s being implemented across the entire gamut of the company’s fashion brands. “We see it being important because some of these issues like the living wage and traceability are a lot bigger than us as one retailer,” said King. “There’s obviously things we can do to change in our own supply chain but if we as a group of retailers come together to solve some of these challenges we’re going to have a bigger impact in the long run.” Country Road Group’s brands including; Witchery, Mimco and Trenery, have each implemented the strategy after tailoring it to suit their network. The strategy comprises seven focus areas including; ethical sourcing; sustainable farming; raw materials; water and waste energy, social development and the health and wellness of customers. “Those are the seven areas we feel we can make an impact in as a diverse retailer across not only our own business but across the rest of the Woolworths Holdings group,” said King. As part of the sustainability focus, the group has initiated changes to its sourcing of textiles. Country Road recently became a member of the Better Cotton Initiative; a NFP advocating for sustainable farming and sourcing of cotton, while fashion chain Witchery recently launched recycled polyester within its range. “We’re really going to be looking at how we make more responsible choices in the way that we choose and select our fabrics,” said King. Lucy King, group sustainability manager at Country Road Group Credit: Georgia Blackie / migraneuse.com Speaking to Inside Retail Weekly after the panel discussion; which also included Ramon Martin, co-founder of fashion brand Tome and Sigrid McCarthy, media and communications co-ordinator at Ethical Clothing Australia; King said there are also cost savings and efficiencies that can be made through the implementation of sustainable practices. “Businesses do need to invest in sustainability programs and its very early days for us on our journey but from my experience at Woolworths, we really saw the cost savings over time made through the program and saw how the cost savings were worth that initial investment.” Anna Scott, MD of Clean Cut; a fashion movement which helps organisations to measure their social and environmental impact and presented the panel; said responsible business is ‘undoubtedly’ a global trend and now embraced by progressive brands across all sectors of the industry. “We know the facts; that fashion is the second most polluting industry in the world, contributes to ten per cent of our global carbon emissions, is actually the biggest users of the worlds chemicals by a quarter and it’s one of the biggest users of our freshwater resources not to mention responsible for the unsafe working conditions for millions of people,” said Scott. “The research tells us that customers and millenials are increasingly looking for brands that cause less harm and leave a positive impact and legacy.” Access exclusive analysis, locked news and reports with Inside Retail Weekly. Subscribe today and get our premium print publication delivered to your door every week.