Eco Comms, Summer 2022: Retail, Marketing, Media & Messaging

Thrifty, But Make it Cool – Retail Meets Eco Media

Several British retail-media partnerships have asserted an influential new stance for 2022. eBay’s styling sponsorship of reality show Love Island (switching from fast fashion to pre-loved clothing); i-D magazine’s Earthrise Issue (its first to jettison new apparel); and Unilever x Channel 4 TV series Cook Clever, Waste Less all celebrate thrift (see also Reframing Frugality).

No Longer ‘One & Done’ – Circularity Cachet

New campaigns and services from brands like Swedish fashion label & Other Stories, Dutch upcycled clothing retailer 1/Off, French tech refurb experts Back Market, and Berlin’s The Sustainable Stylist are marrying sustainability and desirability. Despite touching different consumer nerves, they all trade on the power of giving the old or enduring fresh relevance.

An Eco-Meaningful Metaverse

With proto-metaverses – always-on, shared, interactive virtual environments – booming (see Key Stats), they’re becoming increasingly relevant to fuelling an eco manifesto. From German supermarket Kaufland’s immersive edutainment in Animal Crossing, to resale giant Depop’s partnership with cult game The Sims, social simulation games are a new communication sweet spot. See our Metaverse 360° Spotlight for more.

Spaces & Places Adding Vision to the Mission

Physical brand environments where eco equals fun and/or inspiration are rallying consumers to the climate crisis mission. These include the “world’s first circular department store” Tomo (launching in the Netherlands this year), and Corona Island – where the Mexican beer brand helps guests reconnect with the “beauty of Earth’s rhythms”. More imaginative low-waste concepts are breaking new ground too.

Open-Source Solidarity

Open-source concepts letting individuals or even rival brands access previously closed-off inspiration, insights or materials underpin the new sustainability discourse. Key concepts include Swedish fashion brand Arket’s online vista on design appreciation, Knowledge; LVMH’s Nona Source deadstock showroom; and UK-based Revstance’s e-commerce tools enabling people to pivot into reselling items by tracking their own behaviours.