Lane Crawford adds sustainable packaging as more shoppers expect eco approach

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Nov 29, 2018

Luxury department stores business Lane Crawford is taking a deep dive into sustainability as survey after survey shows that consumers are increasingly judging (and patronising) retail and brand businesses based on their ethical approach.

The Asia-based company, which is part of the The Lane Crawford Joyce Group, said it will “be the first luxury retailer in Asia to provide non-toxic, biodegradable paper packaging.”

It’s launching 100% biodegradable paper packaging across all Hong Kong stores in time for the Christmas shopping season, “enabling customers to make the 'Share the joy of Giving’ experience more responsible.”

It may seem like a minor move but consumers have shifted their attitudes fast in the past couple of years and such moves can make a real commercial impact. A US-focused Mintel report in recent weeks suggested that 59% of consumers expect companies to have eco-friendly policies and 65% say they’d stop buying from a brand that has “irresponsible” practices. The figures are even higher for younger consumers.

Additionally, 62% of adult Gen Z consumers say a product from a socially responsible company is worth paying more for, higher than the 51% of overall consumers. And all of those figures represent rapid accelerations from the numbers of just two years ago.

Lane Crawford said that it gives out around 3 million paper bags and gift boxes annually so switching to easily recyclable and biodegradable packaging materials would make an impact.

"These eco-friendly shopping bags and gift boxes offer our customers the opportunity to take positive action on the issue of sustainability. Improving paper recycling and reduction throughout our supply chain has been a key focus for us", said Andrew Keith, President of the company. "We have been looking at every aspect of our business to see how we can use innovation, technology and creative collaboration to reduce our impact and build a stronger connection with our customers, brand partners and the world in which we all live. Changing our packaging is just the beginning".  

The new packaging has been launched at all Lane Crawford stores in Hong Kong and will roll out in all China stores by February 10.