Trends of Sustainable Development Among Luxury Industry

Abstract

The luxury sector is a well-established global industry worth approximately US$200 billion a year; although successful, the luxury market is quietly being re-framed to align with key and emerging trends in the industry. The concept of sustainability is gaining increased attention by the industry and consumers. Many companies including H&M, Levi’s, and Nike have already incorporated sustainable development and supply chain partner that focus on sustainability into their business models. Sustainability being inconsistent with value associated with the luxury sector, which is a leading sector known for high margins and social reputation, reports have criticized luxury brands for lagging behind others with regard to sustainable development. Considering their ‘value network’ in a conventional way and ignoring emerging needs and social conditions may be the reasons why the existing luxury companies have not adopted sustainability practices more quickly. Under increasing pressure to implement sustainable development throughout the industry, some new luxury entrepreneurs are emerging with remarkable perspectives on sustainable development. They break the traditional business innovation known to the luxury sector and are implementing the concept of sustainable development as a direction in their business strategies. In addition, they are moving toward developing a circular economy to realize ‘sustainability’ in their supply chains. In this chapter, redefinition of luxury, trends in the luxury market, adoption of sustainability among luxury brands and consumers, disruptive business model innovation, and the circular economy are discussed. At last, a case study on sustainable luxury swimwear entrepreneurs is presented.