Can a bag save the world?

Yesterday, Mulberry, the British leather brand, took the plunge and committed to a more sustainable way of doing business. “Can a bag save the world?” was the brave title of its new ‘made-to-last’ manifesto, which included six key actions for change. Most impressive was its commitment ‘to pioneer a hyper-local, hyper-transparent ‘farm to finished product’ supply chain model,’ and to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2035. 

Many brands are having to think hard about sustainability, not least because they need to show shareholders that their business can continue to be viable and profitable in a time when consumers are increasingly holding brands accountable. Rightly so.

It’s Fashion Revolution Day next week and some brands are using the event to get out their good news sustainability messages. Today, Farfetch announced the launch of its first annual Conscious Luxury Trends Report and an updated Fashion Footprint tool, which allows customers to track the footprint of their purchases – I haven’t tried it yet, but I will.

Such initiatives are helpful to customers but also necessary if businesses are to continue to be successful. Farfetch’s report indicates that customer behaviour on its platform changed significantly during 2020 ‘with a  surge in luxury customers choosing to shop more consciously’. I’m interested to taka a deep dive into what that means, but if true, then everyone else in luxury needs to start preparing their own radical sustainability manifesto.