At THE ICONIC, we are committed to contributing to the development of a circular fashion system for Australia and enabling our customers to participate. As part of this commitment, we’ve signed up as a Foundation Member of Seamless, Australia’s National Clothing Product Stewardship Scheme.
For too long, the fashion industry has been based on a linear model in which we take materials from the Earth, make products from them and later throw these products away as waste. By contrast, in a circular system, fashion products are designed to be used more, made to be made again and made from safe and recycled or renewable inputs. (Source: Ellen MacArthur Foundation).
The aim of Seamless is to drive the Australian fashion industry towards clothing circularity by 2030, by incentivising clothing design that is more durable and recyclable, fostering new circular business models, expanding the process of clothing collection, sorting and recycling, as well as engaging citizens to change their behaviour. As a Foundation Member, we’re helping to drive the establishment and priorities of Seamless over a 12 month transition phase and beyond through representation on the Board of Directors. The scheme became operational on 1 July 2024. Learn more about Seamless.
By joining Seamless, we recognise that the level of transformation required to create a circular clothing system needs the combined skills, knowledge and agendas of the entire Australian fashion industry. At the same time, we will continue to work on initiatives in our own business in line with our 2030 circularity targets.
- Transition all of our delivery and product packaging to meet at least one circular principle (reduce, reuse, recycle or use recycled materials).
- Increase diversion of waste in our operations from disposal, through reuse and recycling, to at least 94%.
- Enable our customers to extend the life of clothing and accessories through reuse, by donating their unwanted items, or buying pre-loved.
As an online retailer, THE ICONIC recognises the critical role that packaging plays for our operations and our customers. With thousands of orders delivered each day, we want to ensure that every parcel arrives in great condition, while managing the environmental impact of our packaging.
THE ICONIC is committed to supporting the transition to a circular economy for packaging in Australia. We’ve worked hard to transition our shipping satchels and boxes to packaging made from recycled materials. Our shipping packaging can be reused if a customer needs to return an item to us. We also encourage our customers to responsibly dispose of packaging, for up to date information see the “How do I recycle packaging?’ section below.
In 2020, we introduced shipping satchels made of certified 100% post-consumer recycled plastic (excluding inks, colourants and seals).
In 2021, we introduced shipping boxes made of certified minimum 70% recycled cardboard, sourced from a mixture of pre- and post-consumer waste, and made locally in Australia.
Apart from satchels and boxes that THE ICONIC uses for delivery, products from our Own Brands and third-party brand partners use additional packaging such as protective bags, tags, boxes or hangers. We are working closely with Own Brand suppliers to transition towards packaging made from recycled materials. Our third-party brand partners have been made aware of our packaging commitments and we encourage collaboration for continual improvement in this area.
We know that sometimes your purchase isn’t quite right. It happens! You can send items back to THE ICONIC – in line with our Returns Policy – using the same satchel or box in which they were delivered. In fact, THE ICONIC satchel is made with a double seal to make it easy to reuse. Simply tear along the line when opening your satchel to preserve the second seal.
We know recycling can be confusing, that’s why we created this easy How-To guide for recycling and responsible disposal at home.
This category includes THE ICONIC’s delivery satchels and transparent garment bags used to wrap individual items.
In Australia, unfortunately there is no collection of soft plastics widely available for customers at the present time. Industry is working hard to identify pathways to create new recycling scheme(s). In the meantime, customers are advised to check with the local council on whether soft plastics recycling is available in your area, if not, soft plastics should be disposed of in the landfill bin.
In New Zealand, you will find soft plastic recycling collection points at selected supermarkets and other retail stores.
You may notice recycling symbols and soft packaging recycling information on some of our current soft plastic packaging. This is because we print and manufacture packaging ahead of time and are currently working through the stock we have on hand. In line with ACCC guidelines, all future packaging runs will carry the most up to date disposal information.
Cardboard & Paper
THE ICONIC’s delivery boxes, protective tissue or honeycomb packing paper, shoe boxes and cardboard tags can be recycled at home in your council-provided yellow recycling bin. Make sure you flatten boxes first so they can be picked up in the cardboard recycling stream.
