How to sell sustainable fashion, in a sustainable way

The information customers find useful is changing, agrees brand consultant and author Harling Ross Anton, who shares shopping tips and curates products – often second-hand – via his Substack newsletter Rubberjack. Instead of just fact-based information, people want to know what wearing a particular garment feels like. “I would like to know all the details that make it something worth purchasing and cherishing for years. Highlight the materials, construction methods and craftsmen behind the product. Is it made of gorgeous, heavy cotton that won’t wrinkle? Is there a silk lining that can’t be seen from the outside that makes it an absolute pleasure to wear? Are there any handmade aspects? Is this the only thing that every employee in your company has in multiple colors because it is so good?”

The basis of product pages is changing

Product pages cannot focus solely on the practical and aesthetic aspects of customers. The list of regulatory requirements they must comply with is growing, says Jocelyn Wilkinson, partner and associate principal at Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Her advice on including sustainability information on product pages mirrors that of regulators on avoiding eco-schemes: be clear and avoid vague language, be guided by scientific facts and exclude any claims that cannot be supported by evidence.

To achieve this, brands must immediately invest in “very unsexy” back-end data management systems, rather than trying to recreate the infrastructure needed to comply with upcoming regulations, says Wilkinson. Of the more than 40 new regulations BCG is examining, at least six require detailed product information. In France, there is an Anti-Waste and Circular Economy Act (AGEC) and a Climate and Resilience Act. There are rules across the European Union on substantiating green claims, consumer empowerment, ecodesign and digital product passports.

“To be successful, brands need to take a mixed approach as all their online, in-store and wholesale sales will undoubtedly involve many more regulations,” says Wilkinson. “If brands under-invest in this, they risk financial penalties, lawsuits and reputational damage.”

When populating product pages with key sustainability information, it’s important that brands add context, otherwise they risk further confusing customers. Cheong cites carbon footprint measurements as an example of the latter: “How was it calculated? If you claim to have saved carbon emissions, is it in raw materials, factories, transport?” she asks. “The lack of really useful information makes this seem like an ecological practice, similar to the complete lack of information we’ve seen before.”

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