Meyer Wells Briggs regenerative table. Image courtesy of Living Deep
As sustainability becomes a more important facet in the luxury home furnishings sector, a new ecommerce platform is simplifying the process for affluent consumers by offering exclusively ecologically and socially responsible home and lifestyle products.
Living Deep, which launched this April, is an online marketplace of sustainable furniture, lighting, fine art, rugs, flooring and more curated by renowned green designers. With 70 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) fueled by consumer spending, Living Deep encourages consumers to be more purposeful in their purchasing decisions.
“In today’s landscape, sustainability and environmental concerns are top of mind for consumers,” said Jason F. McLennan, environmentally-conscious architect and CEO and cofounder of Living Deep.
In this Q&A, Mr. McLennan discusses consumer sentiments toward sustainable retail, ways in which Living Deep makes shopping sustainably easier and how consumers should align their behavior with their values and ethical stances on issues from human to environmental welfare. Here is the dialogue:
Jason F. McLennan, CEO and cofounder, Living Deep
What inspired you to launch Living Deep?
We created Living Deep guided by three unconventional values: that we all need to buy less stuff, be willing to invest for life and embody the change we want to see in our society. We’ve got to stop buying cheap stuff as it simply costs the world too much when you consider the entire creation and delivery process.
People need help making these informed decisions, and that’s where Living Deep comes in. Our product curation process takes the anxiety out of a purchase decision.
The marketplace is curated for sustainability, social justice and transparency. Many of these products come from projects McLennan Design has had direct experience with in our commercial projects.
In your opinion, what is the importance of sustainability in the retail space?
We want to transform the worldwide marketplace for home renovations, furnishing and decor via conscious capitalism and responsible consumerism. We want folks to buy less stuff and place a higher value on having fewer things but of higher quality.
Our business model is a direct-to-consumer drop-ship marketplace of many items that are made to order. This allows us to minimize the transportation carbon burden.
To cover the carbon we do create, we use CarbonClick’s technology during our checkout process for offsets. Each product page details the estimated delivery time, many with free shipping, which can range widely as our brands ship from many locations around the world.
Perhacs Studio Branch lighting fixture, which retails at $1,680. Image credit: Living Deep
How is Living Deep different from other sustainable online marketplaces? How do you ensure that all products offered on Living Deep meet sustainability standards?
The Living Deep marketplace is curated to the highest levels of sustainability, using the Declare 2.0 certification as the ideal to strive for.
The Declare label focuses on three questions: Where does the product come from? What is it made of? Where does it go at the end of its life?
By tapping into McLennan Designs’ industry relationships, we curate furniture and home decor from top interior designers and sustainable brands from throughout the world, many that have previously never been offered directly to consumers.
In what ways do you see consumer values changing in regards to sustainable retail?
Today, consumers want products and brands that align with their personal values.
As more people consider the consequences of their shopping habits, they are willing to change their habits for the better and make sustainability one of their primary purchase decision drivers, right next to value and ease of purchase. But most existing marketplace sites are overwhelming in their offerings, featuring little to no curation.
We know that our demographic is busy, and we provide that trusted curation to make the shopping process both quick and enjoyable.