The "I Am A Plastic Bag" tote is made of recycled bottles - 32, to be precise. Image credit: Anya Hindmarch
Fresh off the success of its “I Am A Plastic Bag” campaign, British leather goods and accessories brand Anya Hindmarch has been awarded the Butterfly Mark to honor its commitment to creating a positive impact on humans and the planet.
Anya Hindmarch’s fair labor policies, memberships of the Leather Working Group and Better Cotton Initiative, and commitment to a circular economy impressed Positive Luxury, the organization that awards the Butterfly Mark to eco-conscious luxury lifestyle brands.
“Anya Hindmarch has evolved her “I’m Not a Plastic Bag” campaign from more than a decade ago into the new “I Am A Plastic Bag” campaign, encouraging consumers to consider the lifespan of their purchases,” said Diana Verde Nieto, cofounder of London-based Positive Luxury, in a statement. “This exemplifies our mission to educate consumers on the positive impacts fashion businesses can make."
Indeed, Anya Hindmarch’s new capsule collection called “I Am A Plastic Bag” sold out within no time after launch, benefiting from a well-timed publicity and marketing campaign orchestrated during London Fashion Week earlier this month (see story).
Anya Hindmarch closed its London stores Feb. 15-18 and filled them with used plastic bottles to showcase the problem of plastic going into landfill. It took 90,000 plastic bottles to fill the stores, which is how many plastic bottles go to U.K. landfills every 8.5 minutes. Image credit: Anya Hindmarch
In the bag
Positive Luxury’s third-party accreditation mark acknowledges a brand’s actions across governance, social and environmental frameworks, community impact and innovation.
Brands are evaluated through its Sustainability Council of thought leaders, industry experts and institutional partners, winning the Butterfly Mark only after clearing the assessment process.They can display the Butterfly mark on their site and app, as well as those of their retail partners.
The Butterfly Mark is a third-party accreditation from Positive Luxury honoring care to society and environment. Image credit: Positive Luxury
Holders of the Butterfly Mark include brands such as Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Givenchy, Kenzo, Loewe and Temperley London in fashion and accessories; Acqua di Parma, Guerlain, One Ocean Beauty and Yves Saint Laurent in beauty care; Baume, Forevermark, Garrard, IWC Schaffhausen, Stephen Webster and Tag Heuer in watches and jewelry; Glenmorangie, Veuve Cliquot, Krug, Moët et Chandon, Hennessy and Dom Perignon in wines and spirits; and Cliveden House in hospitality.
Anya Hindmarch, it would seem, is in good company.
With its latest effort, Anya Hindmarch aims to grow awareness and tackle the rampant issue of single-use plastic. The capsule collection used fabrics created from recycled plastic materials.
In another nod to sustainability, the brand is eliminating polybags from its packaging and switching to FSC-certified carton paper and soy-based ink.
“Since 2007, when we created the ‘I’m Not a Plastic Bag’ project, Anya Hindmarch has leveraged the impact and platform that the fashion industry provides to deliver the message of responsible actions and behavior,” company founder Ms. Hindmarch said in a statement.
“We are constantly looking at the best way of doing things in each area of our business, from supply chain and materials to our team and charitable endeavors,” she said.
Here is a Q&A with Ms. Verde Nieto on the Butterfly Mark and its process of awarding, as well as luxury leadership in sustainability:
What is it about Anya Hindmarch that makes the brand stand out for its eco-consciousness?
There are several initiatives within Anya Hindmarch’s business strategy that made us at Positive Luxury recognise the brand for its sustainability. Their fair labor policies, memberships to the Leather Working Group and Better Cotton Initiative, and commitment to a circular economy all demonstrate their positive impact.
Lastly, their “I Am A Plastic Bag” campaign features a capsule collection of handbags made from 32 recycled PET bottles highlighting the persistence of single-use plastic and the innovation in place to use circular economy principals in fashion.
This is an excellent initiative that’s super visible and clearly very popular – it’s already sold out!
How does Positive Luxury decide the award of its Butterfly Mark?
The Butterfly Mark is a unique mark awarded to luxury lifestyle brands in recognition of their commitment to creating a positive impact on our world.
The Mark recognizes a brand’s actions across these key areas: governance, social and environmental frameworks, community investment and innovation.
We evaluate brands through a comprehensive assessment process that is reviewed by our Sustainability Council, industry experts and institutional partners.
Brands need to also present all supporting information about their claims.
When a brand passes our assessment process, they receive the Butterfly Mark, which visibly authenticates luxury brands that contribute to a better world.
Which other luxury brands have received the Butterfly Mark and what can they do with the award?
We have more than 150 brands across the lifestyle industry, from fashion to beauty to hospitality to premium drinks.
All of our brands are encouraged to display the Butterfly Mark across all their marketing material and on their Web site, so that they can display the interactive Mark.
Each brand is assigned a unique set of Positive Actions based on their areas of excellence in sustainability, and we provide toolkits on how to engage all stakeholders to help them understand the impact and commitments of the brand.
The interactive Butterfly Mark also gathers data that can help that brand understand how people are engaging with their products, and what they value most when it comes to sustainability.
What is the crisis that the luxury business is facing in terms of sustainability that requires urgency?
The world is on fire, so to speak, and of course that includes the fashion industry.
Luxury brands influence the world of fashion, beauty, travel, et cetera. They have the opportunity to set the tone for all businesses and make sustainability aspirational.
That means making tough decisions and implementing the most sustainable practices holistically through their business, from the culture of the organization, to their value chain, retail, ecommerce, product, packaging et cetera.
We need responsible leadership. The real winners will be the companies that are really putting their money where the mouth is.
The woven fabric used to make I Am A Plastic Bag is made from a yarn created from plastic bottles. To create a weather-resistant durable finish, we then coat the fabric in recycled PVB, a product which is extracted from old car windscreens. #TheArtofCraftsmanship #IAmAPlasticBag pic.twitter.com/q2qEDQea1B
— ANYA HINDMARCH (@anyahindmarch) February 15, 2020