What is hidden behind a recycled luxury item? Can luxury brands be sustainable?
This section of the blog comes from a particular interest in the luxury industry and especially in the fashion, jewellery, packaging, sustainability and art world. In recent years, the luxury industry has been undergoing massive changes related to the growing importance placed on product sustainability. Saving the planet and buying in line with a global good is one of my fundamental goals.
I think the three pillars so that an item could be called sustainable must be: a) economic; b) social and c) environmental. Sustainable luxury is not only about owning high quality goods, but also about the experience it offers; this means that we can enjoy luxurious products that are made with a small ecological footprint.
My generation is experience-oriented, we appreciate the value of authentic and meaningful experiences more than material objects. Sustainable luxury offers us the opportunity to combine both these aspects.
In this article I’ve decided to focus on recycling and upcycling, given the relevance it is currently playing in various sectors including the luxury sector.
To provide an example, according to this fashion brand, Zero Waste Daniel, more than 70 pounds of textiles per US citizen are going into landfills annually. This brand promotes a regenerative economy with its upcycled products, and it does so by being self-aware that sustainability is a signal to others.
This is a sweet spot for luxury sustainability to intersect, for signaling to others the individual cares about the environment and it is willing to spend more to show it.