At first glance, the term ‘sustainable luxury’ seems… oxymoronic. When read separately, it’s easy to view both words as polar opposites: ‘luxury’ often implying an undertone of excess and waste and often associated with words like ‘couture’, ‘extravagance’, and ‘indulgence’, whereas’ sustainability’ infers a degree of frugality and associates more with words like ‘eco-friendly’, ‘conscious’, and ‘recyclable’.

But as a study from Nielsen shows that 73 percent of Millennial respondents are willing to invest in products that come from sustainable or socially conscious brands (more than what older generations indicated) and 81 percent of Millennials expecting brands that they buy into be transparent in their marketing and actively disclose their sustainability impact, it becomes harder and harder to deny that a bridge between these separate worlds must connect the two together.

As more people become aware of the ecological imbalance and the irreversible effects of climate change, they’re getting more conscious of what they consume.

With the fashion industry being the second most polluting industry after the oil industry, luxury brands are aware of their impact and are actively participating to fulfil this demand of consumers who are looking to buy less but better and longer-lasting.

Should luxury goods be made at the expense of depleting natural resources or taking advantage of innocent hardworking hands? No. But should visual impact and appeal be sacrificed in order to support environmentally friendly efforts? Also no. While we agree that products must be created in a manner that by its creation, benefits the consumer, the manufacturer, the labourers responsible for the creation of the product, and the environment in the long term, we’re looking to luxury brands to match the degree of elegance to the weight of responsibility. In her lecture Sustainability and Empathy in Design, trend analyst and journalist Susanna Bjorklund states, “Design is about emotions — no one buys an ugly product, no matter how sustainable it is.“ The combination of luxury and sustainability encourages more people to buy into sustainability, and more businesses to rethink current and future products.

An example of this move towards sustainable luxury is Secrid MIRUM®, which marries the classic Secrid wallet with the best quality in the eco-friendly movement. With a patented material quality reassured by UL Solutions, a safety organisation that sets industry-wide standards for new products, Secrid uses MIRUM®  to make wallets that are climate-friendly, plant-based, and a great recyclable leather alternative with a traditional leather look.

At the end of its life, MIRUM® can be fully recycled into new Secrid MIRUM® wallets or other products, or grounded up and returned to the earth. Unlike most leather alternatives, MIRUM® is completely plastic-free.

The wallet fits 4-6 cards in the RFID-protected Cardprotector, and the bifold holds 6 extra cards and some folded cash. Pushing the lever slides the cards out smoothly for easy access.