Sustainable symbols

Global – Stella McCartney has launched the Clevercare series, part of the Clevercare initiative, which helps consumers care better for their clothes and the environment.

• The series outlines a number of steps that extend a garment’s lifespan and also protect the environment
• The initiative has been launched to coincide with Earth Day on 22 April

Clevercare is a care symbol, a website and now a communications campaign. McCartney’s series of six short films, created in collaboration with the organisation, was launched to coincide with Earth Day on 22 April.

The campaign states that extending the average life of a garment by three months of active use would reduce its carbon, water and waste footprints by 5–10% – and highlights that laundry alone accounts for about a quarter of clothing’s carbon footprint.

In our recent Inform with Dr Helen Crowley, head of sustainable sourcing innovation at Kering, she notes the communication of sustainability to luxury consumers is a potential challenge. Through the use of a humorous, light-hearted aesthetic, the Clevercare series approaches sustainability in a way that resonates with luxury consumers.