Responsible Communications & Marketing Report

Born Equal Consults first responsible marketing report investigates the fashion industries circular economy business models, rental and resale by exploring how misleading marketing claims may influence citizens to perpetuate habits of mass consumption through rebound resulting in business as usual. We offer industry solutions critically discussed in the full report and bespoke consultancy using our responsible marketing framework which aligns with the new green claim code legislation. Summary: Will resale & rental fashion models help us to reduce consumption of new items, or lead us to rebound and increased consumption? More and more we see the narrative that circular economy rental and resale fashion business models are the fashion industries antidote to fast fashion. But what if the marketing and communication narratives of the businesses themselves, media and consultants help fuel and lead to an increase in consumption of new items through the effect of rebound? What is rebound and how concerned should we be? The rebound effect is a well-known phenomenon in which resource efficiency gains, caused by technology or organisational practice are not achieved or remain smaller than expected for external reasons. One of those external reasons is citizen behaviour. Rebound could occur where citizen behaviour of buying secondhand or renting, does not mean the citizen reduces their consumption of new fashion items. And may in some cases lead to an increase in consumption to feed the system, for example a 'buy for resale' habit. Or, but not limited to, where a citizen uses the savings from buying secondhand or renting to re-spend on new items or other consumables that would not have occurred without the savings, leading to an increase in new consumption. We should be concerned about rebound because citizen behaviour may be influenced by misleading marketing and could lead to a domino effect where the reduction of carbon emissions does not occur or worse increases. The marketing of displacing carbon has no impact on actual carbon reduction unless citizens actively reduce consumption of new items. Through in-depth critical analysis in Born Equal Consults first responsible marketing report, we investigate the fashion industries circular economy business models, rental and resale by exploring how misleading marketing claims may influence citizens to perpetuate habits of mass consumption and business as usual. We offer solutions which can be found in the full report (link below) and a bespoke consultancy service using our responsible marketing framework that aligns with the new green claim code legislation. Co-founder Deborah Campbell believes we are all interconnected and interdependent and that to achieve a sustainable just future we must recognise we need collective effort. Effort which is rooted in inclusion and distributed wealth that creates equity and provides social justice. Download the full report at www.bornequalconsults.com