FASHIONPHILE’s original motto was, “saving the earth one handbag at a time.” To the world, it was tongue-in-cheek, but we meant it.
Since 1999, FASHIONPHILE has been continuously learning and evolving to minimize its environmental footprint. As a resale company, we are inherently sustainable in our business model of extending the life of these ultra-luxury items. Our studies with Kantar and Ecodrive have helped us deeply understand and examine resale’s impact. But it doesn’t stop there. We continue to implement more sustainable initiatives in our everyday operations in order to better improve FASHIONPHILE’s internal business activities. Here’s what you need to know.
Our Research
We are inherently sustainable being in resale, but just how sustainable you ask? We conducted our own in-depth study with Kantar behind the sustainability of luxury handbags. From purchase decision criteria through end-of-use behaviors, we found that the lifespan of luxury handbags greatly exceeds that of their “fast fashion” counterparts. This is because luxury shoppers are more likely to put the work into caring for them. Luxury items are also made better under ethical working conditions and use quality materials designed to last longer. To be able to discover and wear bags made from 20-30 years ago is why resale is what it is today.
While the Kantar study opened our eyes to the behaviors of luxury shoppers and why luxury goods last so long, we needed to know more. Our comprehensive assessment on materiality with Ecodrive involved some of the most popular products we resell at FASHIONPHILE. We discovered that materials are truly impactful, and producing goods takes a toll on the environment. From handbags and shoes to jewelry, each channel of material production can negatively affect the air, water sources, and surrounding ecosystems. Choosing pre-owned saves countless pounds of carbon emissions and gallons of water. But this isn’t the only environmental assessment we conducted. As they say, it starts from the inside out.
FASHIONPHILE’s Internal Efforts
Aside from our research, we also undertook an extensive evaluation of the environmental impact of FASHIONPHILE’s internal business activities. To start, since 2021, we began tracking and reporting energy usage across all our facilities. Our 2021 Emissions Footprint (recorded in metric tonnes of CO2e) include Scope 1 (owned sources): 18.85 and Scope 2 (purchased electricity/ gas): 210.66. Additionally, FASHIONPHILE is a founding member of The Circular Textiles (ACT) policy. We’re also working through the B-Corp assessment, which entails an extensive evaluation of FASHIONPHILE’s environmental and social footprint.
Facility and shipping improvements include a newly created dashboard containing a breakdown of third party emissions from shipping use via Fedex and UPS. We found our total energy use to be 896.75 MT CO2 in 2021. We also started a Fedex Pilot Program partnership to help offset some emissions from inbound shipments. Our New York City Authentication Center & Showroom in Chelsea now offsets all electricity through the purchase of Green Renewable Energy Credits, funding new renewable projects across the US. It also has composting bins throughout the building, eliminating food waste and the resulting emissions from landfills that contribute to health concerns. And last but not the least, FASHIONPHILE has gone solar! This upgrade alone has reduced scope 2 emissions from purchased electricity by almost 20% in only 1 year. Read more about our sustainable initiatives, here.
FASHIONPHILE is continuously learning and evolving to minimize its environmental footprint. As a resale company that values sustainability, we will always continue to learn, evolve, and improve in all aspects of the business. Through continual studies and internal assessments, we strive to minimize our environmental footprint and be a better company for the environment, our communities and our customers.
