Green shoots

Sustainability is now a major issue for investors, occupiers and consumers, and with fashion being one of the world's most polluting industries, we look at which brands are already leading the way towards a greener future.

At the recent G7 talks many were calling on policy makers to help drive sustainable investments and industry action within the fashion and retail industry. The fashion industry is estimated to account for 4% of annual global carbon emissions, while textile production leads to greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the emissions of France, Germany and the UK.

Following the G7 talks, possible policy implementations include stricter supply chain obligations, incentives to support more sustainable business models and tighter guidelines on marketing a product as "sustainable".

So, what initiatives are already being taken

Sustainable schemes
Perhaps the best example of a sustainable retail building is The Green Pea shopping mall in Turin (seen above) which opened in December 2020 and occupies 15,000 sqm of retail space across five floors. The mall only offers sustainable products related to energy, movement, interior décor, clothing and leisure, created in harmony with nature. As well as sustainable interiors, the building is surrounded by 2,000 trees and plants and is made only with recyclable materials such as steel, iron, and glass with the option to be completely dismantled.

Money for returns
Gradually more and more occupiers are offering take-back schemes to help customers recycle unwanted clothing, beauty products and tech whilst rewarding them to do so. Sweaty Betty have teamed up with SOEX in the UK, a global textile recycler who turn unwanted leggings into something new. Sweaty Betty is encouraging customers to bring in their old leggings (any brand) where they will be re-homed or recycled and in return customers receive a £10 voucher off their next £50 spend.

Brands such as Levi's have partnered up with Cotton's Blue Jeans Go Green programme, an initiative focused on recycling denim. The Levi's store and outlets have recycling boxes where customers can drop off any denim from any brand and give jeans a new life, in return customers will save 20% on their next purchase in store. 

H&M and & Other Stories offer a £5 voucher (off a £25 spend) or 10% discount code to spend instore when you drop off a bag of old clothes from any brand in any condition. Additionally, Hunter have teamed up with recycling company First Mile and created a new Reboot scheme that allows customers to return their old Hunters boots to the Regent Street store in return for a 15% discount off their next purchase. Any old boots will be recycled and turned into playgrounds and roads.

Recycling
The EU is driving efforts to to reduce waste and encourage recycling. ReTuna Återbruksgalleria, in Sweden, is the world's first recycling mall where everything sold is recycled or reused or has been organically or sustainably produced. Created by Anna Bergström in 2018, the mall is inviting and innovatively designed with art installations, a central tree, and a circular bench all fashioned from recycled materials.

Since launching in 2001, Stella McCartney have been committed to providing sustainable, responsible, and honest products with no leather, feathers, fur, or skin since day one. In 2019, adidas by Stella McCartney launched the first ever clothing line made with Evrnu's NuCycl yarn and KOBA Fur-Free-Fur, a sustainable, recyclable animal alternative made from recycled polyester and plant-based plastic. Since this, adidas AG has committed to only use recycled plastic for all garments made by 2024.

In the UK, we have also seen a rise in the interest of repurposing TV programmes such as The Repair Shop and Money For Nothing. Both shows save broken/old items or items that may have been thrown away and transform them back to life, or into newly valuable pieces. 

In a world of squeezed profits and tight margins, many brands are unable to sustain the level of investment needed to drive change. Now more than ever there is an opportunity in the UK for investors, occupiers and operators to take a meaningful lead to give consumers what they want at reasonable and affordable prices whilst also making a significant difference.

Jemima Scott