People more conscious about environment post-Covid, mindful buying remains the keyword

A recent report from the Capgemini Research Institute found that sustainability has risen up the customer’s agenda with 67 per cent of consumers said that they will be more cautious about the scarcity of natural resources due to the COVID-19 crisis, and 65 per cent said that they will be more mindful about the impact of their overall consumption in the “new normal”.
And companies are paying close attention to this shift. Here are a few companies that have encouraged consumers to look at their purchases with new eyes.

Shantanu & Nikhil
In April, the designers announced a new buy-back initiative aimed at encouraging responsible consumerism and creating a circular ecosystem. “The fashion industry is growing by the day as consumers use their clothing for increasingly shorter periods and buy more, further increasing pressure on environmental resources and leading to waste production,” said the duo in a statement. “It’s time we reduced the pressure we are creating on the natural resources and hopefully contribute to downsizing the carbon footprint the fashion industry is casting.”


“As a brand, we have taken this baby step to do our bit for the environment and become sustainable. This (campaign) not only drives responsible consumerism but also ensures controlled production at our end,” they added. Since it began, the campaign has received support from celebrities and influencers like Hardik Pandya, Leander Paes, Mandira Bedi, Tahira Kashyap, Chitrangada, to name a few.

For the first phase, the company is only accepting outfits that were sold for Rs. 1,00,000 and above. Products bought on sale or outfits that can not be recycled sustainably will not qualify for the program.

Antar Agni
Post the lockdown, designer Ujjawal Dubey announced a similar ‘Restore Love’ initiative that sought to revive old damaged garments.

“The last three months have been a great leveller, a reminder that our differences are only skin deep and sometimes, not even that,” said Dubey. “The world has been obsessed with owning more, and throwing the old away, a direct affront to our oldest Indian values of saving and passing on. Nature demands a course correction and at Antar-Agni we intend to deliver with an ongoing effort called ‘Restore Love’ where your old damaged garments are brought back to life. Where we treat, refurbish, or bring back to life, enhance as per occasion, the existing garments that you own.”

The idea is said to be inspired by Dubey’s favourite jacket and old memories of the Indian household. “I have a jacket that has lasted me a greater part of a decade. I’ve over-dyed it a few times, sewn-in buttonholes, and reconstructed sections of it. Every week I wear it, it takes on greater meaning and ensures a little less consumption. It would be such a great joy to create this for others to re-imagine those special pieces within their wardrobe,” shared Dubey.

John Lewis & Partners
Last year, fashion retailer John Lewis & Partners in the UK offered to pay customers to return pre-loved clothes to its Oxford store in a bid to “address the increasing volumes of clothing being sent to landfill.” The ‘BuyBack’ trial allowed customers to return pre-loved items from any womenswear and menswear brands stocked at John Lewis & Partners. In return, customers would receive 3 pounds per item up to a maximum of three pieces of clothing.

The campaign was so successful at the pilot store that in March 2020, the retailer announced that it was expanding the buyback service to five more stores.