Sustainability News in Retail
Completely Retail Marketplace looks at the latest Sustainability News from the world of retail.
Globally, consumers choose to buy from brands that commit to sustainability. Nowadays, going green is about more than just conserving energy or asking customers to recycle their shopping bags. Sustainability allows brands to better connect with their customers and do their bit for the planet.
Read the below Snapshot blog post to gain further insight into the latest sustainability news in retail.
Stella McCartney to establish new fibre-to-fibre textile recycling process
Stella McCartney has recently partnered with recycling start-up Protein Evolution Inc (PEI). Their new joint venture aims to tackle one of the fashion industry’s most immense circularity challenges. This being, how to transform polyester and nylon waste into recycled fibres.
McCartney points out on their website that around 8 billion barrels of oil are used to produce synthetic materials annually. Fibres such as nylon and polyester are the biggest culprits. Both are used to create products that most likely end up in landfill and take centuries to decompose. These dire facts have led to an increase in consciousness and the need for the brand to do something drastic.
Starting this year, PEI uses its trademarked recycling technology to process leftover mixed nylon and polyester from Stella McCartney’s collections. The new material is aimed to be used in an array of new products. In addition, PEI has stated that this material can be recycled again, open-endedly. This makes it a groundbreaking technology for the fashion industry.
Thoughts from the Designer herself;
The brand’s namesake designer Stella McCartney said in a statement, “Through our partnership with Protein Evolution Inc, we hope to pioneer a new type of polyester from old materials,”
“Establishing climate goals is one thing; taking meaningful steps toward a more sustainable future is what truly matters.”
Because it degrades rapidly, it has always been challenging to recycle plastic-based fabrics like polyester and nylon for reuse in fashion products. PEI uses its pioneering AI and synthetic biology tech to engineer enzymes. These are used to break down textiles and plastic into their basic chemical building blocks to be used to make new materials. In theory, this makes the material infinitely reusable.
Stella McCartney invested in PEI through the $200 million Collab SOS financing package she helped to launch in partnership with Collaborative Fund in August 2022.
PrettyLittleThing launches a resale Vintage Collection
PLT, the fashion retailer known for its fast-fashion offering has recently launched a bespoke resale collection labelled a ‘Vintage collection” on their mobile app. This is no surprise, given the current sustainability drive in the fashion market.
The offering was launched on the 9th of November and is exclusively available on their mobile app. The range offers an assortment of over 108 pieces ranging from sizes XS to XXL and pricing from £10 - £100. PLT stated in a recent interview that its resale app has so far gained 209,000 app downloads. Coupled with 154,000 listed accounts, and 96,000 clothing items listed thus far.
The new vintage collection aims to extend the life of garments and help reduce waste. All pieces have been customised by Love Island star Indiyah. All items were sourced at Glass onion vintage, the UK’s leading vintage clothing company. A few styles to expect are; mini dresses that have been turned into co-ords, maxi skirts turned into midi skirts, and oversized sweats turned into large crop tops.
The collection also includes menswear styles. These include mustard yellow altered waistcoats, sportswear, varsity-style jackets, and cargo trousers.
Selfridges expands its rental offering by adding a new kidswear rental collection
After the success of its original rental service, Selfridges has since launched its first-ever children's wear rental option. The service spans outerwear, streetwear, special occasion outfits and event accessories.
You can expect to see brands like Kenzo and Off white in the rental collection. The sizes available range from six months to sixteen years. Hurr has also confirmed that the collection will soon house Skiwear for children.
Bringing the childrenswear category to rental offers an eco-friendly alternative. Due to the rate at which children grow out of their clothing, this could positively assist the luxury childrenswear sector.
The new childrenswear addition builds on Selfridge's "Reselfridges" initiative of creating a more circular business model. In addition, the luxury retailer has recently reported a 28% increase in full-year sales.
M&S trials paper bags in 10 stores across the UK
M&S has started to implement its paper bag trail in selected stores across the UK. The Retailer is offering a plastic-free option as an attempt to help reduce the amount of plastic that is consumed nationwide.
According to sources at The Grocer, M&S will be testing out paper bags in 10 stores over the next month. These stores include Maidstone, Hedge End, Bluewater, Kings Road, Hackney, Nottingham, Newcastle, Vanguard, Rochdale, and Falkirk store.
The specifically engineered paper carrier bags can hold 15kg and have been developed to maintain their strength and sturdiness.
M&S Food technical director Andrew Clappen said in a recent interview: “We want to make it as easy as possible for our customers to reuse carrier bags and offer them durable options that work for them.”
He continues; “This trial is part of our test and learn approach to finding the best sustainable carrier bags for customers that they can – and want to – keep using again and again.”
Should the plastic-free trial prove effective, it could result in M&S rolling out the plastic-free alternative to stores across the country.
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