Gerry Weber puts sustainability at the centre of strategy

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Jan 21, 2020

German clothing group Gerry Weber has announced plans to launch its first sustainable collections as it evolves its offering to meet growing demand.

The sustainable offer is launching with the tagline ‘I wear, I care’ across all brands including Gerry Weber, Taifun and Samoon in May. In addition to using GOTS-certified organic cotton, the products will incorporate Lenzing EcoVero viscose produced from renewable wood, recycled and upcycled materials and fabrics made from linen and the cellulose-based lyocell. 

Gerry Weber said the launch is a “logical next step” after gradually increasing the proportion of sustainably-produced clothing across its brands. In fact, 40% of the range that will be available in stores and online between March and May will be “sustainably-produced”, it said.

This represents a major change in positioning for the company. Although the pursuit of sustainability is not new at the fashion retailer, Gerry Weber has been surprisingly shy about promoting its efforts. 

According to a release, its fashion products are already produced to strict standards such as BSCI (Business Social Com­pli­ance Ini­ti­at­ive) or OEKO-TEX Standard 100. The company uses GOTS certified organic cotton whenever possible, and has banned the use of fur, mohair and angora. And the proportion of environmentally-friendly clothing is set to increase.

“It is very important for us to produce our fashion in a responsible manner and – above all – focus on a steady improvement process. We all invest a lot of passion and time into the search for new technologies and new ways to work with recycled materials,” said Urun Gursi, chief product officer. “This is equally morally, as well as from an economic perspective, the right way forward”

Rena Marx, executive VP for Gerry Weber, added: “Sustainability is no short-term trend, but an important investment into the future of our brand. It used to be a nice, but for the purchase decision, irrelevant added value, if we used organic cotton for a fashionable shirt. Today, sustainability aspects have an increased emotional relevance. Sustainable thinking becomes a fashion statement.”

The rollout of the sustainable products will be supported by an extensive marketing campaign running across print, digital, social and retail.