The three online fashion retailers About You, Yoox Net-a-Porter and Zalando will expand their “Fashion Leap for Climate” initiative, which started last year with 55 brands, to 250 of their brand partners with the support of the sustainability consultancy Qantis from this month.
The lessons learned from the first year were used to optimize the platform “to achieve maximum progress,” according to a press release. What is new in the second year is that participants have the opportunity to take part in an eight-week live course with eight hours in four modules. You have the choice to do this through an engagement track that offers tailored support, or do it all on your own with an on-demand learning feature.
progress through collaboration
“Since the launch of this initiative in July last year, it is very encouraging to see that the first of our partner brands have completed the learning journey and how it has boosted their confidence in climate action. We firmly believe that such partnerships are the driving force of progress and that only by working together can a long-term impact be possible,” comments David Schneider, Co-CEO at Zalando, in a press release.
The Fashion Leap for Climate platform helps fashion brands measure their own carbon footprint and set goals that align with climate science. The brand partners who participated in the first year reported an increase in confidence: their understanding of science-based goals (SBTs) improved by 85 percent after completing the tutorial, according to the three online retailers.
All brand partners who have participated so far also indicated that they would recommend the platform and that this would better equip them to set science-based goals in the future. More than half said they plan to set their SBTs within the next year thanks to the knowledge they gained. Almost all (91 percent) emphasized that they valued the collaboration opportunities on the platform, which encouraged them to discuss and exchange ideas with sustainability experts and like-minded people.
“The successful completion of the learning journeys through our first partner brands is an important first step in the right direction. We are convinced that joint initiatives from the entire industry are needed to create sustainable change,” explains Hannes Wiese, co-managing director of About You Holding SE.
In the future, online fashion retailers see the potential to expand the reach of the platform to make it accessible to all brand partners and the entire industry.
“This initiative represents the potential for industry-wide collaboration towards a common goal of creating a more sustainable future for the fashion industry,” said Alison Loehnis, interim CEO of Yoox Net-a-Porter.