From artisanal gold mining in Peru to lab-grown diamonds in India, engaging with suppliers will be critical for Breitling to achieve its ambitious goal of reaching net-zero by 2050, and establish its new targets related to nature protection and regeneration.
Breitling is a luxury watchmaker based in Switzerland, known for precision, innovation and style, with their timepieces enjoyed by aviation professionals, divers and watch enthusiasts around the world. Sustainability is very important to Breitling’s corporate values, and they pride themselves on being leaders in this area.
I have worked closely with Breitling on several projects over the years, including the development of science-based climate targets and a net-zero roadmap in 2022-2023. I really value the opportunity that comes with long-term client relationships to work collaboratively in partnership to deliver the best results.
Aurelia Figueroa, Chief Sustainability Officer at Breitling, says that she decided to work with me because “Hélène is a highly specialised, passionate and engaging expert on nature and climate” who “delivers best-in-class assessments and practical action plans on which you can rely in taking business decisions. We appreciate how she quickly grasps what needs to be done and takes a pragmatic approach, often using public and open-source resources, to achieve the best results possible within the timeframe and budget.”
The challenge and motivation
The Breitling leadership wanted to follow best practices on climate action to align with their corporate values.
As well as this, several stakeholders, including Breitling’s shareholders and suppliers, had communicated that climate action is a priority for them in the double materiality assessment survey conducted by the company.
Building on a carbon footprint that had already been established (which I had supported Breitling with when I was a consultant at PwC, before I founded Baron Sustainability), the clear next step was to set a science-based target and net-zero goal.
The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) independently validates the alignment of corporate climate targets with climate science, and its Corporate Net Zero Standard is known as the gold standard for business climate ambition.
The project
The main deliverables for this project:
- Developing ambitious but realistic science-based targets (one near-term and one long-term target, and a net-zero target), and submitting them to the SBTi for validation
- Developing a detailed net-zero roadmap, including levers, actions and quantification of emissions reduction potential and feasibility levels
Once the targets were submitted, I helped respond to several rounds of queries from the SBTi, which is part of their standard process and at the time took up to 60 business days. This required fast turnaround times with responses within 48 hours to keep the timeline on track. The process went smoothly, and validation was achieved in December 2023.
The project began with an audit of Breitling’s existing carbon footprint against the GHG Protocol and the SBTi’s criteria. This resulted in several improvements to make the carbon footprint more complete, accurate, and aligned with best practices, which helped refine Breitling’s overall sustainability strategy and strengthened confidence in the baseline methodology.
The targets needed to be both ambitious and achievable. On top of extensive desk research, this required engaging with a large number of stakeholders, covering multiple internal teams as well as key suppliers, such as gold mining operations in tier 5 of the supply chain. These exchanges were focused on reviewing the accounting methodology and working together to agree on the levers which would reduce emissions.
Breitling settled on the following targets:
- Near-term science-based target: Reduce scope 1 and 2 emissions by 80% by 2032 and reduce scope 3 emissions by 46.2% by 2032, compared to a 2022 baseline
- Long-term science-based target: Reduce emissions across all scopes by 90% by 2050
- Net-zero target: Remove all remaining residual emissions to meet net-zero emissions by 2050
The SBTi only requires a high-level delivery plan to validate targets, identifying which levers would be used to reduce emissions. However, Breitling decided to work with me to develop a net-zero roadmap, which goes beyond this by also including:
- Quantification of the emissions reduction potential for each lever
- Breaking the levers down into individual actions
- Assessing the feasibility level for each action
Throughout the analysis and recommendations, I emphasised levers and actions that are already technically achievable and not dependent on emerging technology. Input from a wide range of stakeholders was taken into account, including employees from multiple teams, key suppliers such as gold miners, and external organisations such as the Swiss Better Gold Association, refiners, industry bodies and experts.
The feasibility of our strategy, created in collaboration with the Breitling sustainability team, was tested through several rigorous rounds of validation by the Breitling ESG Committee, which includes the CEO, board members, and key investors. Only the actions with a credible level of feasibility were kept in the final roadmap. This reflects my pragmatic and realistic approach, and my partnership with clients to ensure that their objectives are met.
The final output was a waterfall diagram that shows emissions reduction for all the chosen actions and levers, leading up to the achievement of the near-term science-based target and net-zero target. 
Breitling Sustainability Mission Report 2026, p93
As a large proportion of Breitling’s carbon footprint comes from gold, supply chain engagement to reduce emissions from this one critical material is one of the key levers.
Other levers include transportation, decarbonising own operations (e.g. renewable energy and energy efficiency in boutiques and offices) and the sustainable sourcing of materials for furnishing boutiques.
Aurelia Figueroa, Chief Sustainability Officer at Breitling, said that “The roadmap that we created together was a cornerstone in enabling us to prepare and start implementing our net-zero target. It has facilitated constructive internal and external review processes and allowed us to have evidence-based discussions with our suppliers.”
Results and outcomes
The project resulted in setting bold climate targets and a clear roadmap for delivery up to 2050. These were featured in Breitling’s 2023 sustainability report and have continued to be reported upon in subsequent publications.
The project also helped raise staff awareness of climate issues, with Aurelia adding, “The process has been absolutely key in raising awareness and knowledge of nature and climate internally, specifically at the board level”.
Breitling was the first in their industry to have a net-zero target validated by the SBTi. This work, along with its other corporate sustainability progress, has contributed to Breitling receiving external recognition, including coverage in prominent media, improving its CDP score from D to A- within three reporting cycles, and achieving the EcoVadis Platinum Medal, awarded to the top 1% of rated companies globally.
This recognition helps strengthen Breitling’s brand value and sends positive signals to investors, lenders, and customers.