- What goes around comes around, especially when it comes to fashion and clothing.
- According to PwC and Assocham, landfills are brimming with so much urban waste that by 2050, India is reportedly going to need a landfill that's the size of its capital New Delhi.
- Before World Environment Day, we talk to Myntra about its new e-store,
Myntra for Earth , that is targeting environment-conscious shoppers and aiming to focus more on sustainability as it moves forward. - Ayyappan Rajagopal, Chief Business Officer, Myntra tells us about the kind of response Myntra for Earth has seen so far, what kind of sustainable choices do consumers have, changing fashion trends in the future and Myntra for Earth’s goals for this quarter.
More and more consumers are becoming aware of their fashion choices and realising that a worn-out piece of cloth they decide to throw, even as simple as a plain t-shirt, never really goes ‘away.’ It all ends up in a landfill. According to an Assocham and PwC report, landfills are brimming with so much urban waste that by 2050, India is reportedly going to need a landfill that's the size of its capital, New Delhi.
At the same time, fast fashion is becoming a trend, which offers consumers the opportunity to buy more clothes at a lower price and that has taken a toll on the environment. It offers consumers an option to swiftly discard their clothes and buy new ‘trendy’ dresses.
Consumers and brands aren’t ignoring these horrifying numbers anymore. This World Environment Day, many fashion brands have sworn to make a difference and be cognizant of the harmful effects their products can have on the environment.
E-commerce giant Myntra has also stepped up. It has officially launched a sustainable e-store called ‘Myntra for Earth’ that only features eco-friendly fashion choices for all genders and age groups. It has already onboarded 70 leading fashion and lifestyle brands over the last 6 months to offer over 5500 styles to customers on its sustainable store.
The store includes handloom and handcrafted, organic, natural-dyed, recyclable and eco-friendly, vegan, and cruelty-free options. The products ordered through this store are delivered in packets made from 100% recycled paper. It is now working towards scaling the number of brands in the store to ~2X by the upcoming quarter while adding another 4000 styles to the existing assortment.
We caught up with Ayyappan Rajagopal, Chief Business Officer, Myntra to discuss the challenges of launching a new e-store during a global pandemic, its sustainability roadmap, a few trends that we can expect to see in sustainable fashion and platform’s goals to grow the store this quarter.
Excerpts:
Q. Tell us more about the 'Myntra for Earth’ store. When was it launched? What kind of response have you seen from the consumers?
Launched in October 2020, "Myntra for Earth" is Myntra's sustainable store showcasing a more conscious choice to fashion and lifestyle shoppers. About 70 leading fashion and lifestyle brands have partnered with Myntra over the last 6 months to offer over 5500 styles to customers on its sustainable store. The store offers an immersive and engaging shopping experience for truly ‘sustainability-inclined’ conscious shoppers. As of now, we have seen increased growth in store visits and an uptick in revenue since its launch.
The specially-curated store recognises the fashion industry’s sustainability efforts and also aims at augmenting the income opportunities of artisans and NGOs involved. Since its launch, Myntra For Earth store has received a phenomenal response. We are working towards scaling the number of brands in the store to ~2X by the upcoming quarter while adding another 4000 styles to the existing assortment.
Q. How are you planning to market this store? Is there a larger campaign-in-the-making to raise awareness?
Currently, we are focussing on having the right assortment of brands and products for the consumers in the store as the topmost priority. We have already received phenomenal response from consumers for the products of the store. Nearly 62% of the visitors to the ‘Myntra For Earth’ store are women, with metro cities contributing about 40% of the overall visits to the store. People of all age groups are seemingly conscious about their fashion choices and their impact on the environment in varying degrees. However, those in the age group of 21 to 35 are contributing the highest to the growth of the ‘Myntra For Earth’ store.
Q. You have 70 brand partners on Myntra For Earth already. Can you mention a few names? Which are the most loved brands so far?
Key names among many include H&M, Mango, Unnati Silks, Bharatsthali, Pothys, Metro Kids Company, Kama Ayurveda, Forest Essentials and Fab India among others.
Q. So far, we have only seen a few start-ups that are completely sustainable. Are Indian legacy brands following suit?
The MFE store has a combination of both home-grown brands like Taavi, Taniera and global brands like Levi, Mango & H&M that give importance to sustainability. Most of the legacy brands have a dedicated charter of well-defined goals on sustainability to educate consumers on organic fashion.
Q. Is the packaging for Myntra Earth products different from others? Considering it aims to have a minimal effect on the environment?
The majority of the orders are delivered using paper packaging at Myntra. We are gradually moving towards a complete eco-friendly paper for delivery purposes.