Sure! Renoon is a “transparency tool”. What’s that? Mistrust towards brands’ sustainability claims is at its highest point, with 33% of people that have already stopped purchasing from certain brands because they are unsure or concerned about their environmental and social commitments. As citizens who purchase goods, we know the price or color of what we buy, sure. But do we have an easy access of the where, who, how and what is the impact of our purchase? The answer is no. So, we set out on a mission to empower the future of how we all make buying decisions by helping brands gather this data and go through a process that culminates in the ability to share this data with everyone, in a way that is fun and engaging.
Where you find a “Renoon” logo in a brand’s e-commerce website or a QR code to scan, you’ll know that you will be able to access transparency information.
What was the driving force for starting Renoon?
How can we expect the sustainability transition to happen if consumers do not have the power of information, and companies do not have the incentive to measure, improve, and communicate correctly? What’s it going to take to restore that trust? These were the question that my co-founders and I asked ourselves in the early days of Renoon.
We actually then started with an app that people could download, and quickly expanded to make this data accessible directly into your favorite brands.
As difficult of a task this might be, we believe that as greenwashing becomes a major problem for all of us, transparency is now key and this is what is driving Renoon and what we are working with committed brands like Mashu.
There is increasing conversation around transparency and traceability in fashion. We're 100% behind this, and as a brand offer Proof Of Responsibility labels on each of our product pages. This includes verification of our claims, map of our product journeys and environmental footprint data - all of which is powered through Renoon. For those that aren't yet on how traceability and transparency can help create a more sustainable fashion future, could you explain?
It’s so exciting that transparency and traceability are on the spotlight! What’s driving this shift is first of all a demand from citizens and people who want to make more informed decisions. So to everyone reading this: keep asking, keep engaging with this information.
Second is the regulatory pressure: the EU and UK authorities have recognised the right for consumers to get transparency and the key role it plays in the sustainability transition.
End to end transparency is also a powerful tool for education for consumers, but also for the brand, providing important insights on how to reduce impact and improve practices.
Brands that are already mapping their supply chain and transparently communicating with their audience with verifiable third-party mechanism, are ahead of the game and future-prooving their brand, by also demonstrating responsible communication.
How do you verify the claims that your brand partners make? And what is your response to industry criticism that there isn't enough universal verification?
Renoon has a three step validation process that gives precise information on the level of verification possible. It starts from a declared claim - which means that there is enough proof to substantiate the claim - to a verifiable claim, which is the highest level of validation.
All of this is made to stay in line with the new regulatory requirements from the Green Claims Directive in Europe and CMA (Consumer Market Authorities) guidelines available in the UK and some EU countries, like the Netherlands, as well as US.
Universal verification and frameworks are fundamental as the schemes needed to be put in place are too big for any single company to be able to shift an entire industry. However, this criticism shouldn’t translate into stillness or lack of action; there is still a lot of basic groundwork that many brands have already started to do - and those are the ones demonstrating real responsibility.
Here at Mashu, we're all about recognising the climate crisis, and tackling it through a positive lense. What is one thing / piece of news that has installed hope in you in the last few months?
I’m a bit of a nerd when it comes to nature and planetary news. Last month the High Seas Treaty was signed in the United Nations to protect the world’s oceans. The agreement offers a common governance which is equivalent to half of Earth’s surface and 95% of ocean’s volume! It was 10 years in the making!
The hard part of sustainability is that it is everyone’s responsibility and yet no one’s business. It’s about aligning ownership and building common grounds through legislations that is so important, just as having companies and people taking responsibility themselves and driving the change.
And finally: we calculated it, and we realised that by the end of this year there will be at least 3 million products with the Responsibility Product Passports powered by Renoon in the market. Although this is still a drop in the ocean, we are excited to see how more people will scan/read the information and what more we could do to drive a future where we know how our products are made!
What are some of your favourite sustainable fashion brands?
I have to admit that Mashu’s bag has been one of my first purchases when I first entered this world - and probably is not a secret because I spammed you guys with my Instagram tags on pictures. I was so excited that a brand was merging my style with responsibility, material innovation and craftsmanship. I’ve been a true and unbiased fan of your work!
I am always so surprised that all of the brands we work with also reflect such amazing style that I admire so much. Some other brands we’ve been proud to work with are Triarchy, Unspun, Essen the Label, Artknit Studios, Poupette St Barth, Copenhagen Cartel, etc.
What are some of the big wins that Renoon have achieved since conception that your proud of?
There are so many: from having backing from the Italian Government’s Innovaiton Fund to launching the latest version of the platform. But the most amazing thing for me is having pioneering founders of brands like Mashu join us in this work.
You asked me who were my favourite brands. But at the end of the day also brands are made by people, and I love working with people like you guys.