"[We] are highly focused on making clothes in a responsible, sustainable way, that limits the impact on the environment and [which] challenges ourselves to continually work as hard as we can to improve how we manufacture," said Marta Ortega. "It’s something that we all feel really passionately about as individuals, as well as in a work capacity. [We are] always looking for ways in which we can do better: working on new technologies, new ways to work with recycled materials, and helping create new fabrics that our designers, as well as others in the industry, can work with in the future. It’s the right thing to do, both morally and commercially, and it's an approach that we’re absolutely committed to."
Even the most cursory glance at the recent news cycle shows how all of us are getting focused (and rightly so) on what we’re doing to the planet and the urgency for action: The bid last week by Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, amongst others, to declare climate change an official emergency, despite the quite appalling denials to the contrary from the current administration; the 7,000 universities and colleges worldwide that echoed that push, declaring that we are, indeed, in a climate emergency; and the planned blockade in five UK cities by activist group Extinction Rebellion, who have already done the same in Paris in late June.
Zara’s future goals and targets were intended to build on what the company has done thus far, which has included the following ever since it signed the United Nations (UN) Global Compact in 2001: a series of five-year strategic environmental plans; aligning itself with the development and use of responsibly and sustainably produced fabrics; transforming its stores and facilities so they’re eco-efficient; recycling packaging and using green alternatives for its packing materials; an in-store recycling donation program; and launching its eco-conscious Join Life collection which, the execs revealed, will account for 20 per cent of Zara’s offerings by the end of 2019.
As for what has to be done next, the following were outlined as priorities. By 2020, a commitment to Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals for its supply chain, training all of its designers in the cruciality of circularity, and not using fibres from endangered forests. By 2023, ensuring the use of 100 per cent sustainable cellulosic fibres for responsible viscose, the absolute eradication of single-use plastics, and complete adoption of green-only packaging. And before the end of 2025, collections created out of 100 per cent sustainable cottons and linens and 100 per cent recycled polyester, as well as zero landfill waste from its facilities, and achieving 80 per cent renewable energy use for its HQ, distribution centres, and stores.
While these are ambitious and authentic commitments to Zara’s corporate action on the environment, what was striking that July morning was the openness from the executives to address the elephant in the room, which is this: How does the company square away its preeminence in the realm of fast fashion with the harsh truths of our environmental situation? The company’s eco objectives aside, there was a real and honest desire to engage with what Zara needs to do to align itself with where we are going as a culture: to slow down, to buy less, to make what we have last longer. (That certainly seems to be the case at Zara’s newest New York store at Hudson Yards, where the general feeling is of things being more edited, considered – a calmer, reflective, less-is-more approach.) To further gauge the company’s mindset further, three of its women’s designers – Bea Padin, Simon Psaric, and Eva Vidal – weighed in on the importance of sustainability and what they’re doing to achieve those goals.
Why has sustainability become so important to Zara?
Bea Padin: We’ve always been sustainability conscious. [Our] production is adjusted in response to sales, thus minimising surplus stocks, and by extension, waste. Today we have more scope for doing this because there are more recycled and organic fabrics. The industry throws up new design opportunities, which constitute a very appealing challenge.
Simon Psaric: To me, the beating heart [of Zara] is the customer. It’s quite clear they are fully engaged and interested in making authentic, environmentally conscious decisions in every aspect of their lives.
Eva Vidal: It started in a very natural manner, sparked by our designers and buyers. The way we work, it’s common to hold meetings to coordinate designs, purchases, management, fabrics, et cetera. Sustainability began to spontaneously become part of those conversations – [and] with increasing intensity. We work hand in hand with our suppliers to learn what the options are, to research new processes, materials and fibres; we became captivated by a new way of approaching our business, that we have a major role to play in spearheading change.
Padin: We’ve always focused on durability, particularly emotional durability. We’ve seen clothes that were trendsetting when they first came out go on to become staples on account of their timelessness, and that’s a source of pride for us as designers. Our approach to fashion is always customer-centric. They increasingly share our same sensitivity towards sustainability. They are the ones who decide and our obligation is to meet their expectations, in a sustainable manner.
