Materials

Linen is a natural and strong fiber made from flax. While the flax is growing, a very limited application of fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides is used. Furthermore, it needs limited irrigation. It can easily grow in poor soil and uses far less water than cotton. The whole flax plant can be used it multiple ways which means nothing is wasted.

Every time you wash your linen garment the wiry fibers will move and meld and turn the garment into a softer and more absorbent fabric. Another advantage of linen is the all-season versatility. The loose weave of the linen garment allows air to penetrate. In warm weather, the linen garment will keep you cool. Furthermore, the fibers of linen have a polygonal cross-section that act as a natural insulator. This will keep you warm in the colder months. (Akin, 2013)

Our linen garments are produced and made in Chenfeng in China. It does not only provide us with good quality garments, but the company also concerns what they can give back socially. They provide work experience and trainings to students. They have an interest in their employees and create a good working atmosphere. Moreover, they focus on the necessary elements to achieve sustainable development within the company.

Our cotton made clothes are GOTS certified organic cotton. To get a GOTS certification is not easy. However, with our mission, there is no other way GOTS means Global Organic Textile Standard. In short, the standard covers the process, the manufacturing, the packaging, the labeling, the trading and distribution of all textiles. So, both fiber production, process, and social criteria. These textiles should be at least 70% certified organic natural fibers for the label “made with organic” and 95% certified organic natural fibers for the label grade “organic”. If we do it, we do it good so our garments are certified organic. (GLOBAL ORGANIC TEXTILE STANDARD, 2020)

Our organic cotton garments are made in Izmir in Turkey. We work with this supplier because they take sustainability into account. They have a very clever waste reduction approach by computerized pattern making. Moreover, they work under strict environmental and social criteria. Certificates: BSCI, GOTS (USB Tex 2015), ISO 9001, ISO 14001,OHSAS 18001, OEKOTEX, GRS, BCI

Recycled polyester is made from post-consumer PET bottles. The garment is wrinkle-resistant and very easy to care. The recycled polyester is able to reduce the consumption of energy, water, as well as the emission of CO2. We work with certified factories from Taiwan which means that we know for sure that they use used bottled in their recycling process. Some advantages of recycling polyester are that the overall plastic will reduce (Elven, 2018). For example, the plastic waste from going to landfill into the ocean will reduce. Recycled polyester also has the same qualities and properties as virgin polyester, but recycled polyester has a 59% lower energy production than virgin polyester. Besides the energy savings and the recycling of the PET bottles, it reduces the resource consumption, particularly of non-renewable resources. (Intini & Kühtz, 2011) (Textile Value Chain, 2014) claims that 10 plastic bottles are equal to 1 pound of polyester fibers. If 1 million plastic bottles are recycled, it will save 250 barrels of oil. Another fact about PET recycling (Textile Value Chain, 2014) is that 1 million recycled plastic bottles eliminate 180 metric tons of CO2 emissions from being released into the atmosphere.

Our recycled BOOMETEX® polyester is made in Taiwan. The facility is trusted and certificate by the Taiwanese government. This means that there are security measures and that we know for sure the bottles are post-consumer. They work with the principle cradle to cradle design. It follows the strategy that “everything becomes a nutrient and can be returned to the environment or recycled without a loss of quality. Cradle to Cradle is a design paradigm based on the idea of nutrient management, which enables product materials to be upcycled again and again. (EPEA Intl.Umweltforschung Gmbh Taiwan Branch, 2020)”