Our Suppliers
There is a BIG difference between having a sustainable angle and having sustainability as a core business value. There are businesses whose decisions are driven by a desire to move towards a more sustainable textile industry and there are those who try and fit sustainability into the choices they have already made (or want to make). Honestly, the latter far outnumbers the former. Our goal is to find suppliers who think about sustainability first, we have had to say no to some lovely fabrics which haven’t fulfilled our requirements around transparency.
We work closely with a small number of suppliers who
- share our business values
- choose fibres based on their environmental and social impact as well as their performance
- provide clear information regarding where and how their products are produced
- prioritise fair labour working conditions, have clear employment codes of conduct and are willing to share these
- communicate freely and openly and provide additional information when requested
We often work directly with manufacturers which means we have a direct line of communication to the people creating the products. Our yarn is sourced through a distributor who focuses on more sustainable yarns and is extremely open and responsive to all of our questions.
Here is a brief rundown of our suppliers.
Hemp + Organic Cotton Blended Fabrics
Currently all our hemp and organic cotton fabrics (that aren’t labelled as either meetMILK or mind the MAKER) are produced by a company based in Qingdao, China. They specialise in hemp, organic cotton and recycled fibres and are organised as a vertically integrated manufacturer which provides easier traceability (they spin, weave and dye their own fabrics). They grow their own organic hemp but also import it from Europe as required.
The majority of their production occurs in a large spinning, weaving and dying facility in Rushan, Shandong. This facility is largely powered through the use of solar panels which the company has invested heavily in. They monitor their energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, water use and management.
They are BSCI assessed (independent audit of employment conditions) and have shared the results with us.
They are also a GOTS certified manufacturer which means that their factory has been assessed through the GOTS process which looks at employment conditions, fibre compositions, dying and treatments and environmental policies including energy use and waste water treatment. They use only EU or Oeko-Tex certified dyes.
They are always very open and willing to answer all of our (many) questions.
meetMILK and mind the MAKER
meetMILK and mind the MAKER are both owned by We do Fabric ApS. They are a Danish owned company whose purpose is to make more responsibly made fabrics available to more people. Their design philosophy is ‘simple and uncomplicated’. They do not follow trends and instead their goal is to focus on quality and longevity.
They provide clear information regarding the origin of all their fibres, as well as where and how they are spun, woven, dyed and finished. In many cases the fibre to fabric production occurs in one factory which simplifies traceability. They only work with manufacturers who adhere to a number of international standards and certifications covering fibre production, wastewater treatment, energy efficiency and labour rights.
They have extensive information on their website regarding their sustainability values, production methods and manufacturers. For more information please visit meetmilk.com or mindthemaker.com
Organic Cotton + Rubber Elastic
All our elastic is manufactured by CHARLE - premium haberdashery, a German owned company in Austria. They are a small business founded when they were unable to source elastics to meet their own environmental and social expectations. As such they have a strong focus on sourcing and production methods which both minimise ecological impact and respect workers.
Their natural rubber is sourced from Malaysia and is REACH compliant. Their GOTS cotton is sourced from Turkey which is the closest available supplier for them. All their products are Oeko-Tex certified. Their Austrian production facility gets its electricity and heat from an in-house hydroelectric and thermal power plant.
Their ribbons have been tested in worm farms and shown to break down in 6-8 weeks given optimal conditions (access to oxygen, microbacteria, health pH level i.e. healthy worm farm/soil/compost bin).
Scanfil Organic Cotton Thread
Scanfil is manufactured by Forbitex, a family run company based in The Netherlands. All threads are manufactured in Europe.
They source their GOTS cotton from Turkey. They are also a GOTS certified manufacturer meaning all raw materials they use and their own manufacturing procedures have been through the GOTS assessment. Their threads are dyed and coated using non-toxic solutions.
Tencel™ Threads
Our Tencel™ threads are manufactured in Portugal using trademarked Tencel fibres supplied by Lenzing AG. As a company they are focused on providing high quality, innovative products with a focus on reducing environmental impact. The threads are Oeko-Tex certified and will biodegrade in optimal conditions (i.e. worm farm, compost pile, soil of correct health/pH, commercial composting facilities).
Cohana
Cohana is a brand founded in 2016 by Kawaguchi Co Ltd. Kawaguchi has been operating since 1953 as a manufacturer of handicraft tools, notions and stationary.
The goal of Cohana is to create high-quality handmade tools using local Japanese industries. Cohana is committed to strengthening the rich traditions of Japanese craftsmanship.
All of Cohanas products have been carefully designed to balance practicality, beauty, longevity and traditional craftsmanship. Every product contains detailed information regarding the meaning behind the design as well as the production process. These are not mass produced items, they are handcrafted by highly skilled artisans with a deep connection to Japanese history and culture.
Kremke Soul Wool | BC Garn | Erika Knight
These three brands are all owned by Britten and Carsten Kremke, the initial founders of Kremke Soul Wool. Their goal is to create unique yarns with an ecological focus. They have a large range of GOTS certified cottons, recycled and vegan yarns.
The majority of their yarns are produced in Europe and they always provide clear information regarding fibre of origin and production.
Woolly
Woolly is a small Australian based yarn company which produces non-super wash yarns using New Zealand wool. They also distribute the above yarn brands, they focus on more sustainable yarn brands and are always incredibly open to providing any information we require.