In the last couple of years, the fashion industry -as many others, such as the food and cosmetics industries- has experienced a change of course towards sustainability. The Rana Plaza disaster marked a turning point for all brands around the world, as well as for consumers. And this shift of direction has only intensified during the pandemic, a period in which people have become more and more conscious about their lifestyle and acquisitions.
Customers are demanding the execution of more sustainable approaches, whether it concerns the supply chain and the employees’ working conditions, as well as the environmental impact of the product. To fulfil said demands, brands are, in fact, putting in action all kinds of practices. E-commerce retailers are responding to the searches and purchases of consumers who seek ethically made goods.
The fashion app and website called Lyst analysed over 12,000 online stores and determined that searches linked to sustainability words had increased 75% during 2019. As a matter of fact, some of the biggest online retailers have updated their search engines and communication inside their platforms to facilitate the customers’ journey and help them find sustainable products easier. We are talking about Nordstrom, Zappos, Net-a-Porter and Farfetch, among others. For example, they have created special sections on their websites, promoting only eco-friendly products: Zappos’ new section is called Goods for Good, and Net-a-Porter’s is Net Sustain.
Consumers are aware that their purchases can make a difference, and they want to be part of the change. They want to know and feel that they are indeed contributing to building a more sustainable world.
The key here is transparency.
Fashion and lifestyle e-commerce businesses must be transparent, not only concerning the origins of their product but about the results and consequences of each purchase. In other words, every item should present its social and environmental impact: what is it made of? What is the material’s environmental impact? Where was it made? How were the conditions of the workers who made it? How much water and toxic chemicals were saved while manufacturing this item? That is to say: why are these goods sustainable and how are the consumers guaranteed that they are paying the correct and fair price, for the planet and the people behind them?
Those are standard criteria that every business should be able to answer. It enables customers to see the benefits of their purchases -for themselves, for others and the planet- and the good in their actions. If we compare online business to physical stores, we will see very clearly that this kind of approach (for example, detailed product descriptions) is only possible in the online world.
Transparency is, again, the key value.