There are times that you need that new, retail item and you need it now. There is no time to hunt and scour the internet for the perfect consigned item. Perhaps you need a speciality retailer, for sportswear, outdoor gear, a uniform or special event and you need it now! Overnight shipping will not do you any good nor your pocketbook. You need to go to a brick and mortar store and see, feel and try on the items in person. So, where do you go? What do you do? How do you know which brands to shop that are more environmentally friendly than others.
Let’s look at sustainability from a practiced perspective. If we were to equally rate all major retailers by their sustainability efforts and not by their price or popularity where would each brand net out?
Well, thats what Rank a Brand is here to find out.
One of the most sustainable retailers in the USA is (drum roll): Kohl’s Department Store! According to the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, in 2016 Kohl’s was winning multiple awards for positive sustainability practices including Green Power Leadership Award four years in a row and the Sustained Excellence in Green Power award repeatedly.
The numbers: 1,430,381,349 kilowatt-hours of green energy used every year.
That’s an impressive feat. You can learn more about Kohl’s efforts on their green-focused website.
Now, if Kohl’s wasn’t on your radar or their just aren’t winning a place in your closet H&M - a fast fashion bastion is making great strides in producing via green energy and fell in the top ten rankings. Plus, lest we forget speciality lifestyle retailers like REI and Patagonia - two organizations that aren’t just going the extra mile is green energy but also in their recycling and humanitarian efforts for clothing production.
What’s it all add up to? A shift in how we as consumers, shop. Sustainability and the health of our planet is at an increase and millennials are twice as likely to shop with conservation in mind, rather than financial cost to them.
More importantly, an increase in the concern for our environment means a change in where and how we spend our money not in how much.
Sustainability is growing in the apparel industry and sustainability and resale shopping go hand-in-hand. According to ThredUp an online resale and consignment store, resale is turning into 25 Billion dollar business and is up 20% over traditional (both brick and mortar and online) and growing. How is it doing it? Reach and Accessibility combined with services. Gone are the sample sales with exclusive, member-only invitations that had warehouse locations and wholesale prices. Here to stay are both luxury and lightly loved pieces that anyone can buy and everyone can participate in, budget allowing.
Applying the principles of Shopism - the practice of shopping sustainably is not only becoming the norm, it's becoming an affordable one too.