responsibility - the materials and their better alternatives
doing better
no product or brand in the fashion industry can call themselves sustainable. we are fully aware of that and do in no way claim to be sustainable.
but as an active part of the industry, we also have a responsibility to do our part in changing it. we can all do better, make better choices, challenge ourselves and our ways.
choosing better materials
one place where we can somewhat easily influence our impact and make better choices is when we choose materials for our products.
because while there are no perfect materials, there are always better alternatives.
we have developed a fibre matrix, segmenting the most common fibres used in the industry based on an overall rating of the fibre, considering environmental, climate, social as well as animal welfare factors.
the matrix contains a group of preferred fibres, a group of accepted fibres, a group of tolerated fibres and group of banned fibers.
the last category, the banned fibres, is pretty self-explanatory. we do not and will not use these fibres in our products because of known issues of a certain degree of significance.
our tolerated fibres are to some degree used for now, but in the process of being phased out. they have better alternatives available which we wish to use instead.
the accepted fibres are okay to use, but not our favourites. they are difficult to find direct substitutions for, so for now we cannot avoid them altogether.
our preferred fibres are those we deem the best alternative in their category for now. simply put – they are the ones we prefer to work with.
it is our goal that in 2024, 40% of all the fibers we use come from the preferred fibres group.
we have set some individual goals for our most used fibres and a switch for alternatives.
in the synthetics category, our biggest category, we have the two highly used fibres polyester and nylon. in 2024, we want half of the polyester and nylon used in our products to be recycled.
for cotton, another very used fibre, we want 50% to be either recycled or organic in 2024.
when it comes to man-made cellulose fibres, viscose, modal and lyocell, we want 100% to be branded fibres from lenzing ag or birla, or traceable to ensure their raw materials do not contribute to deforestation or loss of biodiversity. the last in the form of a certification trail from our direct suppliers to the raw material supplier.
lastly, x% of our wool should be organic, recycled or with a certification trail ensuring that all throughout the supply chain, from the animal to our direct supplier, high industry standards in relation to animal welfare and land management are followed.