Sephora, Poshmark, REI Double Down on Sustainability Efforts for Earth Month

Retailers are pulling out the stops for Earth Month this year: companies like Sephora and REI Co-op are showcasing the success of their recycling efforts, while others including Poshmark and Joor promote the inherent sustainability of their platforms in partnership with eco-friendly brands such as Rothy’s and Marine Serre.

Sephora Touts Refillables, Recycling

Sephora is spotlighting its wide range of refillable beauty products and the growing impact of its Beauty (Re)Purposed recycling program this Earth Month.

With 95% of cosmetic packaging thrown in the trash, packaging waste — most of which isn’t accepted in curbside recycling programs — is one of the biggest sustainability challenges facing the beauty industry. To date, the Beauty (Re)Purposed program, which launched in May 2023 and allows customers to give hard-to-recycle beauty packaging a second life, has collected more than 10,860 pounds of material, the equivalent of approximately 217,220 lipstick tubes.

The beauty retailer also continues to add to its roster of refillable beauty products, which now features offerings from more than 45 brands, including Glow Recipe, Fenty Beauty, Ouai, Maison Margiela and Josie Maran.

REI Campsite Outfitted with Recycled Trex Decking

This Earth Month, outdoor retailer REI Co-op is showcasing its ongoing recycling partnership with decking manufacturer Trex, at its Signature Camp near Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah. REI’s Signature Campsites are the company’s answer to the “glamping” trend, featuring camping environments with comforts like hot showers, prepared food, flush toilets and spacious tents.

Now 10 of the campsites at REI’s Bryce Canyon location have been equipped with elevated platforms made from Trex deck boards that contain the equivalent of more than 700,000 pieces of plastic film diverted from landfills. REI and Trex have worked together since 2020 to divert plastic film waste from the retailer’s stores and fulfillment centers, using it to make Trex’s eco-friendly composite decking.

“Creating access to the outdoors for all is core to who we are and how we design guided adventure experiences at REI,” said Justin Wood, REI Experiences Director in a statement. “Our relationship with Trex helps us reduce our footprint by diverting plastic waste from landfills while also providing durable and attractive recycled materials for the construction of our private REI Signature Camps.”

Through its NexTrex Recycling Program, Trex partners with thousands of organizations and retailers across the country to responsibly dispose of polyethylene plastic film, a key ingredient in its wood-alternative decking, which is made from up to 95% recycled and reclaimed materials. Since joining the program four years ago, REI alone has contributed nearly 2 million pounds of plastic film through collections at its stores as well as with contributions from its fulfillment centers.

“At Trex we believe the best memories are made outdoors so it made perfect sense to partner with a company like REI whose entire brand is built around the outdoor experience,” explained Leslie Adkins, Group VP of Marketing and ESG Development at Trex in a statement. “It’s been especially rewarding to work with one of our dedicated recycling partners to demonstrate the circularity of Trex decking in such a unique and tangible way.”

Poshmark Live Shopping Series to Feature Sustainable Fashion Brands

Fashion resale marketplace Poshmark is partnering with seven sustainable brands to host a series of live shopping events in celebration of Earth Month. During the month-long program, brand partners will host live events on Poshmark, leveraging the platform’s Posh Shows tool to connect directly with their fans as well as support secondhand sellers of their brand, auction off one-of-a-kind merchandise and celebrate the durability and circularity of their products.

“By inviting brands to host Posh Shows for the first time, our partners will be able to build genuine connections with Poshmark’s highly engaged, environmentally conscious community, all while helping our sellers make sales and working together to champion a more circular future for fashion,” said Steven Tristan Young, Chief Marketing Officer of Poshmark in a statement.

Each partner will host scheduled live events that support Poshmark sellers using the “Share Shows” feature, which invites community members to auction their own preloved styles from the brand. Sustainable fashion brand Rothy’s will co-host its show alongside a Poshmark seller, while regenerative lifestyle brand Christy Dawn will host a show that exclusively features merchandise from Poshmark sellers. Other brands, including Pact, Wolven, Cleobella, Whimsy + Row and Aday will auction exclusive and sample merchandise as well as items from Poshmark sellers during their Posh Shows.

“Rothy’s is excited to join forces with Poshmark this Earth Month, to celebrate and reward a passionate resale community for extending the life of their Rothy’s, which are not only crafted from recycled plastic bottles but also are remarkably durable” said Jamie Gersch, Chief Marketing Officer of Rothy’s in a statement. “Together, Rothy’s and Poshmark are modeling a more circular future for fashion, where brands encourage customers to keep their closets in circulation and give their items another life through resale.”

Poshmark will contribute 10% of the net gross merchandise value from each show to support tree planting projects with Veritree. The platform also will be spotlighting the secondhand community throughout Earth Month on its social channels and blog and offering upcycling, sourcing and packaging tips. To encourage shoppers and sellers to embrace circularity, Poshmark is offering more than $15,000 in Posh Credit prizes to users who list, Reposh or purchase an item or tune in to a Posh Show during eligible periods in April.

Since 2011, Poshmark shoppers have kept over 300 million items in circulation and out of landfills. 

Joor Highlights 136 Sustainable Brands

Wholesale management solution Joor, which features more than 14,000 brands and serves 635,000 fashion buyers across 150 countries, has created a special digital destination to showcase sustainable brands from around the world this Earth Month.

The digital event and destination, called Sustainability in Focus, launched on April 2, 2024 and will run through June 2 on Joor Passport, the company’s digital platform that allows fashion buyers to explore and shop global fashion weeks and trade shows. Sustainability In Focus showcases 136 brands that are supporting sustainability through initiatives such as sustainable materials, manufacturing, packaging, circularity and fair trade/labor practices. Among the brands featured are Ganni, Johnstons of Elgin, Marine Serre, Nanushka, Pangaia, Stella McCartney, Vilebrequin, Vivienne Westwood and Zadig & Voltaire.

To coincide with the Sustainability in Focus Joor Passport show, Joor also will host a webinar with B2B media platform Drapers addressing key sustainability challenges and opportunities within the fashion industry.