32 SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production – Vazva

Group Reflection

Did you know that textile production contributes more to climate change than international aviation and shipping combined (Good On You, 2023)? This fact alone displays truly how great the need is for corporate social responsibility to be embedded at the core of operations in this industry. In the light of this, we found that Spanish-based apparel company Vazva, has decided to tackle this environmental issue head on by embedding these values as a centralpoint of their business. To fight against fast fashion, Vazva chose to implement some practices that help meet some of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We found that the company primarily places emphasis on the SDG of responsible consumption and production, yet they also respect climate action, and life under water.

Upon reflecting on our team’s assessment and story development of Vazva, we learned that their inclusion of SDG innovations resulted in many positive impacts for their business, society, and the environment.
Business:
– Improved brand image through differentiation
– Provides more transparency for stakeholders
Society:
– Quality work conditions for all employees
– Cleaner ecosystems locally through cleaning up the Spanish coast.
Environment:
– Reduce CO2 emissions
– Minimise water and energy usage
– Usage of more sustainable and ecological materials

In assessing the effects of their innovation on each of these key areas, will provide a clear depiction of Vazva’s role in achieving social good.

Upon reflecting on our team’s assessment and story development of Vazva, we learned that their inclusion of SDG innovations resulted in many positive impacts for their business, society, and the environment. In assessing the effects of their innovation on each of these key areas, will provide a clear depiction of Vazva’s role in achieving social good.

Although Vazva’s primary focus in implementing SDG innovations is to achieve social good, it cannot be denied that these initiatives also have a positive impact on the business’s profitability. Vazva’s commitment to sustainable development goals not only aligns with consumer preferences for eco-friendly and socially responsible brands but also attracts a growing market of conscious consumers. This can lead to an increase in customer loyalty and ultimately drive the company’s profitability.

One of the significant benefits that Vazva’s SDG innovations provide is the ability to attract and retain customers. In today’s society, there is a growing demand for sustainable and ethical products and services. Consumers are becoming more conscious of the environmental and social impact of their purchasing decisions and are actively seeking out companies that align with their values. By incorporating sustainable development goals into their business model, Vazva is able to differentiate itself from competitors and appeal to this growing market of conscious consumers. This can result in increased sales and customer loyalty, ultimately leading to improved profitability.

While it is true that implementing SDG innovations can come with additional costs, such as investing in sustainable supply chains and production processes, these expenses can be offset by the potential increase in sales and customer loyalty. Additionally, Vazva’s commitment to sustainability can also lead to cost savings in the long run. For example, by reducing energy consumption or optimising waste management, the company can lower its operational costs and improve its bottom line.

However, it is important to acknowledge the challenges of implementing these sustainable practices. As mentioned in the interview with Vazva’s CEO, the cost of being sustainable can be incredibly high for a business. The investment in eco-friendly materials, ethical manufacturing processes, and other initiatives can eat into the company’s profits. It is a delicate balance to find the right pricing strategy that allows Vazva to cover these additional costs while remaining competitive in the market.

The whole point beyond identifying and implementing an SDG into one’s benefit is for the greater good of society. Why would you be a company and want to ruin the environment and society that you work in? It just does not make any sense. Doing so ruins your look but also ruins the area in which you work and do business. This could then ruin future growth, limiting the potential of the company. It’s the equivalent to slowly digging one’s grave.

Creating a cleaner environment, whether that’s through beach clean-ups or using organic sustainable materials, creates a positive impact on the world in which they operate. This creates great potential for the future and makes sure that there is not a limiting factor to the brand. As well, those stakeholders who skate and surf (Vazva’s “DNA activities” as discussed in our interview with the founder and CEO) don’t have to deal with any ocean waste or any sort of plastic waste getting in the way of enjoying their favourite activities. This can also help with the brand and making sure that those who work for VAZVA are happy with their work and what they do, and making sure as well that the broader community sees benefits in their interaction with Vazva. Overall, it’s a very good win-win situation for the company as they are doing their share to stay clean and sustainable, with not only helping themselves but also the whole environment in which they live and local communities with which the company interacts closely.

