If asked to name the most polluting industries on the planet, many of us will point to obvious emitters such as the oil and gas industry. But you might be surprised to learn that the fashion industry is now one of the biggest polluters globally, largely due to the rise of fast fashion.
Every year up to 45 billion garments - out of the 150 billion that are produced - go unsold or unworn, often ending up in landfill or being incinerated. It’s a startling figure that has a significant impact on the environment: the amount of clothing wasted annually around the globe is equivalent to around 500 million flights.
Clearly, there is an urgent need to create a more sustainable and ethical fashion landscape. But while 65% of consumers say they want to shop sustainably, they face challenges in finding sustainable clothing in the places that they already shop, and many don’t know how to identify what is actually sustainable and what isn't.
There is a real challenge facing sustainable brands too. While the European sustainable fashion industry is predicted to almost triple over the next five years, sustainable brands face significantly higher production costs and are competing against non-sustainable alternatives - many of which dominate the digital landscape. Despite the genuine desire from consumers to shop more sustainably, eco-conscious brands find it harder to attract customers and to stay profitable.
This need for change is one of the driving forces behind the launch of The Revivas, a dedicated online marketplace and one-stop destination for sustainable fashion. The Revivas addresses the barriers faced by consumers and sustainable brands through an innovative sustainability framework: every brand we partner with has to be ethically-made and meet at least two of our ten sustainable values, which we independently verify with globally-recognised accreditations.
We want our customers to be able to easily understand what’s in the items that they purchase, who made them, and what makes them sustainable. When shopping on our site, brands are shown alongside with their sustainability credentials – just hit the ‘filter by sustainability value’ button to make conscious purchases that align with your values.
Until now, shopping sustainably hasn't always been easy. But we firmly believe that it should be accessible to all, without compromising on quality or paying over the odds. By curating an online marketplace full of sustainable clothing options, our customers can shop from wherever suits them knowing that they're making responsible choices.
We’re very proud to be two female founders at the helm of a business that’s doing things differently. By making sustainable shopping joyful and effortless for our customers, we’re on a mission to do more than just sell clothes - we want to shape a more sustainable future for the fashion industry.
Sources:
Bloomberg, How Fast, Cheap Fashion is Polluting the Planet.
WGSN x OC&C Report: Doing more with less,