In 2016, during our inception, we set off on a journey to make sure we reduce our environmental impact in everything that we do. It’s a journey we have traveled far on already. But there is always further we can go.
We have three core values where we believe we can make the biggest difference in reducing our impact.
When choosing materials for our garments, first and foremost, they must be sustainable. There are very few materials which are 100% carbon neutral or negative but our aim is to always ensure their impact on our planet and local communities is as minimal as can be.
Other considerations include the last-ability, recyclability. Making sure the garment and its materials has a long lifespan as possible.
We go further, and we are dedicated to sustainable sourcing. We take time and consideration when choosing our suppliers, always visiting and building a relationship before we agree to do any production.
When looking at a new supplier our concerns are; ethical production, adult only labour, fair working conditions and practices, adequate social care for workers and fair remuneration. We require industry standard accreditation and audits where available and insist on practices which go further than fair trade.
The majority of non-organic is grown is countries that are experiencing water shortages. The organic cotton we source, however, does not contribute negatively to the scarcity of supplies. Organic cotton farmers use healthier soil that holds on to water far more efficiently, particularly during droughts. They rely heavily on rainwater as opposed to extracting from the ground, which can have knock-on impact on their local communities. Careful consideration is also given to make sure non-harmful pesticides are used on crops.
Cotton is arguably the World?s most important natural fibre with the cotton industry supporting the livelihood of 250 million people.
The Better Cotton Standard System is holistic approach to sustainable cotton production which covers all three pillars of sustainability: environmental, social and economic. Each of the elements from the Principles and Criteria to the monitoring mechanisms which show results and impact work together to support the Better Cotton Standard System, and the credibility of Better Cotton and BCI. The system is designed to ensure the exchange of good practices, and to encourage the scaling up of collective action to establish Better Cotton as sustainable mainstream commodity.
The key principles of the BCI are crop protection, water usage, soil health, biodiversity, fibre quality and decent working conditions. All BCI cotton is produced in verified cotton farms. All BCI cotton is produced in verified cotton farms.
For our swimwear, we use a nylon that’s created from recycled plastic bottles. Removing them bottles that would otherwise go in to landfill or end up in the ocean.
The practise of mulesing in sheep can cause severe pain and even death in sheep. It is a practice which can be avoided in certain regions. That is why we use wool from non-mulesed flocks where the negative impact on animal welfare is significantly reduced.
Derived from certified renewable wood sources using an eco-responsible production process by meeting high environmental standards, ECVOVERO fibers tailor to a sustainable lifestyle, contributing to a cleaner environment.
Thanks to eco-responsible production practices such as wood sourcing, water usage and air emissions – ECOVERO has a significantly lower environmental impact than generic viscose.
For certain products, we use an up-cycled fabric or yarn. By using raw materials/finished materials that would have otherwise been wasted, the manufacturing process is streamlined and uses less resources and energy.
As of early 2022, all our product packaging is 99.9%* plastic-free. In 2019, we began the process of phasing out all non-recyclable plastics from our packaging. That means no non-recycled plastic bags, plastic clips, collar straighteners, plastic swing tags, and plastic labels; we now substitute with paper, cardboard or metal.
The individual product bags used are a recyclable, naturally biodegradable, transparent paper bag by the sustainability packaging brand Vela. Their philosophy, along with ours, is to replace plastic poly bags with sustainable and recyclable paper packaging.
The mailing bags used for on-line orders are made from 100% recycled materials and contain biodegradable additive to assist with the biodegrading process.
We have a strict no-plastics policy on all our buttons and trims.
* For our larger products like Outerwear we are still searching for a suitable ‘non-plastic’ alternative. The individual product bags we use here are category recycled and are considered a safe form of plastic.
