[Interview] Tom Smidts (Unilever): “Challenging times for marketers”
Do not expect brand manufacturers to agree to price cuts now, Unilever‘s Tom Smidts says. Commodity prices remain volatile, and healthy and sustainable food comes with a price. Moreover, “We want to...
View Article[Interview] Pär Lindbäck (H&M): “The recipe for retail has changed completely”
Despite an ongoing trend towards online, H&M continues to invest in physical shops. The concrete interpretation is changing, and additional services are sometimes added. Later this year, the...
View ArticleSelfridges organises swap shop for clothes
British department store chain Selfridges is organising a swap shop to encourage a more sustainable approach to fashion. Customers can swap clothes there for free for three weeks. Clothes need to...
View ArticleInditex aims to use only sustainable fibres by 2030
Fasy-fashion giant Inditex is set to increase its use of recycled fabrics. The parent company of Zara promises to make a quarter of its garments from new types of sustainable materials by 2030. New...
View ArticleEU near ban on destruction of returned goods
The European Parliament has approved a proposal for strict rules regarding the durability of consumer goods. Artificial ageing and the destruction of unsold products will be banned. No planned...
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Discount chain Penny stunts with ‘true prices’
German discount chain Penny is temporarily raising the prices of nine products to include the hidden climate cost. However, the awareness campaign earns the retailer accusations of greenwashing....
View ArticleSpadel invests in packaging-free startup Dripl
Dripl, a Belgian startup developing packaging-free soft drink dispensers, has found new capitao for growth. One of the investors is Spadel‘s fund The Source. The water producer sees great potential in...
View ArticleFirst European application to approve cultured meat is a reality – or not?
(Update) For the first time, a manufacturer is asking the European food authority for the green light to commercialise cultivated meat from bioreactors. However, approval could drag on for years....
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Sustainable denim in Europe: this is how C&A does it
For two years now, C&A has been making jeans in Europe again. This is proving to be no mean feat: in a German factory, the company is banking on automation and innovative production techniques to...
View ArticleBelgian webshops to show environmental impact of delivery options
Each day, one million parcels are delivered in Belgium, at a huge cost to society. To reduce this impact, Belgian retailers will show the most sustainable delivery options in their webshops and give...
View ArticleHelloFresh may no longer call itself climate neutral
HelloFresh is no longer allowed to claim to be the world’s first climate-neutral meal box. A ruling by a German court could also have far-reaching consequences for other companies that “offset” their...
View ArticleLidl tests detergent refill stations
Instead of buying a new bottle of detergent, Lidl customers can now just refill the old one. The German discounter is running a trial in ten Dutch supermarkets. Reducing plastic waste With the...
View Article“Fashion companies underestimate the move to a circular model”
The linear business model of the fashion industry is unsustainable: companies will soon be required to evolve to a circular model, but most players are far from ready to do so. However, their time is...
View ArticleH&M adds Arket to second-hand range
The Swedish H&M group is rolling out second-hand initiatives for more and more of its subsidiary brands: now Arket joins with its Arket Archive. Naturally part With Arket Archive, H&M now has...
View Article[Interview] Plant-based meat for carnivores: Redefine Meat steps into retail
Redefine Meat, producer of plant-based products for carnivores, is moving from the on-trade to Benelux retail: the brand is now available at Crisp and Albert Heijn (online only). “We are going to beat...
View ArticleAmazon sells over one billion worth of second-hand goods
Amazon sees great potential in second-hand and shows this with the opening of a temporary physical second-hand store in London, saying shoppers want to save money and shop more sustainably. Christmas...
View ArticleSecond-hand platform Zara Pre-Owned launches in 14 countries
Zara is expanding its Pre-Owned platform to fourteen additional European countries on 12 December. Among the fourteen are the Benelux countries, as well as major markets Germany, Spain and Italy....
View ArticleThe danger of greenwashing: Unilever under fire
Brand manufacturers better watch out with sustainability claims that are not 100 % substantiated: consumers and governments are increasingly critical. Unilever, for example, now finds itself in the...
View ArticleShein to face “cyber attack” tonight
French activists are planning to unleash a whirlwind of clicks on Shein to make the fashion giant lose money. They are calling for a massive “hack” of the Chinese e-commerce giant this evening. Attack...
View ArticleToo Good To Go trials AI inventory management
Too Good To Go is trying to help the war on food waste forward using AI. For example, the tool can now alert shops to products that are nearing their expiry date and immediately suggest a discount...
View ArticleWhat can we learn from Penny’s “True pricing” experiment?
German discounter Penny pulled a daring stunt last year: the chain charged the “true prices” for nine products, to include their environmental and health impacts. Less sustainable products suddenly...
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[In the picture] Veja opens Repair Shop in Paris
Sustainable trainer brand Veja has opened a Repair Shop for shoes in Paris. Despite the name, the “General Store” is not a store, but a hub that aims to extend the life of trainers through repairs....
View ArticleKiabi trials customisation and repairs in Belgium
Belgium is an interesting lab for new services, French fashion chain Kiabi says. Its Belgian customers can now customise garments, and also repair them so they last longer. Personalised accents Jerôme...
View ArticleFrance to impose huge fines on fast-fashion
The French parliament has approved a bill that wants to impose heavy fines on fast-fashion – up to ten euros per piece by 2030. The proceeds should help offset the environmental damage caused. Ten...
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[Interview] Jerôme Calonne (Kiabi): “Second-hand allows us to reduce our...
Jerôme Calonne, Kiabi French fashion chain Kiabi is looking for Belgian expansion, with a first Belgian franchise shop opening in April before moving to the Dutch-speaking North next year. Belgium is...
View ArticleBelgian presidency revives European duty of care law
The European Council has finally found an agreement on a proposal for the European duty of care act, officially called the “Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive” (CSDDD). However, the...
View Article“Better Cotton is not better at all”
Huge cotton plantations are popping up in the Brazilian savannah, which also supply fashion giants like Inditex and H&M. Although labelled as ‘Better Cotton’, the Brazilian cotton goes hand in...
View Article[Interview] How The Good Roll makes toilet paper ‘eco-sexy’
The Good Roll gives a very mundane product an innovative twist. With toilet paper made from bamboo, and with its social impact, the Dutch start-up makes toilet paper “eco-sexy”. Loving toilet paper...
View ArticleUnilever lowers and delays sustainability targets
Unilever is lowering some of its sustainability targets as they prove more difficult than expected. For example, the producer of Knorr and Dove thinks that making all plastic packaging sustainable by...
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Edeka first to build ‘circular supermarket’
Supermarket chain Edeka, the market leader in Germany, is starting the construction of a supermarket that will be completely recyclable, courtesy of new and sustainable wooden building blocks. Short...
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