Selfridges has launched Project Earth, a ‘transformational’ sustainability initiative with five-year commitments and ambitions to change the way consumers shop. The initiative will help consumers to reduce waste, choose ‘forest friendly’ products and chose recycled or ‘pre-loved’ products. The retailer is introducing a refill service in Selfridges’ Kitchenware department and hopes to instil a greater appreciation of longevity and re-use.
“Now more than ever we must double down on our efforts to reinvent retail with sustainability at its heart and a way of working that is regenerative for humans and nature,” says Alannah Weston, Selfridges’ group chairman. According to Anne Pilcher, managing director of Selfridges Group, the launch of Project Earth is particularly timely as the pandemic marks “a moment of change in our customers to a more considered mindset.”
Housewares brands that are highlighted by Selfridges for reducing waste include Le Creuset Signature range, Stasher, Black + Blum, Corkcicle, Stojo, Stay Sixty, Last Straw, 24 Bottles, Takenaka and W&P Design.
As part of Project Earth, Selfridges has launched a dedicated sustainable Solutions Store with over 300 products. Situated in the Kitchen and Home department, Solutions Store incorporates a refill station with eco-friendly clothing detergent from Lab Co, along with new and exclusive brands that provide sustainable solutions for the kitchen, bathroom and everyday tasks. These include Phox, an eco-friendly water filter that is refilled with carbon granules that gradually dissolve with use, and The Organic Company’s tea towels, cotton bags for food storage and re-usable cotton tea bags.
Solutions Store also features brightly coloured reusable cloths (alternates to paper towel and disposable clothes) by Marley’s Monsters and laundry bags that stop plastics from human made fibres passing into the water system.
“Project Earth is about us taking radical action in response to the climate crisis. Our ambitious commitments to science-based targets and a net-zero future underpin this, alongside our commitment to ensuring that the most environmentally impactful materials used right across our business come from certified, sustainable sources,” says Daniella Vega, director of Sustainability for Selfridges.
Commenting as one of the brands highlighted by Selfridges for Project Earth, Nick Cornwell, managing director of Black + Blum states: “It is great to see a retailer of the stature of Selfridges recognising one of the key tenets of the black + blum brand. We put sustainable design at the top of our agenda. By trying to use the right materials and by designing products built to last, we aim to contribute to the world’s challenge of reducing CO2 emissions and general waste. I am sure that we will be seeing more and more retailers following this excellent initiative by Selfridges.”
The initiative includes a programme of webinar discussions on sustainability, including Ethical Consumerism (September 18) and Eco Innovations (October 15).
Top: The Solutions Store at Selfridges encourages refilling and re-using.
