Sustainability

 

Our misson has always been to supply sustainable high quality garments in the most ethical way. All the way through the supply chain, from the cotton fields to the final product in your hand. We do this by integrating ethical, fair and sustainable values in to everything we do. Proud to be working along side with the most progressive organisations and cutting edge technology our goal is to keep challenging the clothing industry.

 


With all relevant certifications we can ensure that the whole supply chain has been monitored and approved. These certifications are the backbone of what we do and by applying them we deliver the most sustainable products according to the highest social, ethical and environmental international standards.


Social Responsibility

Together with the Fair Wear Foundation, our partner The Continental Clothing Company UK has been running a pro-active social responsibility program since 2006. All manufacturing facilities are regularly audited for social compliance and are running active monitoring programmes in accordance with standards advocated by the International Labour Organisation, the Ethical Trading Initiative and other international bodies.

We all have a right to a safe and healthy work environment, a living wage, a legally binding contract. We all have a right to be free from discrimination and harassment, to join - or not to join - a labour union, to choose our work freely. We all have a right to fair and reasonable working hours. And our children have a right to go to school.

Therefore a robust policy has been adopted with regard to the following minimum social responsibility criteria:

    • No use of child labour
    • No use of forced labour
    • Safe and healthy working conditions
    • Legal labour contracts
    • Payment of living wage
    • Freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining
    • No discrimination against employees
    • No excessive hours of work

 

Sustainable Manufacturing

Sustainable manufacturing is the creation of manufactured products through economically-sound processes that minimize negative environmental impacts while conserving energy and natural resources. Sustainable manufacturing also enhances employee, community, and product safety. 

We recognise that garment manufacturing is one of the most environmentally damaging and harmful industrial sectors on the planet. For us it's therefore very important to address the impacts and take steps towards more sustainable manufacturing. 

Starting with the sourcing of raw materials, our partner Continental Clothing Company ensures full traceability of all fibres, choosing low impact cotton, Tencel® Lyocel, bamboo and EcoVero viscose, and recycled polyester in the Continental® range, 100% certified organic cotton in the EarthPositive® range, and recycled organic cotton blended with recycled polyester in the Salvage® range.

 

Carbon footprint reduction 

The carbon footprint (CO2e) is the total carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and other greenhouse gases emitted during the cultivation and harvesting of cotton, fibre processing, textile production, packaging, transportation and warehousing. In January 2008, Continental Clothing Co. became the first company in the world to calculate the carbon footprint and place the Carbon Reduction Label on textile products.

We have reduced the carbon footprint of EarthPositive® products by around 90% through a combination of innovative product design, low impact organic agriculture, efficiency in manufacturing, and by replacing standard grid electricity with renewable wind power. We do not use carbon offsets and our footprint calculations were certified by the Carbon Trust Certifications in the U.K. between 2007-2009.

It has been calculated that a single EarthPositive® T-shirt saves around 7 kilograms of CO2e compared to a conventional T-shirt, whereas a hooded sweatshirt saves up to 28 kgs.

Having taken the greenhouse gas emissions to pre-industrial levels, all the EarthPositive® products carry the registered mark “Climate Neutral”.

 

Yarns and fabrics

Continental Clothing Co. controls the spinning process of almost seventy percent of all the yarns used in production as part of its vertically-integrated manufacturing structure, with the remainder being carefully sourced externally. All the yarns used are fully combed and ring spun. The quality of our yarns and fabrics is the foundation to delivering the highest quality garments.

All the fabrics are knitted at our in-house facilities, and dyed with approved chemicals, using low-water and controlled waste discharge processes, certified to OekoTex 100 Class I standard and conforming to REACH. Organic certified fabrics are dyed in our zero-discharge dyehouse, where all the water is recycled in a closed-loop system.