The communications balancing act | Building credibility, trust, and transparency into your sustainability messaging

Christina Berger is Senior Director, Corporate Communications, ESG and Public Policy at ThredUp, the online resale platform that modernized the thrift store experience. On a mission to inspire the world to think secondhand first, ThredUp believes that thrifting can help solve the fashion waste crisis and move us one step closer to a circular fashion future.

Whether you're an individual or a brand looking to resell your goods with years of life left in them, ThredUp has leveraged technology so that the process of buying and selling secondhand apparel, shoes, and accessories is easier than ever.

In our conversation we spoke about ThredUp’s efforts to balance purpose and profit, and the myriad ways they are ensuring they can back up what they claim, and what (and how) they are communicating to their stakeholders.

Specifically, we discussed:

• The fact that thrifting transcends generations
• How ThredUp uses life cycle assessments to quantify the environmental impact of buying secondhand and use that data to educate and engage customers. 
• The challenges that have existed in building a complex reverse supply chain and processing infrastructure over its 15-year history. 
• Why communications, public affairs, and policy work go hand in hand
• The importance of having credibility, trust and transparency in your communication and who’s holding them accountable
• How ThredUp is engaging their audiences and bringing them along on their journey
• Why Christina thinks that sustainable fashion is the next frontier in policy
• And more…

Related links worth clicking on:

• Impact at ThredUp
• ThredUp Newsroom
• ThredUp’s Annual Resale Report (Consumer study) - “most comprehensive measure of the secondhand market and resale industry”
• The Long Term Stock Exchange (LTSE)
• Greenstory.io - Transforming product sustainability data into commercial results
• AB 1305 Corporate Greenwashing bill, also known as the the Voluntary Carbon Market Disclosures Act,
• ACT - American Circular Textiles 
• The Americas Trade and Investment Act, or Americas Act (Business of Fashion)

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Produced by our team of experts at thinkPARALLAX.

Intro/Outro music by QubeSounds from Pixabay.

#inspiringperspectives #sustainability #sustainablefashion #circulareconomy #recommerce #sustainabilityadvice #sustainabilityleadership #thinkparallax #thredup #ESG #policy #communications #marketing #resale

Got a topic you’d like us to explore on the show? Get in touch with us at thinkparallax.com/podcast.