If you haven’t heard the word sustainability yet, there’s a good chance you’ve been living under
a rock.
Sustainability is the new “it word”. You’ll see it everywhere, from the news, to
the walls of your favourite coffee house all the way to the marketing campaign of that luxury
brand that just recently opened its store
There’s been a lot of discourse about
sustainability and the fashion industry in recent times. The fashion industry is currently the
one of the most polluting industries in the world, second only to the oil industry and has been
facing major backlash from both activists and consumers alike. Gone are the days when consumers
would have jumped at the chance to buy more for less or, moved from store to store on the high
street only to come out with more and more shopping bags. Fast fashion, considered one of the
biggest contributors to pollution from fashion, has had to rethink its strategy entirely, now
coming out with eco friendly lines like- Conscious by H&M and Live Life by Zara; as well as
offering garment recollection initiatives paired with a discount incentive for future purchases.
This is the area where luxury brands seem to have the advantage. Sustainability, as admirable a
goal as it may be, can also be an expensive goal; and luxury brands are the most equipped to
sell sustainability. With their quantities lower than high street brands, luxury brands often
find it easier to integrate more eco-friendly methods into their supply chain. The tag of luxury
is also just as important. Sustainability is often considered by the average consumer as
something rare and expensive and therefore much less easily attainable and something to aspire
to; much like a luxury brand itself. The authenticity and uniqueness associated with
sustainability lends it an ethos of social luxury. Additionally luxury brands can increase their
prices to adjust for the cost of sustainability without raising too many eyebrows and sometimes
even use it as a justification for their high prices.
So if you’ve been wondering why
you’re suddenly hearing the word sustainability so much, you only have the millennials to blame.
After student loans and avocado toast, sustainability is the third most talked about topic in
relation to them. Various studies have posited that Millennials and Gen Z make up almost 85% of
global luxury sales. Furthermore, according to a study by Nielson, 73% of millennials are
willing to spend more on a product if it is marketed as sustainable. The facts are simple. The
newest wave of consumers are looking to purchase products that reflect their own ethics. Very
often, consumers feel futile when they look at the big picture of environment conservation.
Making good choices can be expensive and take up a lot of effort and brands don’t always make it
easy for consumers; with constantly showing them better deals for cheaper products, and offering
packaging that makes the product tempting at the point of sale but extremely guilt inducing at
the point of disposal.
Often consumers want to buy sustainable products, but less than half who state that intention
follow through with their wallets. This intention-action gap can only be closed by making
sustainability an easier goal. Surveys have shown that 88% of consumers in developed countries
want to make a difference but very few of them know how. This is where brands come in. Consumers
now expect their brands to be sustainable and if a brand wants to stay relevant, it has to
deliver. However, stating an intention to be sustainable isn’t enough. Brands are expected to
show evidence of it in their actions as well as in the products they put out into the market.
Furthermore, consumers are no longer content with sitting on the sidelines as an audience. They
also want brands to include them on the stage, give them active roles as participants and help
them live the values that the brands espouse.
Brands are trying- many have started
recycling and upcycling products, have started campaigns encouraging consumers to conserve
resources, to repurpose old products and reduce wastage. Ivar by Ritika Ravi has been conscious
about sustainable since its launch. The brand is uses only conflict free gold and tries to
maintain absolute transparency in their sourcing of gemstones. Manufacturing units employed by
the brand also adhere to the same ethical policies outlined. The brand has also made it a point
to use only recycled paper in their packaging and all marketing materials.
Social media has become the most useful tool in narrowing down a brand’s consumers, understand
their likes and dislikes, what messaging they will respond to the best and using influencers who
resonate authentically with that message. Some of the most important tools used in encouraging
sustainable consumption can be done via social media marketing. Using social influence- which
involves telling consumers how their friends, neighbors or community has behaved-has often
encouraged people to change their own behaviors. Brands have also used social media to shape
good habits and this is usually done by asking for and giving feedback as well as by offering
incentives or praise for performing a certain behavior. The Domino effect has been fairly
effective, in that it encourages consumer to take up a small cause or make a small change, which
very often spirals into the consumer taking up bigger changes.
Most importantly, brands
have to consider whether they want to talk to the heart or the head. Marketing campaigns can
affect change through emotions or rational logic and sometimes even a combination of the two.
Public praise is more effective than monetary gain and often eliciting a moderate amount of
guilt, anger or sadness can be more useful than trying to get a strong reaction.
Clients
want change from brands. They also want to be convinced to make changes themselves. It’s how the
brands go about creating that change that will ultimately decide if they will stay relevant or
fade into oblivion.