Psaric: The sense of promoting longevity is also at the top of our minds. We are becoming more and more obsessed with ensuring pieces that are imbued with the qualities of timelessness and durability. We are striving to offer pieces that can form the basis of a wardrobe, or, as we say in Spanish, fondo de armario. For instance, the camel coat that makes its debut every October, or a dress in an Italian-designed archival print, which becomes something to cherish and wear for many summers to come. That coat may have been made from high-quality Italian wool spun from recycled wool fibres by a decades-old Italian mill to create a piece that someone will keep for years. Maybe her daughter will wear it one day!
Vidal: We plan to continue working on the quality of our clothes, as we’ve always done, albeit framed by our responsibility as producers; creating a new way of working that is totally sustainable, consolidating a new way of approaching fashion.
Padin: All of those things. At Zara, the teams are very conscious, but we are also seeing that sensitivity at our suppliers. In particular, we see it in the options being created by the new recycled fabrics, whether from natural or man-made fibres, sustainable plant-based fabrics, et cetera. However, we are keenly aware that there is still a long way to go. The industry has to find new techniques, develop the fabrics, and get them to market!
Psaric: When I walk in [to a showroom] to see a fabric collection, my first question is: Which are the most sustainable, environmentally conscious fabrics? This attitude pushes the suppliers to prioritise sustainable developments. For instance, a trim supplier just recently approached me with a beautiful collection of biodegradable buttons made from corn.
Vidal: We are aware that there are [now] materials, fibres, and processes that allow us to make garments which are 100 per cent recycled without renouncing design. Preparation of our first outerwear collection made solely from recycled materials [winter 2018] was a complex process, as it entailed procuring new fabrics and finishings which were sustainable and compliant with our quality standards. Today, after several collections and a lot of hard work, we have embraced the most important lesson: the only way forward is to marry design and sustainability. The challenge is to make all of our garments sustainably.
Psaric: My daily uniform is a statement pair of pants with a nicely fitting T-shirt in white, navy, or heather grey. I often wear our Join Life cotton crew-neck tees; the fabric for these shirts is ecologically grown – and it’s the only one I’ve encountered with the right weight, softness, and feel! It’s essential to me to have a tightly edited wardrobe; nothing enters it that doesn’t feel fundamentally necessary. And I love browsing through vintage and secondhand stores.
Vidal: I am mad for all things denim. I’ve bought several pairs of jeans from the last collection, all of which were made from recycled cotton, and some [jeans] from the new upcycling capsule, made using fibres obtained from secondhand jeans. And I am a fan of this season’s voluminous garments made from Tencel. When you see all the possibilities offered in terms of sustainability, the extent of what can be done, you do feel more responsibility for your decisions. I continue to buy new clothes, albeit with a fuller perspective. I evaluate what my clothes are made of, and though design is still a priority, I identify more with the brands that are embracing change and evolving in terms of sustainability. We have to make our desires heard if we want to see results. It’s up to all of us.
Bea Padin: We’ve always been sustainability conscious. [Our] production is adjusted in response to sales, thus minimising surplus stocks, and by extension, waste. Today we have more scope for doing this because there are more recycled and organic fabrics. The industry throws up new design opportunities, which constitute a very appealing challenge.
Simon Psaric: To me, the beating heart [of Zara] is the customer. It’s quite clear they are fully engaged and interested in making authentic, environmentally conscious decisions in every aspect of their lives.
Eva Vidal: It started in a very natural manner, sparked by our designers and buyers. The way we work, it’s common to hold meetings to coordinate designs, purchases, management, fabrics, et cetera. Sustainability began to spontaneously become part of those conversations – [and] with increasing intensity. We work hand in hand with our suppliers to learn what the options are, to research new processes, materials and fibres; we became captivated by a new way of approaching our business, that we have a major role to play in spearheading change.
You’ve always offered trend-driven fashion, and quickly. How has the impetus for a slower fashion culture influenced that, when we are in an era in which we want things to stick around, not be disposable?
