The idea of “less but better” is central to any purposeful product. Cut out filler items, slash the range of sizes, and focus on products that consumers love, generating less waste.
Your brand must make a point of cutting down on excess – while also selling products.
Some brands are concerned about this situation and are working on it to find a proper solution. As an example, we can find the collaboration between biotech firm LanzaTech and Spanish clothing retailer Inditex that has led to the design of a capsule collection for the latter’s largest brand Zara, incorporating fabric seemingly made from waste carbon emissions.
The captured carbon is converted into monoethylene glycol (MEG), which is then converted into the low carbon polyester yarn used by Zara.
There’s a reason to be hugely excited about this collaboration with Inditex and Zara because brings fashion made from waste carbon emissions to the market but the truth is that is not that simple.
To add to this challenge, brands must achieve “less but better” while maintaining affordable prices, in view of falling disposable income levels. Because fast fashion has taught consumers to buy cheap, retailers must recognize this mindset, acknowledging that consumers will make purchases less frequently but also realizing that spend-per-item may increase.
Closely related to this idea is the packaging idea that “less is more.” An area in which brands and retailers can minimize waste, “less is more” packaging entails compostable packaging and reusable packaging, not only recyclable packaging. Retailers should provide eco-friendly options in addition to alternative packaging at check-out.
