Chanel Sustainability Manager

About Chanel

Chanel is an independent global luxury house renowned for its haute couture, ready-to-wear, accessories and beauty lines. Privately held and guided by a heritage of craftsmanship and creative leadership, the brand maintains a discreet, long-term approach to brand stewardship and increasingly integrates sustainability and responsible sourcing across its operations.

Role & Responsibilities

• Define and implement the sustainability and ESG strategy for operations and the supply chain in Greater China, aligning local priorities with global objectives.
• Develop and oversee programs to reduce environmental impact, including GHG emissions (Scope 1–3), water use and waste across product life cycles.
• Lead supplier engagement and audits to ensure compliance with social and environmental standards, including capacity-building for factories and raw material suppliers.
• Manage external sustainability reporting and disclosures (e.g., CDP, sustainability report), ensure data integrity and coordinate with corporate reporting teams.
• Drive material innovation and circularity initiatives working closely with product development, procurement and R&D to scale lower-impact materials and end-of-life solutions.
• Partner with cross-functional stakeholders—merchandising, retail, legal, communications—to embed sustainability requirements in business processes and product specifications.
• Monitor regulatory developments and industry standards in China and the region; translate requirements into operational actions and risk mitigation.
• Design and track KPIs, prepare executive briefings, and represent the brand in industry working groups and multi-stakeholder initiatives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science, Sustainability, Engineering, Supply Chain, Business or a related field; Master’s preferred.
• Professional familiarity with GHG accounting frameworks (GHG Protocol) and life-cycle assessment (LCA) methodologies.
• Knowledge of relevant standards and frameworks such as ISO 14001, CDP, TCFD and sustainability reporting principles.
• Proven experience managing supplier engagement and audit programs in Asia, preferably within apparel, luxury goods or consumer goods.
• Strong analytical competence with demonstrated ability to manage complex datasets and translate them into actionable programs.
• Excellent stakeholder management and cross-cultural communication skills; fluency in Mandarin and English is advantageous but not specified.

Skills

Experience

Typically 5+ years of progressive sustainability experience, with a minimum of 3 years leading programs or projects in the apparel, textiles or consumer goods sectors and demonstrated experience working with suppliers in China/Asia.

Education

Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree in Sustainability, Environmental Science, Engineering, Supply Chain or Business preferred.

Workplace

Culture

Chanel cultivates a culture of craftsmanship, creative excellence and discretion, prioritizing quality and long-term stewardship of the brand. The workplace values cross-disciplinary collaboration and high standards, with a growing emphasis on embedding sustainability into product innovation and supply-chain practices.

About Cerulean

Cerulean is the definitive career portal for the global luxury industry. We match exceptional professionals with exclusive opportunities at the world's most prestigious brands. From haute couture and fine watchmaking to prestige beauty, hospitality, and boutique retail, Cerulean centralises luxury employment to help you find the career for which you were destined.