Dr. Scott Clarke, Vice President, Consumer Products Industry Lead EMEA/APAC at US digital consultancy Publicis Sapient, works with Fortune 500 companies across the retail and consumer products industries to help them understand and respond to the opportunities and threats posed by digital disruption, helping transform companies into digital businesses.
In his latest guest comment for The SPIN OFF he talks about the fashion industry’s environmental challenges and new consumer relationship models.
"The global fashion industry is a significant contributor to the climate crisis. Today, the industry is responsible for approximately 10% of annual global carbon emissions and 20% of wastewater. By 2030, it is predicted that the industry’s carbon footprint will increase to 2,791 million tons and the industry’s water consumption will grow by 50% to 118 billion cubic meters (or 31.7 trillion gallons).
While many fashion brands have started to adopt measures to reduce the environmental footprint of its products, overall progress has been slow. Furthermore, the industry’s promotion of ‘fast fashion’, low-cost designs that are quickly transferred from the catwalk to clothing stores, has meant that consumers are buying an increasing number of clothes and disposing of them after far fewer wears. With fashion’s environmental impact now extending across the entire value chain, from sourcing and manufacturing to distribution and consumption, the industry needs to find ways to humanize sustainability and work with consumers in a more transparent and collaborative way to reduce environmental impact, inspire more responsible consumption, and strive for a better planet.
In this new model, consumer relationships will evolve from ‘direct-to’ to ‘direct-with’ and the brand’s commitment to sustainability will become increasingly democratised and inclusive. Look to fashion brands to start creating empowered communities of consumers, united by a common purpose and action, and to work side-by-side with these communities on issues of shared importance, particularly around improvements to the planet and society.
More and more consumers are beginning to wake up to the realization that their choices have a profound impact on the environment, not just in terms of what they buy but also how they buy… specifically how they research the product, from where they buy the product, how often they shop, how they use the products they buy, and how and when they dispose of them. Hence there is both a responsibility and an opportunity for fashion brands to step up and inspire, educate, and empower consumers to convert intention to action when it comes to making more sustainable choices.
The basic premise of the ‘direct-with’ model is the assertion that consumers are predisposed to doing the ‘right’ thing when it comes to the environment but are often constrained from doing so based on a combination of cognitive ability, economic limitations, time scarcity, and/or imperfect information. By helping consumers overcome these barriers, through education and/or rewards, fashion brands can make great strides in reducing the environmental impact of its products, build deeper connections with its consumers, and ultimately increase brand profitability.
Consider the fashion and lifestyle brand Hush who are teaming up with social venture Thrift+ to introduce a new recycle and reuse initiative to encourage its customers to donate fashion and accessories which they no longer wear or the online thrift store, thredUP, who launched the ‘Fashion Footprint Calculator’, a tool that allows consumers to see how their fashion purchases and related activities impact the environment.
Other fashion brands have found innovative ways of helping the consumer make more sustainable choices after the product is purchased. For instance, the shoe and clothing company Allbirds have adopted a ‘Cradle-to-Grave’ approach to sustainability including educating consumers on lower impact ways to clean footwear and apparel, while Swedish denim company, Nudie Jeans, provides free mail order repair kits and online videos to consumers, enabling them to fix a pair of jeans at home and therefore extend the life of the product.
Fashion companies have an excellent opportunity to lead the way when it comes to environmental change. By adopting a ‘direct-with’ model and collaborating with the consumer at each stage of the value chain, fashion brands can inspire consumers to make more sustainable choices – all while making a positive impact on the bottom line."
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In his latest guest comment for The SPIN OFF he talks about the fashion industry’s environmental challenges and new consumer relationship models.
"The global fashion industry is a significant contributor to the climate crisis. Today, the industry is responsible for approximately 10% of annual global carbon emissions and 20% of wastewater. By 2030, it is predicted that the industry’s carbon footprint will increase to 2,791 million tons and the industry’s water consumption will grow by 50% to 118 billion cubic meters (or 31.7 trillion gallons).
While many fashion brands have started to adopt measures to reduce the environmental footprint of its products, overall progress has been slow. Furthermore, the industry’s promotion of ‘fast fashion’, low-cost designs that are quickly transferred from the catwalk to clothing stores, has meant that consumers are buying an increasing number of clothes and disposing of them after far fewer wears. With fashion’s environmental impact now extending across the entire value chain, from sourcing and manufacturing to distribution and consumption, the industry needs to find ways to humanize sustainability and work with consumers in a more transparent and collaborative way to reduce environmental impact, inspire more responsible consumption, and strive for a better planet.
In this new model, consumer relationships will evolve from ‘direct-to’ to ‘direct-with’ and the brand’s commitment to sustainability will become increasingly democratised and inclusive. Look to fashion brands to start creating empowered communities of consumers, united by a common purpose and action, and to work side-by-side with these communities on issues of shared importance, particularly around improvements to the planet and society.
More and more consumers are beginning to wake up to the realization that their choices have a profound impact on the environment, not just in terms of what they buy but also how they buy… specifically how they research the product, from where they buy the product, how often they shop, how they use the products they buy, and how and when they dispose of them. Hence there is both a responsibility and an opportunity for fashion brands to step up and inspire, educate, and empower consumers to convert intention to action when it comes to making more sustainable choices.
The basic premise of the ‘direct-with’ model is the assertion that consumers are predisposed to doing the ‘right’ thing when it comes to the environment but are often constrained from doing so based on a combination of cognitive ability, economic limitations, time scarcity, and/or imperfect information. By helping consumers overcome these barriers, through education and/or rewards, fashion brands can make great strides in reducing the environmental impact of its products, build deeper connections with its consumers, and ultimately increase brand profitability.
Consider the fashion and lifestyle brand Hush who are teaming up with social venture Thrift+ to introduce a new recycle and reuse initiative to encourage its customers to donate fashion and accessories which they no longer wear or the online thrift store, thredUP, who launched the ‘Fashion Footprint Calculator’, a tool that allows consumers to see how their fashion purchases and related activities impact the environment.
Other fashion brands have found innovative ways of helping the consumer make more sustainable choices after the product is purchased. For instance, the shoe and clothing company Allbirds have adopted a ‘Cradle-to-Grave’ approach to sustainability including educating consumers on lower impact ways to clean footwear and apparel, while Swedish denim company, Nudie Jeans, provides free mail order repair kits and online videos to consumers, enabling them to fix a pair of jeans at home and therefore extend the life of the product.
Fashion companies have an excellent opportunity to lead the way when it comes to environmental change. By adopting a ‘direct-with’ model and collaborating with the consumer at each stage of the value chain, fashion brands can inspire consumers to make more sustainable choices – all while making a positive impact on the bottom line."
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