For years, countless decision makers in the luxury industries have been searching for solutions that support the sustainable luxury. The concept is a trend of today and the future as the recent studies have shown that many millennials are interested in buying the sustainable luxury. Yes, the luxury products that are not only premium, but also do not impact the nature negatively.
Traditionally, the luxury industry is usually synonyms to the excessive consumerism, disposal income and guilty pleasures, but today, the young affluent generation of millennials and the generation Z have become more conscious about the decision they make while they purchase any item today. To cater to such a target audience, brands have been brainstorming solutions that resonate with the personal values of the customers. The high-end brands that want to retain their status in the luxury market. Thus, they need to evolve to keep up with this growing trend towards ethical and sustainable luxury.
A recent study showcased that the 73 percent of millennial respondents were willing to spend more on a product if it comes from a sustainable or socially conscious brand. This number is significantly more than what older generations indicated. Furthermore, the study indicated that 81 percent of Millennials expect the brands that they buy into to be transparent in their marketing and actively talk about their sustainability impact.
PAPER, AN ESSENTIAL IN ALL LUXURY SECTORS
Paper is an elements that can be found everywhere, both in packaging products and for the corporate image of brands, in fashion, cosmetics, perfumes, wines and spirits, chocolates, watches, jewellery, and more. Well, the luxury industry catering to the digital millennials who want environmentally conscious luxury is pivoting towards ecological choices. Paper is an essential part of the same being one of the most sustainable and versatile materials available today, it is becoming the most logical choice.
Living in this digital age, innovation is a key part of the awareness about the sustainability and the how brands are incorporating the same in their products, services and actions. Today, extravagance is overrated and is not usually connected with luxury. It is the classic and chic style that derives that premium feels in the services.
From brochures to packaging to paper for personal use, Luxury is all about the experience the brand is offering and while the products are important, marketing and packaging cannot be ignored. This is the key reason why the brands are constantly investing in the high quality paper. And not only taht they are also investing the eco friendly paper for the packaging that reflects their brand's core values.
APPLE: LEADING FROM THE FRONT
While the sustainable luxury is something that every brand should include in their service and products, Apple has been redefining the luxury industry and how the products are managed today. They have been offering the recyclable and sustainable packaging that allows for the high-end quality allure of the product shine through.
Being a brand that has successfully incorporating the sustainable packaging, it is not there goal about the realisation of the impact of the plastic and post consumer waste on the society and the environment. In their recently launched "Paper and packaging strategy" Apple has mentioned how they have incorporated the simple and minimalistic packaging for the iPhone with the priorities of the reducing the impact on the climate change and the conserving the precious resources by using materials efficiently with the process of choosing the recycled and renewable products along with identifying, developing, and utilizing safer materials in products and processes.
PVH: AFFLUENT AND AWARE
You might have not heard about PVH, but the American apparel brands owns the luxury brands like Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger is a brand with the highly ambitious sustainability goals which includes using the 100% sustainability and the ethically source packaging by 2025.
With the aim to ensure that they reduce the company's negative impacts to zero, increase positive impacts to 100% and improve over one million lives throughout its value chain, the PVH has been addressing various issues including the climate change, the use of waste and hazardous chemicals, worker safety and programs for women. In their endeavour, suing the paper packaging is also an initiative.
Marissa Pagnani-McGowan, group VP of corporate responsibility at the corporation said "As a global apparel company, we recognize that we have a responsibility to reduce waste, and one key way to do so is by minimizing our packaging and making it recyclable."
ASOS: ECOMMERE GIANT WITH SUSTAINBILITY PRACTICES
The leading ecommerce giants has been indulging the sustainable practices when it comes the packaging of the products ordered online from their site with the policies of the packaging and waste as the priority in the environmental policy.
As a recent cradle to door assessment showcased that the plastic bags produces over 60% less GHG emissions than cardboard, the company decided to reduce the number of cardboard. They have taken various such initiatives to mitigate the environmental risk including reducing the thickness of the plastic bags used. They have been also recycled content of the bags and the retailer is closely working towards a closed loop system, a system which will allows the post consumer waste to reduce done and the need for the virgin plastic bags to be reduced as well.
BURBERRY: REFELCTING COMPANY'S ETHOS
Burberry is one of those brands that in the luxury industry for a long time and with there is a current trend of sustainability, they have been updating themselves as the brand has recently launched brand new packaging to align with its movement towards eliminating unnecessary plastic packaging.
The brand has been remodelling tits process of the packaging as they have replaced the traditional packaging with the modern manufacturing technique. Coming back to paper packaging, they use the FSC-certified paper from recycled coffee cups to create a high-quality, expensive feel product that continues to resonate with the brand's heritage.
HOW TO MEET THE DEMAND?
Meeting the increasingly strong consumer demand, brands are up scaling to provide a positive contribution to their ecosystem in this age of philanthropic luxury retail. While the demand is quite clear, how are the brands actually including the concept of the sustainability in their offerings? The key is to be authentic. There is no sham required; the brands genuinely need to practice what they are promising. They have to incorporate the environmentally-friendly models into their practice from the ground up before they start to create hype around it.
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