One aspect that makes all of Vazva’s propositions and actions possible and valuable, is ultimately their commitment to keeping their core operations environmentally friendly and sustainable over time. Throughout this project, and the interview in particular, we learned that Vazva has an unrelenting commitment at keeping supply chain CO2 emissions low by choosing to manufacture in Portugal and by choosing Fair Trade natural cotton suppliers that are the closest possible to their Portugal operations as well as recycled polyester and denim to produce more affordable items. Likewise, through the interview we learned that Vazva has a powerful internal culture of zero waste where manufacturing processes have been identified which, combined with their emphasis on sustainable and ecological materials have led to amazing savings in water and energy consumption as well as great reductions in waste and emitted CO2 (as reported in their website).

Throughout our experiences in university we have taken courses about sustainability and social conscience in the business world, however, seeing all of it be implemented and succeed in practice with a company like Vazva makes the learning process much more deep and impactful. To build a better world it is important to carefully and attentively learn from the experiences of others, and to humbly implement those lessons in our local context with a mindset of constant improvement and openness to learn and change.

Individual Reflections

Marcel: As a member of this team in this experiential activity that was conducted through virtual teams, I personally felt many moments of security yet also many times discouraged. My sense of security was established through the trust that was fostered throughout my team. We chose to connect on a personal level whenever we could in discussions to best develop our relations, and in effect strengthening our trust. When your team’s effectiveness and productivity is affirmed through trust as ours was in most instances, this reduces personal stress since I knew I could count on my partners to complete their share of the work.

Communication played a key role in the development of our trust, as clear and effective communication was a primary factor in enhancing our interpersonal relationships in these meetings. Although this was a common feeling, there were also many moments where I felt very discouraged due to communication challenges. We faced a multitude of these types of problems, such as issues associated with a lack of and timely communication. Whether this may be associated with members being in different time zones or not, we continued to have issues with effective communication which resulted in our teams overall loss in efficiency. At some points, this equally resulted in our inability to organise meeting arrangements, further hurting our efficiency since these meetings were crucial for our distribution of work.

To combat this, I began texting our chat much earlier in the week, almost immediately, so that others would have more time to respond and we could appropriately adjust to scheduling constraints. In correlation with timely communication, another significant obstacle we had to tackle that made me feel discouraged was the moments where there was a lack of communication. Throughout this assignment, we unfortunately had many instances where one or more team members did not sufficiently communicate with the team, leaving us with empty roles to fill for weekly assignments.

Beyond this, an overall lack of collaboration resulted from poor communication of members and it had the effect of minimising our opportunity to achieve our optimal performance potential. To resolve this, I began communicating with certain individuals the specific expectations that our group holds to ensure the member(s) are contributing. Ultimately, although there were many challenges that arose throughout this team activity, I overall feel very satisfied since we were able to effectively overcome all of our major constraints.

Mauricio: This project was certainly very different from anything I have had the opportunity to experience in my undergrad journey at Guelph. This unique combination of practical application and international collaboration with universities in other continents presented both a great opportunity to learn and an increased challenge in coordinating the team due to different time zones and other cultural barriers.

On the positive, this project was a fantastic way of learning about a great Spanish brand that I would’ve never known otherwise. My favourite aspect of the project was the interview as it was a very intimate way of knowing about Vazva from the founder and CEO himself, and likewise, a wonderful way of learning from an experienced business leader first-hand on what are the aspects of success for running a company like Vazva as well as key challenges encountered over the years.

One aspect that I believe we needed to improve was the communication and coordination aspect of the project. Some of our group mates did not show any interest at all in the project and did not contribute nearly to the same extent as others did, which may be due to the time zones being too different or due to the fact that the project was worth a lesser grade for them in their own university courses than it was for some of us. From this experience I have learned to be more diligent and take more initiative to start communication with my group mates earlier in the week, and to always make sure to follow up and clarify what is meant to avoid any confusions.