How to Become a More Sustainable Brand

It’s Never too Late to Turn Green!

The Comarché is an online marketplace for a community of certified sustainable brands and game changers within the fields of fashion, design, lifestyle, beauty and food. The mothership of our very own Acumé Magazine, The Comarché is an all-around platform that both inspires and reduces barriers for a more sustainable living. It’s moving the needle by dismantling the unsustainable system that has permeated the world over the last stretch of time. A linear system in crisis based on extraction, production, distribution, consumption and disposal, which constantly abuse our planet's finite resources.

The Comarché has realized that the needs and expectations of the consumer are also changing at breakneck speed. The scarcity of resources, the crisis of the capitalist system, and a shrinking middle class show the exhaustion of the traditional business growth model. Persuading the customer to consume more, but not necessarily better, is a far cry from the global context that we currently live in, and nothing alike the company's own values.

The Comarché Framework

To demonstrate how they walk the talk, The Comarché has invented its own brilliant sustainability tool. The Comarché Framework is based on the three principal pillars of sustainability: Social, Environmental and Economic.

According to Marie Engberg, Co-founder and Head of Everything Sustainable at The Comarché –

This framework assesses brands’ overall approach to sustainability and enables them to make informed decisions that match their own set of values. In addition to this, it helps explore the lifecycle of each of their products and looks into how sustainability is integrated across all steps of the lifecycle. With The Comarché Framework, we help contour a circular system that adds value and indicate how to minimize negative impacts at each stage of the brand’s value chain.

Today more than ever, designers and creators have in their hands the possibility of changing the way they create, use and discard a product. There is enough technology, information and resources to make the concept of a sustainable economy a reality for the design industry. Together with The Comarché we’ll guide you through the proper ways to carry out your sustainable journey.

Continue reading here for a full breakdown of their custom-built sustainability tool and information on how to use it.

Establish a Core Set of Values ​​that Surround the Brand

And be true to them. Whether you have already set up a company or not, you must first embark on a personal path towards sustainability. You cannot sell sustainability if you don’t adhere to the same values in your private life. Building a house starts from the ground up, so the foundation upon which you develop your company has to be strong enough to secure everything that follows. Are you’re trying to correct environmental sins of the past or planning to emerge with an eco-responsibility as the fundamental basis of your new business? Either way, you must be clear about your brand ethos ​​and the principles you put forward.

Design with Durability and Longevity in Mind

As a generation anesthetized with consumerism, we are far too used to the so-called planned obsolescence. Goods are purposefully designed to last for only a period of time and then discarded to encourage further consumption. Every year, tons of textile waste accumulate around the world, with only a small percentage ending up recycled. Alarming figures that focus on an industry that ranks as the second most polluting in the world.

To avoid this unsustainable cycle of low quality in excessive quantity, the production model must be altered to allow for long-lasting goods. In that sense, create products using qualitative materials; offer the possibility of customization; add elements that make it easier for the consumer to adjust them if necessary; and preferably follow a timeless aesthetic that can endure through any trend fad of the moment.

The Importance of Sustainable Materials

Selecting sustainable, biodegradable and compostable materials is an imperative step in your sustainability plan, as most often it’s the first thing anyone notices. You must ensure that the origin and treatment of the materials you use have been thoroughly studied. Even vegetable and natural materials can still be subjected to pesticides, chemicals, toxins, animal cruelty, or degradation of the environment. It's essential not only to know where your fabric originates from, but also to direct your efforts in finding materials grown or created under the principles of sustainability.

To that end, textile certifications are a guarantee of sustainability. They give a guide to the ecological and environmental aspects of raw materials, manufacturing and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Among the most recognized certifications are The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), Textile Exchange or Made in Green by Oeko-Tex.

Zero-Waste Cutting Process

During the manufacturing process, a considerable amount of supply usually ends up being discarded. The zero-waste design technique prevents that by planning the necessary dimensions to create each product and fitting the patterns down to the millimetre. This way of designing is certainly not something new, since it has been practiced in countries like Japan for centuries. For e.g., the kimono is constructed with straight lines and rectangular sleeves, getting the most out of this expensive fabric.

Gain Direct Control of Production

Knowing how each product is made is a true testament to how ethical and responsible your production chain really is. In fact, what takes place inside the hefty multi-chains is exactly the opposite. Production becomes so convoluted that one easily loses control of who is making what and under which conditions. Talk about labour exploitation, clandestine workshops, and child labour among many other injustices. Seeing first-hand how employees work and are treated in factories is essential to ensure you're properly following social and environmental responsibility.

Additionally, proximity makes controlling each stage of production much easier. By mapping each link in the production chain, you'll know how much energy is used in manufacturing, where each component comes from, and who is handling the products. The more local you can retain the manufacturing, the more chances you have at being sustainable.

Put Honesty into Practice

A good sustainable brand is more than just a label and strategy. It harnesses the emotions and feelings of its target audience, propels them to action, and encourages greater change. Make your brand story visible and let your consumers be a part of it. Often times, people will buy into the concept more than the goods. There are several Brand Sustainability Categories and many types of strategies and approaches. Being transparent should be a no-brainer – even if you can't follow all principles of sustainability just yet. Whether your company classifies as a Hero, Born Sustainable, Rising Star or Work in Progress, gaining the trust of your audience and admitting the areas where you still need to improve stand above all else.

Keep Your Chin Up When Competing with Market Prices

By this point, to be sustainable or not shouldn’t even be an option, but a moral obligation. But founding a responsible company continues to be dizzying and, let's face it, quite a brave decision. When we talk about doing things right, costs may skyrocket. Starting a company that is 100% sustainable can be costly due to raw materials, new ways of production and manufacturing.

But it’s not sustainable brands that are so expensive; it’s the unsustainable ones that are so damn cheap! Sustainability has everything to do with producing and consuming less – better to have three good shirts than seven. But unfortunately, it costs more to produce less – the eternal struggle of small businesses. They try to wiggle through by either reducing margins, cutting costs by operating online, or advertising via other multi-brand spaces.

Wherever you find yourself in the quest for sustainable brand development, remember that no company is perfect. Thinking bold and bravely taking action stand as our best chance to ever challenge the status quo. These kinds of principles and actions might be exactly what we need to achieve transformative change. Real trailblazers shake things up! If you want to join the sustainable movement, we heartily encourage you to reach out with questions or cool ideas!

Are you interested in a diagnostic session to talk about the current situation of your business? Identify the obstacles that prevent you from reaching your sustainable brand goals? To better understand how their services work, feel free to contact Marie Engberg, Co-founder and Head of Everything Sustainable of The Comarché, at marie@thecomarche.com.

Acumé Magazine

Published April 2022