Sustainable Attributes
In our opinion it is not the consumer's duty to worry about the supply chain, but in today’s world if you want to make change and also shop well we wanted to give you a helping hand. This is why we created the sustainable attribute online filter. There are 10 attributes that are connected to every product for you to filter by, explained further here. We believe this is a revolutionary way of shopping, not simply focusing on the type of the product but the story of its creation.
Natural Fibres
We as a brand have chosen to use as many natural fibres as possible in our collections (eg. wool, silk and cotton). It means that if and when these garments end up in landfill they will biodegrade much faster than a garment made with synthetic fibres. Natural fibres also don’t release dangerous chemicals into the atmosphere when breaking down. Synthetic fabrics have a long-lasting negative effect on the environment, when a synthetic fabric is washed hundreds of thousands of micro-plastics are carried into the waste water system and in turn end up being eaten by animals in the seas and rivers. Whatever garments you decide to buy, we strongly suggest to repair or recycle before throwing away.
Low Water Consumption
Textile processing accounts for 20% of all fresh water pollution*. We are always thinking about the best ways to conserve our planet’s water supply, whether that’s working with mills that use minimal water for the production of our fabrics, or buying organic materials so the residual water isn’t contaminated with pesticides.
Mulesing Free
Mulesing is a cruel and painful way of removing a sheep’s skin that gets infested with flies without any pain relief or anaesthetic. We believe there are more humane ways of preventing this, so we only buy wool from sheep that are ‘non-mulsed’.
Low Carbon Footprint
We are limiting the amount of countries each garment has travelled to, ensuring we minimise our carbon footprint. You can only filter by this when the garment has travelled to a maximum of 2 countries rather than up to 10.
Traced from Fabric to Final
Where you see ‘Traced From Fabric To Final’ it means we know where the finished fabric has come from to where the garment has been cut and stitched. We have always had a great relationship with all of our socially responsible factories and visit them on a regular basis to monitor the process.
Traced from Field to Final
One step further than ‘Fabric to Final’ is our ‘Field to Final’ filter. Whilst we know all of our factories and suppliers, the supply chain of a fabric is a very complex one and can be the most damaging to the environment. We have been on a 3 year journey to be able to trace our full supply chain. Where you see ‘Traced from Field to Final’ it means we know each step of the way. It is important for us to know where everything has come from, for us to be able to check the full process, and to monitor our carbon footprint.
Organic
We use organic wool, cotton and silk throughout our collections. All the organic cotton we buy in is certified. It is important to us that the strict social and environmental criteria are monitored throughout the process. The majority of cotton farmers live and work in the developing world where there are no regulations to ensure these farmers are paid a decent wage. 270,000 cotton pickers have committed suicide in the last 25 years** that’s something we definitely do not want to be part of. We use GOTS for the bulk of our organic cotton as we know that all the steps along the way are checked. Conventional cotton production is also incredibly harmful to the environment and the cotton growers for many reasons; from its huge water consumption to its use of highly dangerous pesticides. Organic cotton is pesticide free & requires less water, so better all round. We use organic wool & GOTS certified silk for certain garments in our collections too.
Recycled
Where possible we use recycled wool for our coat fabrics. We love the fact that old wool is being up-cycled to make one of our new designs. Even though the wool is recycled it is still made of 100% natural fibres, which means the garments can still be broken down quickly without releasing chemicals. We try to use recycled synthetics as a better practice than virgin synthetics. If you do choose a recycled polyester garment please refer to our circularity page for what to do with it when you’ve finished with it.
Digitally Printed
When we digitally print our fabrics, we use the exact amount of ink needed to create our designs. Traditional printing methods require the use of a lot more water and ink than digital printing. From the beginning of our brand to now, we continue to print the bulk of our fabrics in the UK.
Sustainable Forestry
Wood based cellulosic fibres comes from trees. A growing popularity for viscose has seen demand double in the last decade, this is destroying ancient and endangered forests, not to mention the animal species that live within them. Over 150 million trees are cut down to make fabric each year, however cellulosic fibres can be made using sustainable forestry methods. TENCEL™ branded lyocell fibres originate from the renewable raw material wood, created by photosynthesis. It is brought to life in a closed loop production process, the water used is recycled and fewer chemicals are required during the manufacture. It goes without saying that the trees used for this product are managed under strict regulations to make sure that our planets natural resources are replenished.
Find out more about our story
* http://www.catnewtech.com/digital-printing-a-positive-step-towards-sustainability-in-textiles/
** https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/gallery/2014/may/05/india-cotton-suicides-farmer-deaths-gm-seeds
