NET-A-PORTER continues to highlight and celebrate the brands driven by a desire to make fashion and beauty more sustainable. From January 2020, for the first time, 27 beauty brands will be added to the NET SUSTAIN platform, an important development in NET-A-PORTER’s sustainability journey that further allows customers to make informed choices. These new NET SUSTAIN beauty brand will be complemented by 45 additional fashion brands, taking the total up to 100.
To mark this next phase, 17 exclusive capsule collections will launch inspired by the notion of sustainable fashion heroes, those cherished ‘wear forever’ pieces that form the basis of a sharp wardrobe. Each product fits within one or more of the defined NET SUSTAIN attributes which meet the business’ criteria for sustainability and take into account human, animal and environmental welfare and aligning with internationally recognized best practices in the fashion and beauty industries. Headlined by established brands Theory, Gabriela Hearst and By Malene Birger alongside emerging brands Bite Studios, Aaizel and Envelope 1976 who have created a wardrobe of looks that can be worn multiple ways, classic core pieces, and investment items to wear now and forever, making your wardrobe work harder for you.
NET-A-PORTER formalizes its approach to sustainable beauty, based upon the existing framework and pillars established by NET SUSTAIN: Considered Materials & Ingredients, Considered Processes, Reducing Waste, Locally Made, Craft & Community along with the new pillars of Vegan and Animal Welfare. Each individual product has been vetted and fits within one or more of these pillars. Internationally renowned brands Tata Harper, Aesop, Dr Barbara Strum and Vintner’s Daughter join niche and up and coming beauty brands Cosmydor, One Ocean Beauty, Sana Jardin and Seed to Skin to inaugurate the NET SUSTAIN Beauty offering.
Products and brands in NET SUSTAIN will be featured in the dedicated area on site and will be badged according to each pillar so that items can be easily identified, further helping our customers to make informed decisions to align with their values.
Since the launch of NET SUSTAIN in June 2019, we have been committed to expanding in this area and enabling our customer to make informed choices. We are especially excited to launch beauty into the platform for the first time, following extensive onboarding and vetting processes. Terminology with sustainable beauty can mean different things to different people – NET SUSTAIN celebrates the brands that place sustainability at the heart of their business mission, and our attribute taxonomy recognizes that every brand will take a slightly different approach depending on the nature of their supply chain and their end product.
For the new year, we also want to approach our wardrobes with a sense of considered style and so have asked 17 brands to produce the ultimate sustainable key pieces for our customers to love for many seasons to come. It’s all about making your wardrobe work harder for you, mixing one or two investment pieces into your existing collection.
Elizabeth von der Goltz, Global Buying Director, NET-A-PORTER
The next phase of NET SUSTAIN will launch on January 13th, 2020 supported by campaign imagery shot in London and approached with a consideration for environmental impact. Inspired by the work of artist Lewis Miller, NET-A-PORTER worked with McQueens flowers to construct a backdrop from recycled florals and materials, reducing waste and creating a second life with spectacular floral art pieces. NET-A-PORTER is embedding a mission and code into all fashion shoots generally, committing to a reduction of travel, the use of natural light wherever possible, eliminating plastic and single use plastics and requests that all third-party production companies use reusable cutlery and crockery on shoots.
NET SUSTAIN Product Attributes:
CONSIDERED MATERIALS & INGREDIENTS
More and more of us are questioning the provenance of the materials and ingredients in the things we buy. A considered approach means sourcing materials and ingredients cultivated in a way that takes into account the welfare of people, animals and the environment. The standards and certifications considered under this attribute include the Global Organic Textiles Standard, Organic Content Standard, Cotton Made in Africa, Better Cotton Initiative, the COSMOS-standard, Ecocert and the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil.
CONSIDERED PROCESSES
Considered Processes minimize environmental impacts and ensure the health of worker and wearer. Some of the standards and certifications considered under this attribute include Bluesign, Oekotex, Nordic Swan, EU Ecolabel, Leather Working Group, and more.
