A new web and mobile platform for ethical fashionistas has been launched for the Asia Pacific market.
Based in Singapore, it was founded and funded by Deutsche Bank investor Tony K Tan. smas good It aims to appeal to female shoppers who are increasingly concerned about the environmental and social impact of the clothing industry.
Touted as the first of its kind in the region, the site is an online marketplace for trading eco-clothing brands, and includes brands based on clothing materials, production methods, and impact on local communities and the environment. It is.
Labels trading on the platform include Thai brand Tamon, which makes bags using fallen leaves instead of leather, and Singaporean outfit Outfit, which makes clothing from fishing nets and fabric scraps.
Users can earn rewards by posting and sharing their own styles from green fashion brands using an editing tool called Lookbooks. Tan said the tool is based on the idea that shoppers are more likely to make a purchase when they are inspired and influenced by the design choices of others.
“Our aim is to speak to consumers who are already ethically minded, but also those who are curious and want to know more,” he told EcoBusiness. .
The platform works with Carbon Trade Exchange, a London-based digital carbon offset marketplace, to purchase carbon credits to offset a site’s emissions.
SMTHGOOD was founded at a time of growing environmental consumerism in the region, and is set to compete with the likes of second-hand goods site Carousell, Singapore-based fashion marketplace Zerrin, and Malaysian eco-products platform Poptron. Become.a 2021 survey by research company Ipsos found that consumer concerns about climate change and the need for brands to align with good causes are more pronounced in Southeast Asia than in other regions of the world.
Tan pointed to a 2021 study by the Stern School of Management that found that green products, which account for just 17 percent of the total market, have grown 2.7 times faster than traditional products since 2015. . He also pointed out that shoppers now have more purchasing intent. Purpose over price.
The fashion industry is one of them. The world’s most polluting industry. It consumes up to 200 trillion liters of water each year, accounts for about 10 percent of global emissions, and polyester in clothing accounts for 20 percent to 35 percent of microplastic pollution in the oceans.
Major e-commerce sites are looking to capitalize on growing interest in sustainable fashion brands with schemes that allow consumers to buy more environmentally friendly brands. Amazon is now flagging more environmentally friendly products on its website. Alibaba-owned Lazada was accused of greenwashing last year when it began promoting “better or better” plastic products on Earth Day. Products labeled as “eco” included disposable razors and polyester T-shirts.
