Could this be the world’s most sustainable fashionista dog?
We hate waste. We love solutions.
For our latest R Products spotlight, we’re looking at where fashion waste can go next, beyond the fashion industry. This time, that means the pet market.
We’re taking rescued and repurposed fashion materials and giving them a new life as products for our four-legged companions, beginning with dog collars made from rescued fashion waste, alongside pilot products including dog treat bags.
[IMAGE DOG COLLAR]
What happens when materials originally destined for fashion find a new home somewhere completely unexpected? We wanted to find out.
We think finding new ways to work with what already exists is creatively rewarding. It means taking on new challenges and finding innovative ways to put waste back to work.
Why the pet market?
The global pet accessories market is estimated at more than $32 billion, and is projected to reach more than $55 billion by 2030. China alone represents almost 15% of the global market, reflecting a wider shift towards the humanisation of pets and the growing demand for products designed around their lives.*
[IMAGE]
As the category grows, so does the opportunity to put existing textile waste to work within it and create meaningful impact at scale. With access to valuable fashion textile waste streams, we saw an opportunity to connect this growing category with materials looking for their next application.
That is where R Products comes in
We create responsible, sustainable branded corporate products and packaging solutions for our global corporate partners by recirculating waste back to work.
For us, it is about finding the right application and designing it well to extend the life of that waste material. Our dog collars are the latest example of this thinking in action.
We recently brought this thinking into the luxury retail environment through Value Retail China, introducing R Products to its audience and exploring how rescued fashion materials could take on new meaning in a completely different setting.
[INSERT VALUE RETAIL CHINA / DRAGON BAG STORY]
[INSERT SHANGHAI / SUZHOU VILLAGES DOG IMAGERY]
Where could it go next?
The pet market is one place to take fashion waste. It is not the only one. For R Products, the bigger opportunity is to keep asking what existing materials can become, and where they can create value next.
*Source: Research and Markets, Global Pet Accessories Market Analysis Report 2023.