REDUCING WASTE
This attribute celebrates products made using regenerated or reused materials and the brands designing with circularity in mind. Some of the standards and certifications considered under this attribute include the Global Recycle Standard, Recycled Claim Standard, Cradle to Cradle, and a number of others.
LOCALLY MADE
Locally Made highlights the brands whose purpose and products are intimately connected to its provenance and people. We only include brands that manufacture at least 50% of their product in their own community or country.
CRAFT AND COMMUNITY
Craft & Community lie at the heart of luxury, so we celebrate products that showcase unique artisan skills and brands that adhere to fair trade principles and invest in communities. Some of the standards and certifications considered under this attribute include Fairtrade, Fair for Life, The World Fair Trade Organisation, and Fair Trade Certified.
ANIMAL WELFARE
From cashmere and goose down to Oleic Acid and Shellac some of the world’s most covetable materials and ingredients are derived from animals. The Animal Welfare attribute highlights products made by brands that invest in their supply chains to prohibit animal testing, promote the highest animal welfare standards and meet internationally recognized certifications ensuring good animal husbandry and adherence to the five animal freedoms. Some of the standards and certifications considered under this attribute include the Responsible Wool Standard, Responsible Down Standard and the Leaping Bunny.
VEGAN
With growing awareness of animal welfare issues and the impact of agriculture on the environment, this attribute highlights brands who do not sell any products where the manufacture, materials or ingredients have involved the use of any animal product, by-product or derivative. The standards and certifications considered under this attribute include the Vegan Society certification.
More about Sustainability at the YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP
- The YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP is committed to leading sustainability developments in the industry and collaborating with customers, brands and suppliers to improve practices. This will feed into the YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP strategy that will be released early 2020.
- To reduce carbon emissions and dependency on fossil fuels, the YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP has renewed a commitment to sourcing 100% renewable power by 2020, formalized by signing up to the RE100 international campaign. The YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP is on-track to meet this goal.
- In 2016 YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP published its sustainability report. In 2017 YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP published its non-financial declaration and for 2018 the YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP released its updated sustainability report in June 2019. The YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP Sustainability Strategy will be released early 2020. All these documents are in accordance with GRI standards. The YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP Sustainability Strategy will be released early 2020.
- All packaging throughout the YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP is made from FSC certified cardboard. Signature ribbons and bags for the Luxury business are in the process of being changed to recyclable materials. All other ribbons, bags, and tissue paper are already recyclable. Beauty protection bags are recyclable and are in the process of being phased out for the new fully compostable bag made from bio-based corn/sugar cane materials. Garment protection bags and shoe dust bags are recyclable and/or biodegradable. Plans are in place to address further small use plastics across the operation, including hangers, jewelry boxes and labels.
- The YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP supports and promotes equality for women. Women are well represented at all levels in our business: 63% of our employees, 53% of senior and middle managers and 50% of the executive team are female and are well represented in technical roles.
- The YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP is committed in investing in education for young people and continues to invest in digital education, developing the skills necessary for a thriving digital economy, creating a large and diverse talent pool from which the industry and wider communities will prosper.
- YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP is a member of the European Commission’s Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition, set up to provide training for digital jobs to 1 million young people by 2020.
- In 2016, the YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP joined the international Fur Free Retailer Program, supported by the Fur Free Alliance (FFA). All our multi-brand online stores are Fur Free.
- NET-A-PORTER has been a certified member of the Responsible Jewellery Council since 2014.
- NET-A-PORTER is embedding a mission and code into all fashion shoots generally, committing to a reduction of travel, the use of natural light wherever possible, eliminating plastic and single use plastics and requests that all third-party production companies use reusable cutlery and crockery on shoots.
- NET-A-PORTER has launched a number of internal initiatives for staff including monthly clothing clinics with The Clothes Doctor to repair and alter items to extend the life cycle of existing wardrobe, along with clothing drives with GOOD+ and Dress For Success Greater London
- In 2019, NET-A-PORTER donated a total of over 2,400 items of past season stock to Dress For Success Greater London, GOOD+ and Thread Together.
For further information please visit https://www.ynap.com/pages/sustainability/
