Sustainable Brand Platform, Revolver Copenhagen Trade Show Team Up – WWD

MILAN — Sustainable Brand Platform, or SBP, is in expansion mode.

Launched last year by Italy’s Idee Brand Platform, the online destination uses blockchain technology to offer environmental and ethical ratings for indie fashion brands. The ultimate goal is to support these labels in assessing and cataloging their sustainable assets, as well as to enhance their visibility by connecting them with international retailers and consumers.

SBP — which currently showcases brands such as Yatay, Chité and SEP Jordan — has launched a range of collaborations with international players and institutions, including one with The Canvas, the New York-based marketplace offering eco-conscious labels that follow the sustainable development goals set by the United Nations.

Through this strategic partnership, SBP is involved in the assessment process of some of the names showcased on the e-tailer, in an operation that will be evident through a widget appearing on the marketplace to offer insights on the sustainable parameters to final consumers.

“This will be our first project developed with an e-tailer, and we think that this type of collaboration can become instrumental to consolidate SBP’s leading role among independent brands,” said Alex Albini, Idee Brand Platform founder and chief executive officer.

Defining The Canvas as a “young marketplace with great growth potential,” Albini recalled that the two parties first got in touch in January and increasingly started to explore the synergies encouraged by a shared set of values. Incidentally, SBP has also been recently recognized by the U.N. for its role in accelerating the implementation of sustainable practices within the fashion sector. In particular, the rating site was officially included among the projects approved by the organization’s Sustainable Development Goals Partnerships Platform, in the Conscious Fashion & Lifestyle Network category.   

Underscoring that teaming up with retailers represents “the essence of all the goals we have set,” Albini revealed that there are open negotiations with other players and that SBP is evaluating how to approach the different needs demanded by these parties.

Meanwhile, SBP has become an official partner of Revolver Copenhagen Trade Show. As a result, the fair’s digital platform will offer direct access to SBP, which has evaluated a range of brands that will be showcased at the trade show’s upcoming physical edition in August.

The operation will mirror the partnership SBP launched with Lisbon Fashion Week ModaLisboa earlier this year, when the company offered the sustainable rating for brands in the official schedule, including Ana Duarte, Béhen and Siz.

These types of operations enabled SBP to enrich its portfolio. In less than a year, the platform grew from showcasing 15 brands to 45 labels, while 10 other names are still being evaluated.

“Surely the partnership with ModaLisboa helped us to go beyond national borders,” confirmed Albini, adding that the tie-up with the Danish trade show aims to further speed expansion.

To this end, Albini revealed the company is about to finalize two other collaborations and set the goal of reaching 100 brands by the end of the year, and 400 to 500 labels by 2022.

Alex Albini, founder and CEO of Idee Brand Platform. 
Courtesy of Idee Brand Platform

The executive is also aiming to enhance the section dedicated to partners in 2022 to increase interaction between suppliers and brands and encourage projects based on circular economy processes. At the moment, SBP counts eight partners ranging from logistic companies to hangtag and label manufacturers.

Albini credited brands showcased on SBP for their support and feedback, which helped the company improve its services and algorithm. Labels that decide to perform an assessment through SBP now have access to additional tools available in their member areas on the site upon filling an even more accurate survey. This enables the SBP team to collect more detailed information and deliver a more exhaustive picture of their sustainable level to users.

The assessment now encompasses five macro areas, ranging from value chain, company sustainability and community to traceability and transparency, as well as economics. These add to the previous criteria that also included the number of international certifications obtained by each company, in addition to details on production and distribution.

Asked about other potential implementations, Albini said “it would be interesting to develop partnerships with other start-ups more specialized in measuring the carbon footprint” of individual products produced by the brands. “This would be useful to make labels more aware of their impact on the environment and then understand together how to improve their processes and reduce their emissions,” he noted.

To further help both brands and consumers navigate the sustainable world, SBP recently debuted online its editorial section SBP/Magazine. This offers a series of tips and information for labels interested in improving their performance via dedicated content, which encompass interviews with emerging designers, profiles of suppliers guaranteeing eco-friendly practices and features on new partnerships in the world of sustainable fashion.

Founded in 2019 by Albini and Claudio Delunas, Idee Brand Platform is an integrated service company that supports international fashion and designer brands in the development of merchandising and commercial strategies.

A spin-off of Idee Partners — which develops and produces leather goods and footwear — Idee Brand Platform also operates the Tora Tora showroom for emerging labels and which has physical units in Milan, Paris and Tokyo, as well as a digital counterpart.