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Working conditions and labour rights refer to the conditions under which workers are employed in the factories, including their wages, working hours, safety, and health. Labour rights involve the legal and ethical protections of workers' rights, including the right to form unions and collective bargaining. 

All our brand partners have committed to safe working environments. Some of our brands have certificates to guarantee audited production and safe working conditions. However, not all of these certificates, like GOTS or BSCI for example, do currently cover living wages. Only the working conditions. 

Living wages provide workers with the basics of living. It allows them to meet their basic needs, including food, housing, healthcare, education, and other essential expenses. When workers earn a living wage, they are less likely to fall into poverty. 

We acknowledge that paying living wages throughout the entire supply chain is very challenging in the textile industry from assembly to materials and fabrics production, all the way to the yarn, fibre manufacturing and fields. Therefore living wages are not a minimum requirement in our validation process. But most of our brand partners have product assembly facilities covered (Tier 1) as many of them have production in the EU. 

As the need to address climate change and ecosystem collapse become more urgent, all companies should be working to reduce their ecological footprints. Sustainable production minimises environmental impacts by reducing pollution and conserving natural resources and biodiversity. 

Our brands have committed to sustainable production and seek to minimise greenhouse gas emissions, water pollution and depletion of natural resources. 

To reduce the CO2 impact of textile production, they have also adopted a variety of environmental practices such as using mostly certified or recycled materials or other sustainable/preferred fibres, using renewable energy sources, avoiding overproduction and reducing waste. None of the brands are perfect at this, but they are doing a good job.

The heavy use of chemicals in the textile industry has also a significant environmental impact on local communities including water pollution, soil degradation, and human health risks. Harsh chemicals are used in various stages of textile production, such as fibre production, dyeing, and finishing, and can enter the environment through wastewater discharge or improper disposal. 

None of our brands are using hazardous chemicals in their production and are committed to safe working environments for the workers.

Materials generally have the biggest environmental impact of all production phases. For example in textiles, fiber production and assembly count for over 70% of the environmental impacts of textiles. 

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a 100% sustainable fabric. Natural fibres are not by default any more sustainable than manmade fibres, but each fibre type has a more sustainable option. These are so-called preferred materials.

Preferred materials have a lower environmental and social impact compared to conventional materials used in the textile industry. Organic materials are grown without the use of harmful pesticides and fertilizers. Recycled materials are made from post-consumer waste or industrial pre-consumer waste, which reduces the demand for virgin materials. Regenerative materials are produced using farming practices that focus on improving soil health, biodiversity, and ecosystem function. Materials produced with social and environmental standards and certificates promote fair labour practices and reduce negative impacts on people and the environment (for example GOTS and Fair Trade).

Our list of preferred materials includes i.a. GOTS-certified and organic cotton, recycled polyester (rPET), recycled nylon/polyamide (ECONYL®), responsible mulesing-free wool, innovative plant-based “leathers” and TENCEL™. 

Transparency is becoming increasingly important, as global production chains become longer and more complex. Sustainable brands should release more information on their products and production than required. For example an extensive list of materials used, the material origin countries and production country (assembly / made-in) information and comprehensive measurements and care instructions. 

Auditing of suppliers is also an essential aspect of transparency in the production value chain. By conducting audits, companies can ensure that their suppliers are following ethical and sustainable practices in the production of materials and products. Audits are especially important if the brand has production in so-called risk countries. We demand all our brand partners to have production locally, either in monitored EU countries or if outside the EU, with audited factories.

Code of Conduct (CoC) is an important document related to transparency. It sets the guidelines or rules that outline the expected behaviour and ethical standards for the manufacturer. A code of conduct typically includes details on wages, working hours and overtime. The bigger the production, the more detailed and country-specific information the CoC should have. If production is local, CoC is not usually needed.

Circular economy is not only about using recycled fibres and materials or recycling waste. It is also about designing and making products that are designed to be durable, repairable, resellable and eventually recyclable. The overall goal is to maintain the value of materials as high as possible, with minimum environmental impact throughout the supply chain.

Retaining resale value is an important part of circular and sustainable design as more people should be and are buying pre-loved. This means that sustainable brands do not necessarily need to make products only from recycled materials, but components and production methods should be of high quality and timeless design so the pieces sustain their resale value and quality over time. 

For the customer, circular economy is not about recycling your unwanteds, but more about everyday care and diligent maintenance. 

In sustainable design and business, diversity plays a vital role in fostering innovation, healthy work environments, and creative problem-solving. Equality refers to ensuring fairness and is essential for promoting social justice and reducing inequalities. It involves providing equal opportunities, access, and benefits to all individuals, regardless of their race, gender, age, socioeconomic status, physical shape or abilities or other characteristics. 

Inclusive design and business practices ensure that products, services, and opportunities are genuinely accessible and beneficial to all individuals. By promoting equality, sustainable design and business can contribute to building a more inclusive and just society, where everyone has the opportunity to thrive and participate in decision-making processes.

Embracing diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) allows businesses to create products that resonate with a wider range of consumers. By prioritising DEI values, brands can reduce social inequalities, promote social justice, and foster a more inclusive and equitable society. Diversity, equality, and inclusion are integral to sustainable design and business as they promote innovation, fairness, social impact, and employee well-being. 

As a business, it is not enough to have good intentions. Sustainability is a planned action that takes factual targets, specific goals and objectives set by brands themselves to improve their environmental and social performance in the supply chain and collections. It is about doing more than the legal minimum. These targets should be measurable, time-bound, and designed to drive meaningful change towards the industry.

Brands should publicly state their commitment to sustainability and outline their goals and targets in sustainability reports or on their websites. They may adopt internationally recognised standards such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to guide their sustainability efforts.

Externally, companies may collaborate with industry associations, NGOs, and other stakeholders to advise and direct action towards sustainability.

Against common fallacies, logistics do not have a significant environmental footprint in textiles. But e-Commerce as a whole has had a gigantic effect on the environmental footprint of the global textile industry. Online shops offer everything, all sizes and colours, at once with long returns. Because of this, the production quantities have multiplied more than our overall consumption. Unsold and returned products are destroyed unused.

Online shops also gather and use a lot of data to optimize prices and discounts - anything to make you make that buy. Even with your every tap being monitored, the consumer still has a few tools to lower the footprint of online shopping and give brands an indication that they are interested in slower, lower CO2 shopping.

You can, for example, shop full price when dealing with smaller brands, and check the measurements carefully so you refrain from buying multiple sizes and colours. All this will be an indicator to the brand, that increasing production quantities is not necessary and keeping returns to a minimum.