Kathmandu- A Destination for Sustainability

by Megan Hynes

Sustainability is a continuously evolving concept that impacts the entire planet and those living on it in many ways. Initially considered an effort to protect resources, it now includes (and is majorly dependent on) the integration of circular economy in businesses. At a glance, the idea of altering supply chain operations to more sustainable practices may be daunting for many organisations in terms of finances, but companies such as Kathmandu are proving otherwise. People, planet, and practice are the three pillars in which Kathmandu is aiming to significantly improve in a time frame as short as five years, according to their sustainability report, while their annual revenue continues to grow.

Source: Facebook

Kathmandu’s approach to improve sustainability in their “people” pillar includes assisting the growth of their partners’ education programs, in line with Goals #4 and #17 of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. By encouraging education among impoverished communities, Kathmandu is also enabling economic development. Higher education rates lead to greater employability, and in turn, those on the receiving end may choose to join Kathmandu’s or their partners’ workforces for investing in their people.

Integrating a circular economy approach is included in the objectives for both the “planet” and “practice” pillars of Kathmandu’s sustainability plan as well. So far, they have delivered on this by achieving their goal of having 100% sustainable cotton which was released in their Summer 2020 range. With consumers having an increased awareness and passion for sustainability over the recent years, offering products that enable them to contribute to the greater cause encourages their purchases. As a result, Kathmandu’s efforts in operating more sustainably are proving to increase their success as a business.  This goes to show that following Kathmandu’s lead cannot only increase organisations’ revenues, but also create a more sustainable environment long-term.