Sustainable, green and fair – words that are starting to mean more and more to most of us when we are choosing which goods to spend our money on and what businesses to support.
Many retailers are already ahead of the curve here, realising how important climate action and sustainability are becoming to consumers.
Here on our home shores, Arnotts recently reached out to their customers and a whopping 81 percent of those asked admitted that buying better, local, ethical and sustainable were some of their main considerations that dictated what and where they shopped.
Today, Arnotts is encouraging everyone to make one change to make their lifestyle more sustainable this World Earth Day.
Listening to their own customers, Arnotts launched its Sustainable Edit of beauty, fashion, kids and home products.
"We want our conscious customers to have it all – sustainable products that make you look good and feel good," explains Dorothy Maxwell, Head of Sustainability Brown Thomas Arnotts.
"Sustainability is a key priority for our business and our customers in Arnotts. We want to support our teams and customers to take meaningful actions to make a difference. Together, we can make a positive change."
The Sustainable Edit at Arnotts already consists of over 120 brands, which translates into more than 850 products across beauty, fashion, kids and home. These are certified to best practice ethical and environmental standards. In the beauty category, our Sustainable Edit has over 300 cruelty-free beauty products from brands including Anastasia Beverley Hills, Aveda, Bare Minerals, Bumble & Bumble, IT, Nails Inc, Ren, Sunday Riley. Our sustainable beauty brands include Sunday Riley, Nunaia, Pestle & Mortar, MyClarins, Tata Harper, Floris, Aveda, Origins and NEOM.
In homewares, consumers can choose earth-friendly products too. Irish made brand Max Benjamin have shifted to reusable candles, fragrances and palm oil free soaps. Linens brands like Sheridans, Purity Home and Velfont use Organic cotton and environmental hero fabric Tencel™ made from wood pulp and Vossen towels are plant-based and verified vegan.
And it's not just the product on offer that is seeing Arnotts make a serious commitment to a greener retail future.
"At Arnotts, we are dedicated to our sustainability commitments, from working, buying and selling responsibly to supporting our communities," Maxwell says.
"Over the last year, we have achieved milestone targets in these areas. We launched our Sustainable and Irish Products Edits, introduced take back, switched to 100 percent verified green electricity, set our Science-Based Targets for carbon reductions over 50 percent from 2020-2030, shifted to zero-emissions vehicles for online deliveries in Dublin so far, with all cities planned, reduced our waste by 20 percent and achieved Zero Waste to Landfills."
The department store has also managed to eliminate over 68,000 single-use plastic water bottles a year, have introduced reusable carrier bags, shifted to FSC & PEFC certified sustainable timber packaging, raised over €175,000 for charity and completed over 150 volunteering days cleaning beaches and planting trees.
"We have worked closely with our brands, concessions and supply partners. We joined sustainability leadership initiatives in Ireland and internationally which support us to continuously improve and scale our progress. These include the Repak Plastics Pledge, G7 Fashion Pact and Voice Ireland. We are proud to become the first Irish retailer to have our Champions complete the Green Teams National Programme accredited by the EPA and achieve the IBEC KeepWell mark."
