What is sustainable luxury?

• Answer by Rakesh Salian
• 4th Nov, 2020

'Sustainable luxury' is the future. It is not just an eco-friendly product but it is a luxury product with sustainable values. This is where sustainability meets luxury and it is awesome. Getting luxury without spoiling nature was rare till now. Recently a chain of hotels emerged where the dream is sustainability like Explora in Chile with resorts in the Atacama and other places, and these are fully positive energy buildings, with no litter. Luxury brands are nowadays interested to turn over a new leaf. Now brands prefer sustainability with luxury so do the customers. It is important for any brand to analyze the relationship between luxury and sustainability. Today sustainability in luxury is regarded as a virtually important business perspective by multiple people such as investors, stakeholders, customers, and policymakers.

• Answer by Rakshit Jain
• 6th Nov, 2020

Before I begin, let’s clear the basic definition of sustainability, quite precisely it means, ”the ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level At the same time what pops up in our mind when you hear the word “sustainable”? Hopefully eco friendly products, cruelty free etc. It is also a lesser known fact that sustainable luxury /sustainable products are nothing but manufacturing goods which gives you a long life and a long run. Sustainable luxury: the basic concept seems pretty easy in pen and paper but that's generally not the case, but let’s be practical. Achieving sustainable luxury is one of the most difficult tasks. But one should always keep this in mind that sustainable luxury affects the whole supply chain, from the very beginning to the very ending and it goes way beyond the production of the goods or luxury goods. Sustainable luxury products and brands help to control a few grave issues such as the harm done, supply chain, exploitation of the workers and pollution etc. If one wants to see a better future, sustainability is going to be the only way to attain a better and safe future. Big multi million dollars companies have shown keen interest in being sustainable and eco friendly and have even shown efforts and started their journey in this new “sector”, iconic companies such as, Vivienne Westwood, Stella McCartney,Tiffany & Co.,Farfetch etc have all chosen to be sustainable and according to me the rest should also follow their footsteps and try and be sustainable. It's not just for the sake of their business or being trendy but again so that, these companies are not to be blamed later for the damages they’ve done and also to take care of our mother nature, she has already suffered enough as it is now it’s our time to return her our favour and treat her well. Even though it’s not easy to achieve and requires days and hours of determination, hard work,commitment but each and every one of us should choose sustainable luxury and sustainable luxury only.

• Answer by Gyan Saxena
• 6th Nov, 2020

For more than a decade the concept of “sustainable luxury” has been afoot. Sustainable luxury can relate to all kinds of luxury brands, from fashion to hospitality. The idea of sustainable luxury is to embed sustainability values and practices into a luxury good or brand,instead of offering an “eco-friendly product seeking a premium image”. This article will describe the extent to which sustainable development can be associated with luxury products. In particular, it examines the propensity of consumers to consider recycled materials in luxury purchases. Few sources tells that the case of French luxury clothing indicate that incorporating recycled materials in such goods affects consumer preferences negatively and reveals a certain incompatibility between recycling and the category of luxury products. Despite the increasing concerns of consumers about the preservation of the planet. Numerous number of luxury brands around the world are adopting the concept of sustainable luxury in the hope to attract more discernible customers, improve their brand image, drive innovation and reduce risks associated with climate and ecological breakdown. While this has given rise to greenwashing, many luxury brands do or are starting to see sustainability as a core value integral to the way in which they operate. Our complex world is changing quickly and if we are to survive as a species, we need to increase long-term business resilience in the luxury sector and restore what is left of the biosphere, we may need to rethink our definition of luxury altogether and redesign the industry to one that is restorative and promotes social equity. Standing at the 21st century, we have not much time to prevent further ecosystem collapse and global warming, luxury brands have no choice but to deepen their commitment to sustainability on all levels – and fast. Not only to do better by people and the planet but to increase their own resilience against these issues. If done right, sustainable luxury items will create minimal harm to the environment and will be designed and produced to last a lifetime.

• Answer by Avani Malhotra
• 10th Nov, 2020

Sustainable luxury is the destiny. At a first glance, there seems a contradiction between the two words ‘sustainable’ and ‘luxury’. While the term ‘sustainable luxury’ is taken into consideration, the word ‘luxury’ often carries with connotations of excess and unnecessary, and it is closely related with pleasure and fashion whereas the word ‘sustainability’ associates with eco-friendly and ethics. A sustainable luxury product does not mean an environmentally friendly product claiming a premium image but it is simply a luxury product of a sustainable value. This would be a better choice as it a way of saving our planet – in this way we would be channelling our purchasing power to where there is least harm. Despite some people being positive about the idea of sustainable luxury, the term is often overshadowed by certain ‘negative’ attributes. Even though they have not been promoted as such, luxury products have always been sustainable. This is one reason why they never go off fashion and are always on trend. Amazingly, the leading luxury brands are taking steps towards introducing the idea of ‘sustainable luxury’. This also brings in new choices to the consumers and at the same time fulfilling their desires. When it comes to sustainable luxury, ethics and aesthetics go together like cupcake and frosting!