1.2 Sustainability Statement

1.2 Sustainability Statement

The brand has made a promise to the planet and its people “to help prepare our world for a better tomorrow” (Gymshark, n.d), they have committed to using 100% recyclable packaging by the end of 2021, claiming that “our packaging may change, but the sick products inside it won’t” (Gymshark, n.d). Gymshark is also asking its consumers to do “your personal best” by asking for all products to be washed at 30 degrees and line dried, to help reduce energy and water usage, Gymshark also asks consumers “don’t throw it away, throw it the right way” by this it means once consumers are done with a product seek a local textile recycling bank to dispose of the products responsibly (Gymshark, n.d).

This report will be referring to the macro trend ‘Carbon Crusher’ which was developed from the UN’s 17 goals, goal 12 “ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns (United Nations, 2021). The goal aims to change the way consumers dispose of our goods to help prevent a significant impact of pollution and damage to nature, aiming then for consumption and production of goods to be less damaging to the planet (unstats.un.org. n.d), and was a major driver of change within consumer groups. The trend ‘Carbon Crusher’ is a response to the increased awareness consumers are having of the impact of their own and businesses consumption. The trend is a good place to start for companies to reduce their impact on the environment and to align their values with those of their consumers, because of this the trend is a good investment as both the consumer groups and company will benefit in the long term (Newman, D. N.D).

The ‘Carbon Crusher’ trend also highlights the importance of recycling polyester to reduce carbon emissions, because around 70 million barrels of oil a year are used to make polyester fibres for the clothing industry (Ro. C, 2020: S.S, Muthu, 2020). Brands, like Gymshark, need to improve their recycling of polyester as it’s reported that less than 1% of collected textiles are recycled back, this is why it’s important to close the loop on polyester production and recycle it into a new product for the consumer (World Economic Forum, N.D.). Just asking consumers to recycle their product/packaging after use isn’t enough to make an impact on the environment but also the apparel industry and consumer behaviour.