Boohoo explores vintage fabrics and resale websites as it targets sustainability

The fashion giant has launched its UpFront sustainability strategy, making commitments to overhaul its materials, supply chain and corporate governance to include sustainable thinking on all levels.

As part of its strategy Boohoo – which owns brands including Boohoo, BoohooMan, NastyGal, MissPap, Karen Millen, Coast, Oasis and Warehouse, as well as the newly acquired Debenhams, and Arcadia’s Dorothy Perkins, Wallis and Burton – has committed to reducing its carbon footprint in line with science-based targets equivalent to 52% reduction in emissions relative to its growth.

The retailer has also made a commitment to ensuring all materials it uses are “more sustainable” by 2030.

Head of sustainability Rosie Howells explained: “The reason we’ve said more sustainable is because there are so many different materials that will be a part of that pledge – each will have its own preferred alternative, therefore we are setting better materials guidelines each year with associated thresholds.”

The priorities for Boohoo in the first instance are polyester and cotton, followed by viscose and animal-derived products. For each material, Boohoo is seeking traceability, and to implement industry best practices, including using recycled polyester and joining the Better Cotton Initiative.

Customers will be informed of a products’ sustainable credentials with the strapline “ready for the future”, which will be used across all of Boohoo’s brands. 

“In each of the product descriptions it will say why that product is ready for the future – that it contains recycled cotton, etc, and will give the exact percentages why as we think that clarity is important.

“We’ll also have a link to our guidelines – each year, we will revise those guidelines – either increasing the threshold or including more alternative materials.”

Howells added that while this strapline will feature across all of Boohoo, each brand will take an individual approach to marketing and will also be seeking innovation in line with their proposition. Boohoo has appointed a director for sustainable design who will work with buying teams across all brands to innovate in this space.

Howells said: “NastyGal, for example, is doing really interesting work on vintage fabrics – working with suppliers who sort through consumer waste and repurpose it into new garments. Karen Millen has also been doing some great work with surplus fabric, so they will leverage it up in different ways.” 

Boohoo has also signed up to WRAP’s Textiles 2030 voluntary agreement to help tackle the issues of textiles waste in the fashion industry.

The retailer has committed to launching resale and recycling offers across all its brands by 2023 and to eradicate textile waste going directly to landfill from its own supply chain by 2025.

Howells confirmed that Boohoo is in active conversations with resale websites, details of which will be revealed in the next few months.