One such brand is DHL customer, Varsity Headwear. Based in Norway, Europe, the fashion brand wanted to maintain a commitment to ethical practices, even as it expanded globally.Â
“We saw a substantial part of our emissions came from logistics and transportation,” says co-founder Sebastian Adams. “We wanted to face this issue, not hide from it, so jumped on the opportunity to work with DHL to learn from each other and improve. We’re carbon neutral through offsetting, and are now working towards insetting, too.”
With sustainable fashion in the spotlight, rental platforms and second-hand marketplaces are thriving – resale platform Vinted’s astronomical growth over the past few years is testament of Millennial and Gen Z shoppers’ embracement of “conscious consumption.” The economy is also having an influence – McKinsey’s annual deep dive into the sector, The State of Fashion 20235, noted that consumers’ financial circumstances will lead them to “seek out bargains, increasing the demand for resale, rental, and off-price [sale] products.” Â
The luxury sector is leaning into the sustainability trend, too. In 2021, Louis Vuitton and Cartier launched Aura – the world’s first global luxury blockchain – where consumers can track the entire lifecycle of a product by scanning its label.Â
And there’s a curious twist – despite volatile global economies and record-high inflation, McKinsey6 forecasts the luxury sector will grow between 5-10% this year, as consumers consider an investment in high-quality goods to be a sustainable decision in the long-term.Â