Many people across the world think that sustainable luxury is for tomorrow. That is no longer the case. The time for sustainable luxury is today, right now. We do not have the luxury to say no to good and sensible actions to save our environment, our loved ones and our future generations.
Sustainability as a norm
Sustainability is definitely the only way forward and it has to become our way of life completely. The same fundamental applies to the world of luxury. In fact in the industry of opulence, the onus is on all the creators as well as consumers of luxury to ensure that sustainable luxury becomes the norm and not the exception.
The idea is not to simply create a superficial mirage of being eco friendly or simply tagging one’s luxury products as sustainable to gain brownie points. Rather the whole objective for every luxury brand out there is to become truly sustainable and eco friendly to the maximum extent possible. It would mean giving up on a lot of things that have been ingrained as habits for years. It would also mean getting out from the proverbial comfort zones that most luxury brands have been cocooned in for many years.
Above all, it would also mean sacrificing a bit of the profits initially and putting in that extra effort to stick to eco-friendly protocols. However, it is definitely all going to be worth it because the true worth of a luxury brand is soon going to be its sustainability quotient for the new age and earth-conscious consumers.
Sustainable values
Every luxury brand, product, service has to ingrain sustainable values in its foundation and in its entire approach towards the luxury business. As the buyers and consumers of luxury become more and more aware, they will gradually shun those luxury brands that they think are harming their planet and their children’s future. Such consumers will not even bat an eyelid to choose a lesser-known luxury brand that is sustainable over an established luxury brand that is not.
While many people do feel good discussing the concept of sustainability; they fail to walk the talk when it comes to taking action. They find it difficult to let go of their hard formed habits. Also, there are multiple misconceptions about sustainable luxury. Many feel that sustainability is not feasible; it is much costlier and not possible to adhere to in the long run. Such luxury brands and the people running the show for them would soon find themselves in a lot of trouble with luxury consumers in the near future.
Sustainable luxury is in a way the combination of two words which appear to the opposites of each other. Many think that luxury means extravagance, wastage, over the top kind of category. The perception of luxury has to be redefined to mean the best in its class rather than an unnecessary show-off. Once this is established then the following sustainability in the luxury industry would not be such a big issue at all.
As the Millennial and Gen Z become a force to reckon with as consumers in the luxury segment, they also bring along with them a very conscious attitude with them about conservation, eco-friendliness and sustainability. The young are getting serious about sustainability and they are strongly vocal about it. They have the privilege of being born in a digital era and they can get any kind of communication across any length of this planet within the blink of an eye; thanks to social media. Luxury brands simply cannot ignore them and if they do so, it would surely be at their own peril.
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