YOU, ME AND
SUSTAINABILITY
YOU, ME AND SUSTAINABILITY
YOU, ME AND
SUSTAINABILITY
YOU, ME AND SUSTAINABILITY
The start-ups are getting it right
Emerging businesses often share the same values as their consumers
Meet the trailblazers of sustainable retail in Britain
Start-ups are the real innovators. They are changing the materials we use, disrupting the supply chain and are shifting our interaction with everyday products.
Although sustainable fashion often steals the headlines, other types of retailers are often making the most innovative changes.
To fully explore how the start-ups are filling the sustainable supply-demand gap, we visited a spread across: fashion, accessories, grocery, concept spaces and second-hand. Due to their different nature, each type is disrupting retail in a different way. But all still face the same external challenges: brand, communication, community, integrity and in-store experience.
HENRI LONDON
Henri, founded by Henrietta Adams, is a women’s fashion retailer that focuses on ‘making mindful clothing’ with their business model based on having staple sustainable wardrobe items.
Visit the HENRI website
Open the Full Report
RE:STORE
RE:Store’s concept is to reduce the amount of plastic used by reusing your own containers and refilling them with everyday products. Products from cleaning detergents to pasta, toothpaste pills and beeswax wrappers (to replace cling film).
Visit the RE:Store website
Open the Full Report
THE KEEP BOUTIQUE
In 2012, the poor quality of high street clothes, both in terms of durability and the materials they are made of, drove the Keep Boutique’s founder to begin a blog with a mission: reducing waste by showcasing durable fashion discoveries. This blog turned into an online store and boutique in the heart of the Brixton Village.
Visit Keep Boutique’s website
Open the Full Report
CHARLIE BORROW
Charlie Borrow has successfully combined British heritage with sustainable design, focusing on both UK sourced and high-quality durable materials – supported by the 15-year Charlie Borrow guarantee.
Visit the Charlie Borrow website
Open the Full Report
THE THIRD ESTATE
Whilst not in one of London’s sustainability ‘hubs’, the Third Estate is a modest fashion and accessories store. Selling multiple brands that produce vegetarian and vegan shoes, sustainably sourced bags and clothing, and handmade accessories.
Visit the Third Estate’s website
Open the Full Report
NEAL'S YARD
Neal’s Yard provides Londoners with a colourful, organic escape with a courtyard in Covent Garden full of restaurants, bars, shops, yoga studios and treatment rooms.
Visit the Neal’s Yard website
Open the Full Report
TILL WE COVER
In 2017, Till We Cover found a gap in the market: contemporary modest fashion with a sustainable edge. Whilst the boxy clothes may only appeal to their defined market, their owner, Ruby, is driven to be unique and make a real difference.
Visit the Till We Cover website
Open the Full Report
AIDA
AIDA nailed two of the sustainable challenges for us: community and experience. Located on the busy streets of Shoreditch, it hosts numerous music events, artisan classes and sample sales throughout the year.
Visit the Aida website
Open the Full Report
69B BOUTIQUE
As one of London’s first stores devoted to transparent clothing, 69B Boutiqe have partnerships with over 50 sustainable brands, and all suppliers are either compliant with GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) or anti-slavery. Their close partnerships mean that they can, and do, track clothing back to suppliers.
Visit the 69B Boutique website
Open the Full Report
REWORN
Rather than a focus on sustainable design and material sourcing, Reworn emphasises waste reduction through the re-sale of pre-worn clothes. Whilst still a vintage shop, their main differentiator is providing ‘staple’ items that were fashionable 30 years ago and are now looping round again.
Visit Reworn’s Instagram
Open the Full Report
On Retail – The Podcast
Nimble start-ups are now building entire business models around being sustainable through shared consumer values, and through supporting truly sustainable businesses.
To illustrate these points, we speak with Henrietta Adams, founder of Henri and Megan Adams, founder of Re:Store.
Subscribe on Spotify
Listen on TuneIn
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
BJSS Podcast: Sustainable Retail
Consumers’ Sustainability Dilemma
Clothing is a tool used to communicate about our identity and therefore it’s something we put a lot of thought into. Despite this, we often don’t know where our clothes have come from and so the impact we are having on the environment is often left...
read more
Why do retailers need to care about sustainability?
Retailers must be ready for the critical tipping point when more consumers demand sustainable practices. We have all become familiar with the facts and stats that regularly appear and dominate the headlines. The most shocking include that fashion is the...
read more
If retailers don’t care about the environment, consumers won’t care about the retailers.
REPORT AUTHOR
REPORT AUTHOR
Melissa Wade
Retail Consultant, BJSS
Melissa is a Retail Consultant who specialises in (re)designing retailers’ sustainability initiatives, with a focus on customer experience and education. A thought leader in this area, she combines her knowledge and experience to enable retailers to deliver customer-centric solutions that deliver real business and environmental value.
Melissa’s previous experience with tier-1 retailers enables her to put people at the centre of all solutions to business
BJSS Corporate Communications Contacts
MWWPR
Public Relations Advisors to BJSS
Tel: +44 20 3725 2339
Email: bjss@mww.com
David Clark
BJSS Media Relations
Tel: +44 20 7337 9800
Email: david.clark@bjss.com
