Through times of adversity we’re forced to think differently

WILL COVID-19 FORCE A MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE?

Sustainability has been a buzz word for a few years and we’ve been eagerly watching brands change their sourcing, manufacturing and ingredients to improve their environmental impact and long term sustainability.

However, while brands may have previously started to think about sustainability and have goals for the future, the global pandemic of Covid-19 is rapidly accelerating that thought process and is forcing brands to make many changes quicker than previously thought possible. As such, there are an increasing number of editorials and opinions suggesting taking this historic moment as an opportunity to innovate, an opportunity to stop and review our impact, and move forward with a more sustainable future.

One very clear trend we’ve witnessed grow exponentially in just a matter of weeks, is the willingness to eat and buy local, which some argue has greater positive environmental impact than choosing a plant based or vegan diet. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg as Covid-19 has many people considering the impact of their personal choices and population growth, manufacturing processes, disposable trends and climate change for the first time.

In the clothing and beauty industries more and more retail brands are labelling products as eco-friendly and describing the percentage of natural, if not organic materials. But it is not enough for a brand simply to say it is ‘eco-friendly’, customers are demanding transparency throughout the supply chain and during the manufacturing process.

In a recent project Magenta conducted exploring women’s fashion, we established that while sourcing of sustainable cotton is considered a good start, consumers are just as concerned about ethnical working conditions, if not more so.

There is an understanding that the negative impact of fast fashion goes way beyond poor working conditions, with billions of pounds of clothes thrown away before they are even worn. From some retailers, online returns are not resold, instead they go direct to landfill.  As a result, consumers are increasingly paying attention to slow fashion. The opposite to fast fashion, this clothing trend sees consumers going for quality and durability of manufactured materials while respecting the environment, and ideally, ethically made. We’re seeing a rise in clothes-swapping apps and customisation through upcycling of vintage items.

During this current difficult time, consumers will be reassessing what ‘essentials’ actually are, and the impact of their decisions on others and the environment around them. Moving forward, they will look to brands who are making a genuine and concerted effort to change and whose values match their own. The number of conscious consumers was already on the rise and is likely to rapidly accelerate in coming months.  These consumers are asking how, where and why their products are produced the way they are. As such, all industries should take this opportunity to take a fresh look at their supply chain, from start to finish.

This unprecedented global scenario is a genuine opportunity for brands to evaluate processes, procedures, the impact they’re having and build a more sustainable brand. Being sustainable is no longer an issue solely for Millennials and Gen Z, it is an issue for everyone.