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As someone who has been championing sustainability for over 30 years she had an approachable, passionate and steadfast attitude – telling us how the environmental world has changed since she co-authored her best-selling book, ‘The Green Consumer Guide’, with John Elkington in 1988. The Green Consumer Guide, published in the Autumn of 1988, had an explosive impact – with 11 print runs in the first few weeks and ultimately selling over 1m copies world wide. John’s idea was to demonstrate that there were good business opportunities for companies offering products and services with good green credentials. When I first got in touch with them, whilst researching The Green Consumer Guide, they were totally unaware of the green issues affecting their business.

Our brand to trust, Po-Zu, is an award-winning sustainable footwear brand that utilises Piñatex® as a cruelty-free alternative to leather that is strong yet soft, flexible and breathable. The bluesign® system is a sustainable textile production solution that eliminates harmful substances right from the beginning of the manufacturing process by setting and controlling standards for an environmentally friendly and safe production. TENCEL™ fibres are produced with REFIBRA™ technology and are manufactured in an efficient closed-loop process, contributing to the circular economy in the textile industry. Multi-stakeholder events such as Copenhagen Fashion Summit are critical to driving collaboration between industry leaders with the goal of creating a better future for the fashion industry – one that benefits business, society, and the environment.

As a regular attendee of The Financial Times Business of Luxury Summit—an annual conference involving senior executives, professors, consultants and influencers in the global luxury sector—I have observed that sustainability and social responsibility are prominently discussed issues, and believe the brands themselves are eager to improve processes and set the standards for sustainable and ethical practices. For instance, Biotherm, one of its brands, launched in 2017 the “Waterlovers” sun care range made with a 96 per cent biodegradable formula base, which decreases the product’s overall environmental footprint by 80 per cent compared to the average sunscreen formula. The property, designed to EarthCheck standards—the world’s leading programme to assess environmental sustainability in the tourism industry—was made with 100 per cent locally sourced materials. Through the discussed examples of the luxury brands and establishments, I hope to have shown readers that in today’s evolving social and environmental landscape, sustainability is the game-changer.

Defined by the World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO), Fair Trade is: a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect, that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions o, and securing the rights of, marginalised producers and workers – especially in the South. The aim was to create development opportunities for marginalised and impoverished communities in the Global South, not through aid but by providing fair access to export markets – the “trade-not-aid” strategy. The Principles are set by WFTO members and based on common Fair Trade values, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions, human rights and other internationally recognised principles.