Who’s On Top of the Sustainable Cotton Rankings?

This thought-provoking article from Retail Dive, we thought, deserves a share. It’s called Adidas, Ikea lead on sustainable cotton sourcing.

In it, Emma Cosgrove shares her two cents about the Sustainable Cotton Rankings that put Adidas and Ikea on top of the list. Here’s one of her key insights:

The definition of sustainable cotton used for the report’s assessment of the strength of sustainable cotton supply includes Organic cotton, Fairtrade cotton, Cotton Made in Africa (a formal standard covering agricultural and social impact) and cotton certified by the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI). BCI works with farmers to promote a cotton production method “that cares for the environment, minimising the negative effects of fertilisers and pesticides, and caring for water, soil health and natural habitats.”

However, the companies listed in the Sustainable Cotton Ranking were evaluated for company policies that firmly direct more sustainable cotton sourcing — without stipulating by what standards — along with actual followthrough on these policies and the internal traceability available to benchmark sustainability improvements in their cotton supply.

To learn more about this issue, take a look at the rest of this interesting piece….

Read the source article at Retail News and Trends

How Sensory Marketing Will Forge the Future of Brick and Mortar Stores

Sensory marketing is the next wave of retail marketing. It’ll draw consumers out of the online shopping and right back into brick and mortar stores, this article from Retail World suggests.

It shares some really interesting insights. Here’s one of them:

Music is the number one factor to improve a shopper’s mood in-store, the research found. In fact, music has an overall positive impact on 85 per cent of shoppers globally.

The type and quality of the music matters, however. Fifty-seven per cent of global shoppers will “disengage” if brands make poor music choices.

According to the research, 62 per cent of Australians have enjoyed listening to music in-store recently. Just as significantly, 45 per cent have stayed in-store longer because they’ve enjoyed the music.

It’s an insightful article that we thought we would share with you. Just click on the link below to learn more…

Read the source article at Retail World Magazine

Sustainable Fashion Will be All the Rage in 2020

Here’s a really fascinating piece from Inside Retail. It’s called Sustainable is the new ticket to play.

There’s some really thought-provoking stuff in here. Here’s one that caught our attention:

Retailers should see the circular economy as an opportunity to be innovative, collaborative and explore new business models that connect with their customers. Partnerships are key in a circular economy, ranging from recyclers, resellers, repairers, manufacturers, distributors and customers themselves.

An example of a company that has taken the textile circular economy to heart is Nudie Jeans, which uses sustainable and recycled materials. The company has global repair locations for customers to maintain their jeans, as well as re-sell and recycle their jeans.

For more information, take a look at the rest of this interesting article at the link below…

Read the source article at Inside Retail