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Tiffany & Co. makes pro-Paris Climate Agreement plea to Trump

Posted at 4:11 PM, May 09, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-09 16:11:06-04

Luxury jewelry brand Tiffany & Co. made a rare political move for its traditionally nonpolitical brand on Tuesday, taking to social media with a direct plea to President Donald Trump.

“Dear President Trump,” the company said in an Instagram post. “We’re still in for bold climate action. Please keep the US in the Paris Climate Agreement. The disaster of climate change is too real, and the threat to our planet and to our children is too great.”

The push came the same day Trump delayed a decision on withdrawing from the landmark Paris climate accord amid disagreements about the nature of the pact.

Trump had originally aimed to announce his intentions before traveling to the summit, held in Sicily at the end of this month. Instead, he will wait until after the G-7 to make a decision, according to White House press secretary Sean Spicer.

Tiffany & Co. has a special connection to Trump: Trump Tower was built over the Fifth Avenue Store, and he named his youngest daughter after the iconic brand.

“Everything involved with Trump Tower has been successful,” he told The New York Times, 20 minutes after Marla Maples gave birth in 1993. “And Trump Tower was built with Tiffany’s air rights. But I’ve also always loved the name.”

Tiffany & Co. reported in January that its Christmastime sales at their flagship location had plunged 14%, which was due “partly to post-election traffic disruptions.”

And the brand has a long history with the White House: The Trumps presented the Obamas with a Tiffany blue box with a signature white bow on inauguration day at the White House. Tiffany’s website boasts a history that includes ceremonial swords made during the Civil War, a pearl necklace gifted by President Lincoln to his wife Mary Todd Lincoln and the Johnson White House china.

The White House did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment.

Tiffany & Co. also joined 23 other Fortune 100 companies, including Apple, Gap, Inc., Google, Mars Incorporated, and Levi Strauss & Co., urging the President to reconsider the agreement in full-page New York Times, New York Post and Wall Street Journal ads on Tuesday. The ads were sponsored by the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions.

While the luxury brand has never been this overtly political, sustainability has been a brand priority in recent years. In November 2015, Tiffany & Co. pledged to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Tiffany’s corporate offices are LEED Platinum certified and they are working to reduce energy use by fitting their stores with LED lighting, per its website. The brand even has a full-time “chief sustainability officer,” Anisa Kamadoli Costa.

“As part of Tiffany & Co.’s commitment to sustainability, we support the global movement to act on climate change. Using our brand to advocate for this important issue — in addition to Tiffany’s long-term goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 — is one of the most important actions we can take,” Kamadoli Costa said in a statement.

During an April panel discussion alongside actress Reese Witherspoon, Kamadoli Costa discussed the importance of leveraging “the power of celebrity, the power of business and the power of the consumer to ignite change.”