This tech company is helping fashion brands join Moncler, H&M and Allbirds on their carbon neutral journeys

With Moncler pledging to be carbon neutral by 2023 and H&M announcing their commitment to be climate positive by 2040, they join a growing trend of fashion brands grabbing headlines by pledging to be carbon neutral. There is no doubt now that brands are recognizing their supply chains’ impact. But why carbon neutrality and why now?

Brands are quickly realizing that sustainability is no longer the cherry on top, but necessary to stay relevant. A recent study conducted by McKinsey assessed the shift in consumers’ mindsets well into the pandemic. 63% of consumers now regard a brand’s sustainable stance as an important factor in their purchasing decision. Reducing pollution is also a priority for 88% of survey respondents. Millennials and GenZ care about the planet and vote with their wallets. By pledging carbon neutrality, fashion brands are simply reacting quickly to the 21st century’s latest paradigm of the survival of the sustainable.

Levelling the playing field

With less resources, budget and clout, going carbon neutral may seem daunting for smaller brands. But it doesn’t need to be – it’s about finding the right solution that works for a brand. And Dutch-Canadian start-up, Green Story, might just have that solution. Take a look at how their solution is levelling the playing field for fashion brands when it comes to carbon offsetting.

Walk through Green Story’s interactive and transformational offset solution.

With low consumption, budget concerns are a reality for almost all brands and render trying new things unappealing. But offsetting the carbon emissions from a brand’s supply chain can be surprisingly cost-effective. Green Story’s plug and play carbon offsetting solution lets brands offset their emissions for as low as 10 cents a product. Protecting the planet doesn’t need to cost and arm and a leg, even though preserving it is priceless.

The first step to offsetting your impact is measuring it. Life Cycle Analyses (LCA) are costly and resource intensive, deterring small and medium brands from taking a look at their supply chains. Barkha Bhatnagar Das, the co-Founder of Greendigo (an organic kids wear brand), believes “Green Story lowered the entry barriers for brands who want to measure their impact and make a difference. As a small business owner, it would have been impossible to measure our impact on our own.”

Greenwashing also plagues the sustainable fashion industry and carbon offsets have notoriously fallen into this category. For most brands, it’s challenging to get their sustainability efforts to the forefront of consumers shopping experiences. This is particularly relevant as 76% of consumers prefer to purchase carbon neutral products as per recent studies. When brands offset with Green Story, their sustainability efforts take the spotlight with credible and transparent data. From product-level impact to in-depth offset project details, consumers won’t even think about writing their efforts off as greenwashing.

And it’s not just about carbon. Offsetting projects have an undeniable and lasting social impact. Through Green Story’s carbon offsetting solution, brands select projects based on their supply chain’s geography and values (defined by the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs). As Vik Giri, the founder of B2B organic clothing suppliers Gallant International, said “these emissions are unavoidable, and we wanted to fix the mess we created.”

Engage your customer at every step of their purchase journey with Green Story’s carbon offset solution!

The sustainability roadmap

The question inevitably arises, where does carbon offsetting fit into a brand’s sustainability roadmap? Is it the last mile, after all sustainable options are exhausted, or the first step for a brand looking to go green? For sustainable brands, carbon offsetting likely serves as the next steppingstone to leave nothing behind. On the other hand, for conventional fashion brands, carbon offsets can help them take one small significant step to jumpstart their eco-efforts while they work on revamping their supply chains. By no means is it a silver bullet or a license to pollute; all brands should seek to green their supply chains where they can, but certain emissions are unavoidable yet necessary to address.

As eco-fashion pioneer, Marci Zaroff, put it during Green Story’s recent webinar, “it’s not why sustainable or net zero carbon - it’s why not?” We know we have a climate problem on our hands so why wouldn’t you want to address it in any way you can? Sustainability needs to be convenient in order for it to be widely adopted. So, when a solution as convenient as Green Story’s arises – why not?

To learn more about Green Story’s comprehensive plug and play carbon offsetting solution visit their page here !