'Sustainability is the key to return to profit,' says Superdry boss

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Superdry’s sustainability push has driven its stellar results, according to chief executive Julian Dunkerton.

Julian Dunkerton

Julian Dunkerton said Superdry is ‘starting to be perceived as the biggest and most serious sustainable player’

Since returning to the business in 2019, Dunkerton’s mission has been to make the retailer the “number-one sustainable style destination”.

To achieve this, the retailer has been working to ensure its garments contain organic, recycled, and low-impact fibres including Tencel, hemp, yak or linen.

This included expanding its sustainable cotton programme by investing in training to convert 7,508 farmers to organic practices, as well as switching 99% of its swimwear to be made of recycled materials.

Fifty per cent of the retailer’s product mix comes from sustainable materials, garnering 60% of its sales, Dunkerton told Retail Week – and he believes this has brought the business back into the black.

“It’s a very strong part of [the return to profit],” Dunkerton said.

”It’s one of the key competitive parts – within Europe, I think we are now starting to be perceived as the biggest and most serious sustainable player.

“It’s being cited by our ecommerce partners in mainland Europe as a reason for people to buy our jackets, for instance, because the reality is that there are more and more people who are coming on this journey. If we are perceived as the main space for it, that’s wonderful.

“The fact that we’ve taken it very seriously is now paying economic dividends.”

Dunkerton added that it “can only get better from this point” as the retailer looks to foster even more sustainable practices going forward.