As the care for our planet has become ever more urgent, many a company is stepping up its efforts to pitch in, including Selfridges. Interestingly, the London-based department store sets a new standard in the retail industry by being the very first in the luxury segment to make a long-term environmental commitment. Today, Selfridges‘ new and transformative sustainability initiative Project Earth has officially kicked off at its flagship store in the British capital and branches in Birmingham and Manchester, and which aims to change the way we shop by 2025. It builds on the steps Selfridges has taken over the last ten years to place sustainability at the heart of the business, and aims to help customers change the way they shop in three ways: by addressing the materials used in products, launching and exploring new retail models such as repair and resell, and engaging with teams, partners and customers to inspire a shift in mindsets.
Working closely with over 300 brand partners and with support from the Woodland Trust and WWF, the Project Earth initiative will kickstart with eight weeks of experiments, innovations and conversations, across all stores and online, dedicated to reinventing retail. The aforementioned collaborations include exclusive collections from leading brands, such as Prada Re-Nylon, Levi’s, Barbour, Craig Green, KITH and Dukes Cupboard. Additionally, there’ll be a programme of events and activities to engage with issues, amplify conversations and challenge mindsets by exploring the most exciting ideas in sustainability with some of the most influential thinkers.
The department store is also embedding circularity into the business with new services, including a Repairs Concierge, helping customers to find which repair service is needed to make love-worn items as good as new, and next month, Resellfridges, its first own brand resale model, making it easier than ever for customers to shop pre-loved, vintage or archive clothing and accessories. All Project Earth displays and signage across all Selfridges stores have obviously been created from recycled or sustainably sourced materials. Eco paints have been used across all painted elements and all vinyl is PVC-free and will be incinerated for energy after use. All props used for Project Earth will be reused for future projects. Lastly, Selfridges will introduce new Project Earth labelling (replacing the Buying Better labelling scheme) signposting to customers in store and online products that have a specific sustainable attribute.
Selfridges
400 Oxford Street
London W1A 1AB
Telephone: +44 20 71606222
Mon-Sat 10-9
Sun 11.30-6
Publishers Note
Just to be clear – superfuture® is a design blog and not a political commentator. No surprise there. The scope of our content has always been global and borderless, however that can often mean covering projects in countries where we will not agree with the politics or actions of those countries. In a world that’s as screwed up as ever right now, the focus of our support is to those designers, architects and other creatives who aim to make the world a more liveable one – as opposed to people that try their hardest to destroy it. So if a project hits our desk and we like it based on its design credentials, we may choose to publish regardless of its location or creators nationality. superfuture® has always been inclusive and hopes for all current wars, aggression, violence, hate and extremism to end.
