Zara Just Launched Its First Sustainable Collection and It’s So Good

We’ll admit, our appetite for Zara’s affordable, on-trend wares dulled in the wake of the numerous allegations of intellectual property theft levied against the brand by indie designers. However, the fast fashion champ we can’t help but love for its innate ability to know what we want before we even know we want it has wormed its way back into our hearts yet again.

On Tuesday, the see-now, buy-right-this-instant retailer debuted its first-ever sustainable collection. According to the brand’s website, Zara’s #JoinLife line “embraces a woman who looks into a more sustainable future.” While this statement seems — to put it lightly — a bit contradictory coming from a company that’s built its success on refreshing its racks with a quickness to rival that of Santa’s elves, we can’t take issue with the lineup itself.

The on-point #JoinLife collection features a stylish slew of contemporary staples in organic cotton, recycled wool and sustainable Tencel — all at the company’s usual price point. We’re coveting the belted smoking blazer, classic trench and gathered high-rise trousers, all of which are very Reformation-reminiscent (and not in a shady, copyright-infringing way).

 

Join Life Collection AW.16 | New editorial. The collection embraces a woman who looks into a more sustainable future Made with materials such as organic cotton, recycled wool and Tencel® which reduce our environmental impact #joinlife Thank you @sashapivovarovareal

A photo posted by ZARA Official (@zara) on Sep 16, 2016 at 12:16am PDT

To further assuage your buyer’s remorse, Zara, like its leading fast fashion competitor H&M, is now encouraging consumers to drop off their unwanted clothing at its storefronts for complimentary recycling. “All clothing collected in our stores is given directly to Cáritas, the Red Cross and Oxfam, where they will sort through and classify each item of clothing according to its most suitable use,” states the retailer’s website. In addition, according to the brand, 50 percent of its brick-and-mortar locations are now eco-efficient, meaning its engineers have “set up the lights, heating and air conditioning to meet the store’s needs at any given moment, thereby controlling our consumption of energy and reducing our CO2 emissions.” Plus, according to a recent study by Greenpeace, Zara’s parent company, Inditex, is “ahead of the curve and on track to meet its commitment” to a toxic-free future (i.e. it’s been transparent with its suppliers and has investigated its use of hazardous chemicals). 

All of this is promising, but it remains to be seen whether Zara’s eco-consciousness stays clear and focused or if this is simply a one-off collection meant to drum up some positive press. The fashion sector, worth about $2.5 trillion, is currently second most polluting industry on Earth, bested only by oil. So, if a mass retailer like Zara can somehow find a way to marry eco-minded business practices with a see-now-buy-now model, it could make a world of difference.

Shop the full collection in the slideshow below, then head over to the comments section to share your thoughts on Zara’s efforts towards sustainability.

[ via Popsugar ]