Prada Group is the first luxury fashion group to join The Valuable 500

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Prada Group is the first luxury fashion group to join The Valuable 500

January 28, 2021

Milan, 28 January 2021 – The Prada Group is honoured to be the first fashion luxury player to join The Valuable 500, the global community dedicated to radically transforming the business system for the benefit of people with disabilities.

Prada strongly recognizes the intrinsic value of people who are disabled and commits to supporting all within its inclusion and sustainability agenda.

The company is currently exploring different opportunities to define a long-term programme of activities, which will start with a commitment to hire individuals affected by trisomy 21 (Down’s syndrome) into its Italian retail network.

Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada Group Head of CSR, said: “The Valuable 500 community, which embraces a wide range of industries worldwide, is becoming stronger every day. I actively support the decision to join the coalition as I believe strongly in the value of diversity.” He added: “The different backgrounds of the companies adhering to the alliance is a crucial starting point to build a comprehensive global action plan, which will enrich all of us.”

Caroline Casey, Founder of The Valuable 500, said: “Prada’s commitment to The Valuable 500 as the first luxury fashion group is historic. Leaders such as Prada have the power to elevate and reframe the way that society thinks about disability. We cannot underestimate what a watershed moment this is.”

About The Valuable 500

Launched by social entrepreneur and activist Caroline Casey at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in January 2019, The Valuable 500 aims to put disability on the global business leadership agenda.

The Valuable 500 was created by Binc, the organisation founded by Caroline Casey in 2015, with a mission to ignite a historic global movement for a new age of business inclusion - capitalising on Caroline Casey’s 18-year track record of success engaging over 450 organisations. The campaign has won three awards: a Cannes Lion, D&AD, and a BIMA.

Our goal is to persuade 500 multinational companies that have at least 1,000 employees to make a public commitment to advance disability inclusion in their organisation. By engaging the most influential business leaders and brands, we want to create a tipping point within business that unlocks the business, social and economic value of the 1.3 billion people living with disabilities around the world, and the millions of us who will become disabled over time.

We believe that if business takes a lead, society and government will follow, truly inclusive businesses can build truly inclusive societies.

Prada Group

Prada S.p.A. is a global leader in the luxury goods industry. The Group, which owns the Prada, Miu Miu, Church’s and Car Shoe brands, produces and distributes luxury leather goods, footwear and apparel benefitting from a supply chain which includes 22 owned industrial sites. It also operates in the food sector with Marchesi 1824 and in the eyewear and fragrance industries under licensing agreements.

The Group employs nearly 14,000 people and its products are sold in 70 countries worldwide through 637 directly operated stores as of June 30, 2020, brand’s e-commerce, a selection of luxury department stores and multibrand stores in the most prestigious locations as well as through the most important e-tailers.

The Prada Group is synonymous with innovation, transformation and independence and it is committed to promote a business culture oriented towards sustainability. These principles offer its brands a shared vision in which they are able to express their essence.

The company is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange as 1913.HK

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