Lucy and Yak: Brand Values

Lucy and Yak:

In what ways are Lucy and Yak socially responsible and environmentally conscious?

Lucy and Yak operates as a socially responsible and environmentally conscious brand from its core. Some of their values include being “fair with everyone that has an input in the making of Lucy & Yak clothing”, “working towards a positive environmental impact” and to give back more than they take out. They do so by using sustainable fabrics and paying their workers more than the “fair wage” in India. They are transparent about virtually everything, even their garment workers’ wages and holiday. According to their website, “garment workers earning 7000 rupees (£78) per month were actually one of the better paid garment makers in India” (Lucy and Yak). However, they pay their workers between “21,000 rupees (£233) and 29,000 (£320) per month”, as well as offering a “bonus scheme to encourage better quality”. The cost of living in India is much cheaper than western countries, thus earning £233 is a good wage for garment workers, especially bearing in mind that the “Cost of living in India is 63.62% lower than in United Kingdom” and “Rent in India is 80.17% lower than in United Kingdom” (numbeo).

How does Lucy and Yak implement the brand values?

- To create fabulous, high quality clothes and products that we love: Lucy and Yak designs each of their garments in the UK and they have them made in India. Their clothes are made from organic and sustainable fabrics. For example, 'The Organic Original' is made from organic corduroy, which is “sustainable and Ethically made” (Lucy and Yak)

- To be fair with everyone that has an input in the making of Lucy & Yak clothing: Lucy and Yak are part of the “Living Wage” scheme in the UK which means they are “committed to pay a real living wage” to their UK staff and they pay their India employees “more than the stated ‘fair’ wage” (Lucy and Yak)

- To give every customer the most awesome buying experience every time: Lucy and Yak are highly engaged on social media. They reply or ‘like’ to nearly everyone who comments (see figure 1)

Figure 1, The comment section in the most recent Lucy and Yak Instagram post

- To always be working towards a positive environmental impact: In addition to the clothes that the sell on the website, Lucy and Yak also sell ‘Zero Waste’ products. A zero waste lifestyle encourages a more positive environmental impact as “Reducing, reusing and recycling can be a key part of a climate change strategy to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions” (Toronto Environmental Alliance). Lucy and Yak are also “installing solar panels to power everything” (Lucy and Chris, 2018) in their factory in India.

Proposals:

Since Lucy and Yak have very clear values which they are already implicating, I have chosen not to suggest any proposals for this topic.