ATIYYA AND NAJMIA ZULKARNAIN
Founders of Unplug and Real.m
In April 2013, Rana Plaza, an eight-storey commercial building in Dhaka, Bangladesh collapsed, killing 1,134 people and injuring more than 2,500. The building housed five garment factories, so many of the victims were garment workers, or their children who were in the building’s nursery facilities. It took one of the deadliest garment industry disasters in history to shed light on the long-running issue of garment workers working in hazardous conditions. It was only then that the world took arms against the exploitative business practices of the fashion industry and started making demands for the betterment of workers’ rights.
Then, Covid-19 happened. One of the first industries to bear the brunt of a global lockdown was manufacturing, which of course includes the workers, who either got laid off or took paycuts, despite already being paid less than a living wage. Vulnerable communities, including the labourers, are now unable to provide for their families and face the threat of starvation.
Despite the (admittedly minute) changes to industry practices and the increasing demands for fair trade, society continues to barrel through innovation, and trends seems almost impossible to stop.
Though sisters Atiyya and Najmia Zulkarnain of eco-conscious brands Real.m and Unplug admit that normalising eco-consciousness as an everyday practice is an ongoing battle, they’ve observed an uptick in local interest towards homegrown, ethical labels that offer everything from food and skincare to fashion.
“When we started in 2015, the general public’s knowledge of sustainability was little to none at all,” says Najmia. “While the conversation about being eco-conscious today is loud and clear, especially with the younger generation, the accessibility isn’t 100 per cent there yet.
“When we talk about commercial spaces or platforms, I don’t see a lot of eco-conscious lifestyle brands, save for skincare ones. Even zero-waste shops have a hard time taking off. The bottom line is that if you want to see substantial socioeconomic impact, then it takes all parts of society to drive that level of change.”
Atiyya, meanwhile, wonders whether the concept is being seen as merely a trend. “I find that worrying because what happens when sustainability falls out of fashion? Will it still be a thing if it isn’t trending? If we want to make actual progress, it should be seen as a normal, everyday thing you do and not just a fad.”
To avoid intimidating sustainability newcomers, it was important to the sisters that they offered different approaches towards the lifestyle; the more accessible sustainability is, the more everyone will be on board.
However, the higher price tag associated with many sustainable lifestyle choices are often met with incredulity and hesitation.
“We just carried out a sustainable survey of 73 respondents the other day, and one of the questions we asked was: ‘Is living sustainably easy for you?’ The most popular answer was ‘no’ because sustainable products cost more,” Najmia says. “Some people have asked us about why our organic cotton shirts cost more than a bigger label’s but what they don’t realise is the cost to make it, and the hours it took to weave, sew and source the material of the garment. This is why we need to be transparent about our costings, so that people can understand why they are priced the way they are. Progress is slow, but with local researchers and policymakers urging for the adoption of ESG [environment, social, and governance] standards, major companies are interested in collaborating with us, so I’d say we’re headed towards the right direction.”
Further down the pipeline, the two intend to adapt Unplug into a benefit corporation, a certified governing body that measures and verifies a business’s social environmental impact. Even if the procedure to become one is lengthy, the two are willing to go the extra mile.
“Sustainability isn’t just some buzzword, and it’s more than just buying alternatives,” says Attiya. “Malaysian society isn’t there yet, but things as simple as sorting out your recyclables properly, no overconsumption, taking care of your belongings to prolong their life cycle … it’s a way of living, and it’s something that we should be teaching our kids as soon as they’re able to learn. It’s more than just a business, and it’s more than just a trend to follow.”