Walpole, the official body for the UK luxury industry, has named leathergoods brand Mulberry as its Sustainable Luxury Brand of the Year for 2022, writes Leatherbiz.

Mulberry chief executive, Thierry Andretta, accepts the award from film and television actor Saffron Hocking.

It presented the trophy to Mulberry chief executive, Thierry Andretta, at The Walpole British Luxury Awards event in London on November 22.

Walpole said its judging panel had chosen Mulberry for the award in recognition of the commitment to sustainability the brand has shown in its Made To Last Manifesto.

Mulberry launched this initiative in 2021, saying it wanted to “pioneer a hyper-local, hyper-transparent” supply chain and a “transformative approach to leather sourcing”.

It said it would work to source its raw materials from a network of “progressive farmers” who are committed to practices that improve soil health and encourage biodiversity. It emphasised that its aim was to establish transparency from farm to finished product.

On receiving the award from Walpole, however, Thierry Andretta said a made-to-last ethos had been at the heart of Mulberry’s strategy since the brand’s launch in 1971. He then said that in October this year, Mulberry achieved the milestone of securing environmental and carbon neutral accreditation for 100% of the leather it uses.