Burberry Sustainability Performance: Revenue Growth and Emissions Reduction

Burberry’s latest sustainability data shows a notable shift in luxury fashion: the company grew revenue while reducing absolute carbon emissions, improving carbon intensity and increasing waste circularity.

Earthmark’s automated assessment gives Burberry a 4.5 out of 5.0 score, placing it well above the Consumer Discretionary sector median of 0.5. The score reflects Burberry’s reported environmental performance, climate disclosures and governance practices.

Check out Burberry's Earthmark page.

Key findings at a glance

• Burberry revenue increased by 2.94%, from $3.150 billion to $3.243 billion.

• Absolute emissions fell by 25.5%, from 371,399 to 276,602 tCO₂e.

• Carbon intensity improved by 27.6%, from 117.9 to 85.3 tCO₂e per $1 million of revenue.

• Landfilled waste fell by 75.3%, from 401.2 tonnes to 99.0 tonnes.

• Burberry reported an 87.5% operational recycling rate.

• Earthmark’s automated score increased from 3.7 to 4.5 out of 5.0.

Burberry grew revenue while reducing emissions

Burberry increased reported revenue by $92.72 million, or 2.94%, from $3.150 billion to $3.243 billion.

During the same reporting period, total reported carbon emissions decreased by 94,797 tCO₂e. Absolute emissions fell from 371,399 to 276,602 tCO₂e, representing a 25.5% reduction.

This is significant because it indicates that Burberry’s emissions decreased despite revenue growth. In sustainability analysis, this is often described as a decoupling of commercial growth from environmental impact.

In simple terms, Burberry generated more revenue while reporting fewer total emissions.

Carbon intensity fell by 27.6%

Burberry’s carbon intensity decreased from 117.9 to 85.3 tCO₂e per $1 million of revenue.

That represents a 27.6% improvement in emissions intensity.

Carbon intensity helps provide context when comparing companies or reporting periods of different sizes. Absolute emissions show the total climate impact reported by a company, while carbon intensity shows the emissions associated with each unit of revenue.

Both measures are important:

• Absolute emissions indicate whether total emissions are increasing or decreasing.

• Carbon intensity indicates whether a company is becoming more efficient relative to its revenue.

Burberry’s latest performance improved on both measures.

Waste circularity also improved

Burberry reported a substantial reduction in disposed operational waste. Landfilled or otherwise disposed waste fell from 401.2 tonnes to 99.0 tonnes—a 75.3% reduction.

The company recycled 691 tonnes out of 790 tonnes of total operational waste, resulting in an 87.5% operational recycling rate.

This matters because waste performance is a key part of fashion sustainability. The sector faces challenges associated with material use, packaging, manufacturing waste, unsold inventory and end-of-life products.

A high operational recycling rate does not, on its own, represent full circularity across a company’s entire value chain. However, the reported reduction in disposed waste is a measurable improvement in Burberry’s operational waste performance.

Scope 2 emissions and renewable energy

Burberry reported 0.0 tCO₂e in market-based Scope 2 emissions.

The company also reported that 84.2% of its energy consumption came from renewable sources, equivalent to 41,134.5 MWh.

Scope 2 emissions are indirect emissions associated with purchased electricity, heating, cooling or steam. A market-based Scope 2 figure reflects the contractual instruments or energy procurement choices used by a company when accounting for purchased energy.

The market-based and location-based methods can produce different results. For this reason, Burberry’s reported zero market-based Scope 2 figure should be understood specifically in the context of the market-based accounting method.

Burberry’s governance and climate disclosures

Burberry received a 5.0 out of 5.0 governance score in the Earthmark assessment.

This reflects performance across areas including:

• Climate-related reporting transparency.

• Disclosure of climate risks and opportunities.

• Science-based target alignment.

• Availability and quality of relevant sustainability information.

Burberry’s governance score compares with a Consumer Discretionary sector median of 0.7 out of 5.0.

Environmental performance data is most useful when companies disclose it consistently, transparently and in a way that enables comparison. Strong governance and reporting provide the foundation for assessing whether sustainability progress can be tracked over time.

Burberry’s Earthmark score increased from 3.7 to 4.5

Burberry’s automated Earthmark score increased from 3.7 to 4.5 out of 5.0.

The score reflects improvements in Burberry’s reported operational performance and disclosures. It should not be interpreted as a certification or endorsement of every aspect of the company’s sustainability strategy.

Instead, Earthmark is designed to make company-level climate and sustainability data easier to interpret and compare.

Burberry’s score of 4.5 out of 5.0 is significantly above the Consumer Discretionary sector median of 0.5.

How Burberry compares with luxury peers

Based on the Earthmark assessment, Burberry currently ranks first among the luxury companies shown in this comparison.

1️⃣ Burberry — 4.5/5.0 🇬🇧
2️⃣ Prada — 4.4/5.0 🇮🇹
3️⃣ Hermès — 4.4/5.0 🇫🇷
4️⃣ LVMH — 4.3/5.0 🇫🇷
5️⃣ Kering — 4.3/5.0 🇫🇷
6️⃣ Chanel — 2.6/5.0 🇫🇷

Note: Comparisons should always be interpreted carefully. Reporting boundaries, financial-year timing, emissions methodologies, business structures and data availability can differ between companies.

What does Burberry’s sustainability data mean for shoppers?

For shoppers, Burberry’s results provide several measurable indicators of progress:

• The company reported lower total emissions.

• Emissions per unit of revenue also decreased.

• Operational waste sent for disposal declined significantly.

• A large proportion of operational waste was recycled.

• Renewable energy represented 84.2% of reported energy consumption.

• Climate governance and sustainability disclosure received a strong Earthmark score.

These figures do not answer every sustainability question about a fashion product. They do not, for example, provide a complete assessment of the materials, durability, repairability, manufacturing location or end-of-life options for an individual garment.

They do, however, provide a clearer starting point for understanding how a major luxury brand is performing at company level.

What does the Earthmark score measure?

Earthmark’s score is an automated assessment of publicly available company sustainability data. It evaluates reported environmental performance and relevant governance or disclosure indicators to create a comparable score out of 5.0.

The score is intended to support research and comparison. It is not a substitute for a company’s full sustainability report, product-level lifecycle assessment or independent assurance.

Conclusion

Burberry’s latest reported data shows a company that increased revenue while reducing absolute emissions and carbon intensity. It also reported a significant reduction in disposed operational waste, an 87.5% recycling rate and strong climate governance disclosures.

With an automated Earthmark score of 4.5 out of 5.0, Burberry performs strongly against the Consumer Discretionary sector median and the luxury peers included in this assessment.

For shoppers, investors and industry stakeholders, the most important takeaway is not a single score. It is the combination of revenue growth, lower emissions, improved waste performance and more transparent sustainability data.

See Burberry's Earthmark page for more information and source data.

All data correct as of 17th August 2026.