The Green Guide How sustainable is Aspinal of London - YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Sign in Welcome!Log into your account Forgot your password? Password recovery Recover your password Search Sign in Welcome! Log into your account Forgot your password? Get help Password recovery Recover your password A password will be e-mailed to you. YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Home Fashion The Green Guide How sustainable is Aspinal of London By Jessica Carroll - May 8, 2022 How sustainable is your wardrobe? Introducing a new column by Jessica Carroll that challenges fashion’s eco credentials. This week, she asks the question: how sustainable is Aspinal of London? Natasha Pszenicki Bag, £325, Aspinal of London Materials Don’t be fooled by its croc leather looks: this bag is actually made from Oomium, a Peta-approved plant-based material, which under the right conditions is over 80 per cent biodegradable after 90 days, so it won’t hang around in landfill. However, the crossbody strap is nylon so it would need to be recycled separately. Suppliers While Aspinal gets a thumbs-up for being part of Sedex, an organisation that helps it assess and track who makes its products, the company refuses to make that information public. Why? Aspinal says it’s because of the competitive nature of the fashion industry. We say: in order for your customers to make informed decisions you need to be transparent. Packaging Aspinal has been reducing its use of plastic since 2020, so this was sent to the UK in a compostable bag and will be delivered to customers in recycled paper and cardboard instead of bubble wrap and plastic tape. It’s a swap more brands should make. The extra mile Since 2018, its Aspinal Bee Project has been helping combat the insects’ declining numbers. As well as planting a wildflower meadow in the South Downs to support bee ecosystems, it has had beehives built near its West Sussex HQ. Carbon footprint Impossible to calculate as Aspinal won’t divulge its manufacturers. On the up side, though, being mostly biodegradable, when the bag reaches the end of its life, it won’t require air-polluting incineration. Verdict This camera bag has a lot going for it and Aspinal’s pieces are designed for life, making them the antithesis of fast fashion. However, sustainability isn’t just about the environment, it’s about the people behind the products, too. Aspinal needs to be more open about who its suppliers are so shoppers know who makes its pieces and if it is done fairly. Our rating: 4 stars out of 5. It would score higher if transparency was improved. Fashion director: Shelly Vella RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR Rochelle Humes has launched a gorgeous new edit with Next Shop the YOU Magazine Instagram YOU picks the best new-in buys from M& S Popular in Fashion Laura Jackson has teamed up with Next for the chicest knitwear January 22, 2020 Holly Willoughby’ s birthday dress is another Zara bargain February 10, 2020 The Instagram-famous & Other Stories wool blazer is back in stock August 31, 2022 Lorraine just wore Emma Willis’ Next collection from head to toe March 17, 2020 The prettiest spring dresses under £100 March 1, 2022 Everyone is buying Holly’ s gorgeous gingham Oasis dress May 14, 2020 13 bargain dresses to buy in ASOS’ s extra 20 per cent June 10, 2020 This £20 H& M dress is set to be the social media June 26, 2020 Stacey Solomon x Primark is back for a third collection with July 20, 2020 Searches for this perfect heatwave summer top style are up 5000% August 10, 2020 Popular CategoriesFood2704Life2496Fashion2240Beauty1738Celebrity1261Interiors684 Sign up for YOUMail Thanks for subscribing Please check your email to confirm (If you don't see the email, check the spam box) Fashion Beauty Celebrity Life Food Privacy & Cookies T&C Copyright 2022 - YOU Magazine. All Rights Reserved