Other Items
Products from our third-party brand partners may include plastic hangers or blister packs, as well as combinations of materials. Systems for recycling these items vary by local area, so it is best to check with your local council on how they can be responsibly disposed of.
The Ellen Macarthur Foundation predicts that by 2050 there could be more plastic in the sea than fish by weight, while Canopy calculates that each year over 3 billion trees are cut down to produce paper packaging. To address environmental impacts at this scale, we need to change how we design, use, reuse and recycle packaging.
Since 2018, THE ICONIC has been a signatory of the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO), which is leading the development of a circular economy for packaging in Australia. As part of our membership, we collaborate closely with APCO on the measures we can take as a business to help achieve Australia’s 2025 National Packaging Targets. You can discover more about our packaging progress by accessing our most recent APCO Annual Report and Action Plan here.
Every item on THE ICONIC – whether it’s an item of clothing, a pair of shoes or an accessory – requires natural resources to produce. For example, the energy used for manufacturing, water used for dyeing, or fuel for transportation. When these products are in transit, or at our warehouse, they are at risk of getting dusty, wet, or damaged. Packaging plays an essential product-protection role to ensure that your item arrives in pristine condition. This means your new purchase can have a long life in your wardrobe (and someone else’s, after you decide to pass it on), making the most of the resources used for production. We’ve found plastic packaging, made from recycled materials whenever possible, provides the best product protection, however we’re always looking for ways to improve the environmental impact of our packaging.
In THE ICONIC’s evaluation of multiple packaging options, our Sustainability Team and Packaging Working Group tested a home-compostable satchel. Despite being one of our best performers, APCO’s National Compostable Packaging Strategy outlines that most households in Australia don’t have access to home composting that is able to process packaging, nor access to organics collection services that accept compostable packaging. This means compostable packaging would likely end up in landfill, or contaminate organics or recycling streams. This is why our 100% recycled post-consumer plastic satchels are the best option for now.
Responsible Waste Management
THE ICONIC is committed to diverting operational waste from landfill and incineration to ensure that materials are recycled or reused whenever possible. As a pure-play online retailer, the majority of our direct waste impact occurs at our Fulfilment Centre, with a smaller amount from our Studio and Head Office. The main waste materials we deal with are paper and cardboard, soft plastics, stickers, tape, pallets, drink containers and food scraps.
A key part of our waste management has been the implementation of a waste separation system at our sites to enable our team to sort different materials for recycling. We separate and recycle paper and cardboard, hard plastic and glass from landfill waste. We’ve implemented organics collection at our Studio. At the same time, we’re continuing to work on finding new ways to recycle as many waste streams as we can, and retain the maximum material value within the system.
Extending Product Use
We’re committed to helping develop and accelerate a circular fashion system in Australia and recognise that systems change requires industry-wide collaboration. We’re proud to be a Foundation Member and Board Member for Seamless, Australia’s National Clothing Product Stewardship Scheme. Seamless to create clothing circularity by 2030, by transforming the way we make, use, reuse and recycle clothing.
At the same time, we’re taking steps to enable customers to extend the life of clothing and accessories through key initiatives in line with our 2030 circularity targets.
Donate quality clothes you don't wear anymore to Salvos Stores, or recycle unwearable clothes rather than send them to landfill. Our collaboration with RCYCL makes it easy to fashion a better future. Simply buy REWEAR and RCYCL bags, sort your clothes, fill the bags, then scan and send to be re-worn or recycled. Find out more.
We’ve recently added a small selection of pre-loved products from Azura Reborn and The Real Deal to our assortment and look forward to customer feedback on this initiative.
Considered Edit
Considered is our way of identifying products that hold social, ethical or environmental credentials - certified through third party standards, certifications, trademarks, or programs addressing issues such as climate and greenhouse gases, soil health and land management, chemicals and toxicity, water use and pollution or animal welfare. We are committed to increasing our assortment of products that address these issues in some way in order to provide a better assortment for our customers.
Considered enables customers to learn about the certifications and standards we recognise, as well as browse and shop products that meet a certification or standard criteria within our seven Considered categories. While we recognise that every product we sell has an impact, whether on the environment, people or animals, we are steadfast in our ethos of ‘Progress not Perfection’ and Considered is our pathway to reducing the impact of our full assortment in line with our strategy.
