One word really stands out right now when it comes to E-Commerce: sustainability.

It’s a term many companies use, but few truly invest in or communicate authentically, especially in the clothing industry. When I first moved to Sweden in 2011, I was surprised by how few second-hand clothing stores there were. Fast forward ten years, and now stores like Cirkus and Arkivet are in most, if not all, shopping centres.

The world is evolving faster than we can keep up. Environmental awareness is on every country’s agenda. Climate change dominates political debates.

Some nations are aiming for net zero emissions by 2030. Traditional electricity sources are being phased out in favour of solar farms and wind turbines.

But let’s take a look at the past four months.

• A power substation failure at Heathrow caused over a billion pounds in economic losses

• Just yesterday, Spain, Portugal, and parts of France experienced a massive blackout

• I personally spent 24 hours trying to reach family

• And today, another substation explosion in London

We rely on electricity for everything: life, transport, food, communication, and more. In Spain, people were lining up outside oriental markets to buy battery-powered radios just to hear the news.

There was no WhatsApp, no SMS, no Instagram, not even landlines.

Just darkness.

Thankfully, my family are safe. But the world must wake up to the very real consequences of power outages, regardless of the cause.

If we’re going to live in a world that promotes sustainable energy, then that energy must also be reliable.

Yesterday, it clearly was not.

#power #electricity #sustainability #ecommerce #climatechange #digitalstrategy