We do all of our design at home in Kent, in the UK.<\/p>
Tamsin, our designer, is an arty type who loves to create designs that are a bit tounge-in-cheek for conscious consumers with a sense of humour. Would that be a conscious conshumour? She also likes puns, as you can probably tell from the names of some of her designs, like Boobees and Chest Nuts.<\/p>
We work with the same manufacturers used by Rapanui and several other ethical brands who have created a solidly ethical, sustainable and vegan supply chain. They're another UK-based company, who grow organic cotton and manufacture products in India.<\/p>
Our decision to work with them is due to:<\/p>
High standard of ethical values<\/p><\/li>
High quality service (inc. returns policies, speed of delivery etc.)<\/p><\/li>
Vegan inks and materials<\/p><\/li>
Guaranteed organic cotton<\/p><\/li>
GOTS certification (Global Organic Textile Standards)<\/p><\/li>
The ability to recycle old garments with them<\/p><\/li>
Non-plastic packaging<\/p><\/li>
Them being nice people<\/p><\/li><\/ul>
Organic cotton is better for the producers and the environment in which it is grown and processed. Techniques like co-planting and insect traps are used along with the special ingredient - cow poo - rather than toxic pesticides and fertilisers. This helps local biodiversity and leads to the extra soft feel of our garments.<\/p>
Where you grow cotton really matters, because even organic cotton needs a LOT of water. The fields that grow the organic cotton for our products are in the North of India, where the monsoons fill reservoirs that supply almost all the water needed.<\/p>
Organic cotton looks like a little bit of cotton wool bursting from a dry flower. The petals and seeds need to be removed before it can be spun. The raw cotton is taken to ginning plants and from there the raw material is separated out into the useful fibres which are sent to be spun. The waste seeds are pressed into cakes which is sold for organic cow feed. Vegetable oil is squeezed out last for use in food products. Every part of the plant is used.<\/p>
Cotton farmers get a price for their cotton which is guaranteed by the regional government. Great quality batches get higher prices as ginners compete for the best stuff.<\/p>
Wastewater from dyehouse effluent is a major source of pollution in the clothing industry. Where our fabrics are dyed, the water is recovered, cleaned and recirculated. After settling and skimming, the water is thoroughly filtered. This is done by sucking up water through really fine sand over and over, then boiling it.<\/p>
Salt is added back in so that the dye adheres and all the yucky stuff left over is dried out and used for road markings. About 95% of the water is recirculated and recovered.<\/p>
At the end, the water coming out of the filters and going back round to be reused again is crystal clear, literally clean enough to drink. Once it has been cleaned it is then used at the input for the next batch. It is a closed loop system, so we're not taking more water from the environment than we need to.<\/p>
Our products are made in a factory where the spinning, dye, weaving, cut and sew all happen together. This vertical integration means cost savings which can be reinvested in the facilities. This means that the environment is clean, light, modern and positive, like the factory in the UK.<\/p>
Because of 21st century manufacturing principles and the fact that people and product don't travel along a complex supply chain, our production partners have a solid reputation for quality and efficiency.<\/p>
That also makes it easier to ensure compliance, and this factory is audited for a wide range of social and sustainability criteria. The plant is powered by renewable energy.<\/p>
Throughout our supply chain renewable energy is used. In the UK our production partners own a solar farm and power manufacturing operations with renewables. In India, the factory owns two wind farms and a 150kw PV array. Renewable energy is affordable, reliable and something we are committed to investing in. Even Tamsin's house (where the design happens) runs on renewables through Bulb (the 100% renewable energy company).<\/p>
Within the factory machine-to-machine communications technology allows our partners to dynamically turn equipment on and off only when it is needed, balancing the manufacturing demand with on site generation.<\/p>
Our production partners have developed technology at their factory to improve all aspects of t-shirt printing. This includes working on lower impact inks, software, machinery and automation technologies. It enables them to make products in real time. At the factory, products are only made after they have been ordered - there is no waste. Even where we have stockists, we print their orders on demand, rather than holding stock that might have to be thrown away if it didn't sell.<\/p>
The efficiency and productivity gains from this technology balances the cost of more sustainable materials. Tech is how all this is affordable.<\/p>
By 2050 there will be more plastic in the seas than fish. This is bad. Instead of plastic packaging, we use a rip and splash-proof mailer bag made out of paper. Big orders come in cardboard boxes, with paper-based tape. Our packaging looks great and is so sturdy it can be reused again by our customers to send parcels or gifts.<\/p>
Every year 100 billion new items of clothing are produced while a truck full of clothing is burned, or buried in a landfill every second. Slowing fast fashion down a bit won't fix it. But when we take the waste material at the end, and make new products from it at the start, it can make a huge difference. That's what we do.<\/p>
Our products and packaging are made from natural materials, not plastics. Every product is designed to be sent back to us when it is worn out.<\/p>
New products are made from the material recovered (like this T-shirt<\/a>), and the cycle itself is renewable. Our products can be returned and remade again and again and again.<\/p> A pure material makes remanufacturing possible, and means products that are softer, and harmless to the environment.<\/p> Contributing to good causes is really important to us, so once you've made your purchase we donate 50% of our profits on a monthly basis to some of our favourite good causes:<\/p> The Retreat Farm Sanctuary<\/a><\/p><\/li> Happy Pants Ranch<\/a><\/p><\/li>Donating our profits<\/h2>