true to its commitment to sharing initiatives, LVMH contributes to making this guide freely available for download on the Paris Good Fashion website: ParisGoodFashion.fr. 
• The Group also signed a strategic partnership with Swire Properties on November 6th at the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai. This agreement, one of the most ambitious ever concluded between a tenant and a landlord regarding sustainable development, covers approximately 50,000 m² of commercial and office spaces in mainland China and Hong Kong SAR and extends until the end of 2027. Swire Properties supports LVMH Maisons in transforming their spaces through three targeted programs for offices, boutiques, and dining areas. An “Eco-Design Checklist” was also specifically developed to integrate 15 sustainability criteria into the project validation process. This agreement complements the existing partnership with Hang Lung, as well as the one signed with the Miami District. 
• Additionally, the “Unity for Change” initiative now includes specific measurable goals for the UAE region. These commitments strengthen LVMH’s environmental impact by aligning local practices with the Group’s global vision, aiming for a significant reduction in carbon emissions. Initiated during COP28 in December 2023, this consortium brings together the majority of retail players in the United Arab Emirates, including Chalhoub Group, EMAAR, ALDAR, and Majid Al Futtaim. The group announced the following measurable objectives in Paris during the LIFE 360 in Stores Awards, focusing on three key themes: 

1.Energy Efficiency: 

• Achieve a minimum of 5% annual energy savings or carbon emissions reductions for all shopping malls starting in 2024. 
• Key performance indicators (KPIs) include reducing energy consumption to 300 kWh/m² for beauty and non-beauty stores by 2030 and 2026, respectively. 

2. Eco-Design: 

• Implement an eco-design checklist for retail renovations and new projects, ensuring compliance with strict sustainability criteria such as energy-efficient lighting and the use of VOC-free materials. 

3. Waste Management: 

• Achieve zero waste to landfill by 2030 for LVMH and Chalhoub Group, and a 50% reduction for Emaar Malls, Majid Al Futtaim, and Aldar Properties. 
• Digitize waste management processes by 2026, integrating traceability systems and standardized recycling policies across all properties. 

These actions and collaborations with leading stakeholders deliver tangible results in energy efficiency and circularity. Together, these initiatives illustrate LVMH’s commitment to steering the sector toward a more sustainable future, pushing the boundaries of architectural innovation, and setting new standards for the luxury industry.