Fashion brands are on the cusp of a great opportunity but are often overwhelmed by complexity; especially along lengthy supply chains. So says Bain.

The consumer shift to products and labels that are embracing sustainability has created both opportunities and challenges for global fashion brands. At present, only 15 per cent of consumers consistently make buying decisions to lower their environmental impact.

Concern for the environment is running ahead of current shopper behaviour and that’s often because shopping sustainably can be hard.Sustainable shopping is an inevitable change. Concern for sustainability is strong among younger generations – and growing overall. Hence fashion brands need to embrace the sustainability conversation and make sustainable purchasing easier for all consumers.Brands that proactively design sustainability into their strategy and operations are expected to cement their relevance and capture a windfall of unmet demand, now and into the future. The industry’s practices are responsible for many damaging impacts to nature that put the sector’s survival at risk. The time is now for brands to take action on sustainability – they'll not only benefit from enhanced resilience but will have incredible opportunity to build brand loyalty with increasingly conscious consumers.

Despite being among the top six purchase drivers for most global fashion customers, sustainability is an explicitly lower priority than other, more tangible factors, such as product quality and durability.