What guides Claire Coletti’s vision, Global Sustainability Director at Maison Guerlain? The reciprocity of care. “The extreme care we take with our customers through our exceptional products and services, we must also extend to the Earth, to living beings, and to the men and women who produce our raw materials and transform them,” she confides. Passionate about fashion and perfumes from a young age, Claire Coletti initially aspired to become a designer or a perfumer. However, she first pursued management studies at ICN Business School. She then continued her education at the “Institut Français” de la Mode, where she learned drawing, garment techniques, and the handling of colors. She began her career at L’Oréal, in product development, before joining Christian Lacroix, where she was in charge of licensing. A few years later, she was invited by Agnès b. herself to join the brand. It was during a business trip to Asia that her true calling was revealed. There, Claire Coletti witnessed the devastation caused by a textile factory on the surrounding nature. She was stunned to see the terrible impact of this pollution on the lives of local populations. Convinced that businesses bear environmental and social responsibility across their entire value chain, Claire Coletti was determined to take action. She chose to return to school and pursue a Master’s degree in Sustainable Development at Paris Dauphine University. With her diploma in hand, she shifted her career and, in 2011, joined VIGEO, a pioneering firm in Sustainable Development strategy and extra-financial rating. Nine years later, she became Director of Environment and Sustainable Development at Christian Dior Couture, where she implemented Dream in Green, the House’s first environmental excellence program. Today, Claire Coletti leads and accelerates Guerlain’s sustainable development initiatives, a Maison that has always been a pioneer in this field. “My challenge at Guerlain is to stay ahead, to continue innovating in a responsible way by recreating, on our scale and with great humility, new territorial alliances with living beings,” she explains. Faced with such challenges, Claire Coletti emphasizes that the involvement of the Maison’s employees and their concerted efforts are essential. “I am merely a catalyst. Sustainable Development is everyone’s business,” she concludes.
