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New Look pioneers sustainable fashion circular economy ‘game changer’

New Look: ready for reuse

New Look: ready for reuse

New Look has become one of the first fashion retailers to partner with second-hand clothing website Re-fashion and tech company EVRYTHING to create a much easier way for consumers to recycle their unwanted fashion.

Working together,  EVRYTHNG and Re-Fashion are looking to create a way to not only make selling-on of clothes easier but also better manage the digital identity and provenance of the items being re-used. Using EVRYTHING’s Active Digital Identities, all items of clothing from New Look can be digitised and so can leave a trace as they are moved around.

This allows a garment to tell consumers its story with a digital experience unique to the consumer using technology and data to guarantee it is exactly what it says it is, and connecting the consumer to the item and the brand in a way that has never been possible before, says the company.

Digitised products generate and deliver real-time data throughout the product lifecycle, driving greater operational efficiency, better consumer engagement and higher brand advocacy. Consumers simply scan the digital identity on the product’s label/tag with their smartphone to receive valuable product information and personalized experiences. Products can be traced from point of origin right through to point of use, or consumption, and on to recycling /recommerce.

“As this year’s COP26 highlighted, time is not on our side and we all need to act fast in the battle against climate change, as consumers and as businesses. At Re-Fashion we’re passionate about putting a stop to billions of fashion items ending up in landfill every year,” says Steve Lyons, director and owner, Re-Fashion. “We are dedicated to creating fashion circularity and re-use, but needed a way of tracking every item we sell so we could encourage its return.  Our partnership with EVRYTHNG is absolutely crucial in helping create a more sustainable fashion industry. By matching our approach with EVRYTHNG’s technology, the recycling method becomes easier to action by creating the digital identities for items either at the point of production or, as they’re processed by our team. We have a truly circular solution for fashion out in the market, as we speak.”

Re-Fashion has already begun work with New Look, a leading fashion brand founded back in 1969 that now ships to around 66 countries worldwide. As Sue Fairley, Head of Sustainability, New Look, explains: “At New Look we strive to put sustainability at the forefront of what we do – not only responsibly buying and sourcing raw materials but also addressing circularity and ensuring that a product is repurposed and reused as much as it possibly can be.”

She adds: “We don’t want people to throw away their products, but we know that they get bored with them, which is why circularity is so important for the fashion industry. We can’t continue to deplete the world of its resources and now technology is at a point where we can address those concerns and introduce what we call the ‘kind’ product.”

“New Look is, unquestionably, becoming a leader in sustainable fashion retailing. When I look in their shops, I can see the sustainable thread all the way through their business. The effort they’re putting into driving circularity in fashion suggests they are fully committed, and it’s time for us, as consumers and businesses, to get behind this effort. We encourage all retailers and brands to explore the opportunity this affords,” concludes Lyons.

“At EVRYTHNG we’re privileged to work with many businesses and brands around the globe addressing environmental issues. This is one such partnership where Re-Fashion encourages people to recycle their unwanted clothing, giving their unloved items a second life by processing a product, listing it, photographing it and ensuring that it’s good enough quality to sell.” comments Cyrus Gilbert-Rolfe, CRO, EVRYTHNG. “What’s truly exciting about this union is that we’re already working with the leading fashion brand, New Look, to support their sustainable efforts further. What we need is more brands keeping more garments in the circular economy. That’s good for the brand, it’s good for the consumer and it’s good for the future of the planet.”

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