Padin: We’ve always focused on durability, particularly emotional durability. We’ve seen clothes that were trendsetting when they first came out go on to become staples on account of their timelessness, and that’s a source of pride for us as designers. Our approach to fashion is always customer-centric. They increasingly share our same sensitivity towards sustainability. They are the ones who decide and our obligation is to meet their expectations, in a sustainable manner.
Psaric: The sense of promoting longevity is also at the top of our minds. We are becoming more and more obsessed with ensuring pieces that are imbued with the qualities of timelessness and durability. We are striving to offer pieces that can form the basis of a wardrobe, or, as we say in Spanish, fondo de armario. For instance, the camel coat that makes its debut every October, or a dress in an Italian-designed archival print, which becomes something to cherish and wear for many summers to come. That coat may have been made from high-quality Italian wool spun from recycled wool fibres by a decades-old Italian mill to create a piece that someone will keep for years. Maybe her daughter will wear it one day!
Vidal: We plan to continue working on the quality of our clothes, as we’ve always done, albeit framed by our responsibility as producers; creating a new way of working that is totally sustainable, consolidating a new way of approaching fashion.
How is it affecting your working practices? The choice of fabrics, the sense of things not being disposable?
Padin: All of those things. At Zara, the teams are very conscious, but we are also seeing that sensitivity at our suppliers. In particular, we see it in the options being created by the new recycled fabrics, whether from natural or man-made fibres, sustainable plant-based fabrics, et cetera. However, we are keenly aware that there is still a long way to go. The industry has to find new techniques, develop the fabrics, and get them to market!
Psaric: When I walk in [to a showroom] to see a fabric collection, my first question is: Which are the most sustainable, environmentally conscious fabrics? This attitude pushes the suppliers to prioritise sustainable developments. For instance, a trim supplier just recently approached me with a beautiful collection of biodegradable buttons made from corn.
Vidal: We are aware that there are [now] materials, fibres, and processes that allow us to make garments which are 100 per cent recycled without renouncing design. Preparation of our first outerwear collection made solely from recycled materials [winter 2018] was a complex process, as it entailed procuring new fabrics and finishings which were sustainable and compliant with our quality standards. Today, after several collections and a lot of hard work, we have embraced the most important lesson: the only way forward is to marry design and sustainability. The challenge is to make all of our garments sustainably.
How has sustainability impacted your own wardrobe? And your own lifestyle?
Padin: [With] the pieces I wear every day and [which] constitute my wardrobe staples: a shirt made from sustainable cotton poplin, a suit made from recycled wool, and a recycled cashmere men’s sweater. Nowadays I pay more attention to everything I consume, not just clothing. Yesterday I was at the hairdresser’s and I was offered a plastic bag for some things I’d bought but explained that I didn’t want it. We have to start with the small things in order to achieve something great. Imagine what we can achieve by translating that to our work environment – and at home, where we must also raise awareness.
Psaric: My daily uniform is a statement pair of pants with a nicely fitting T-shirt in white, navy, or heather grey. I often wear our Join Life cotton crew-neck tees; the fabric for these shirts is ecologically grown – and it’s the only one I’ve encountered with the right weight, softness, and feel! It’s essential to me to have a tightly edited wardrobe; nothing enters it that doesn’t feel fundamentally necessary. And I love browsing through vintage and secondhand stores.
Vidal: I am mad for all things denim. I’ve bought several pairs of jeans from the last collection, all of which were made from recycled cotton, and some [jeans] from the new upcycling capsule, made using fibres obtained from secondhand jeans. And I am a fan of this season’s voluminous garments made from Tencel. When you see all the possibilities offered in terms of sustainability, the extent of what can be done, you do feel more responsibility for your decisions. I continue to buy new clothes, albeit with a fuller perspective. I evaluate what my clothes are made of, and though design is still a priority, I identify more with the brands that are embracing change and evolving in terms of sustainability. We have to make our desires heard if we want to see results. It’s up to all of us.
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