ETHICS & SUSTAINABILIY CRITERIA

No person, nor the planet, should be exploited in the production of our clothes. It should not be tolerated in this day and age. 

We appreciate that there is no silver bullet. Supply chains are purposefully obscured, and sometimes with all the best intentions you can later find out there was pollution or exploitation in a supply chain.

Therefore we choose our brands based on what evidence is available at the time, often in the form of certifications and bodies that we have deemed reputable through our research.

FABRICS

    • Hemp & linen use far less water, energy and pesticides than even organic cotton and therefore are the most sustainable of fabrics. Organic is best. 
    • We only sell organic cotton as non-organic cotton uses pesticides that kill the soil, rivers and are toxic to humans and animals.
    • Lyocell is a cellulose (wood pulp based) material. It's made using a closed-loop system (meaning over 99% of the solvent used in the process is recovered and reused) without any intensive or potentially harmful chemicals.  TENCEL™ is the trademarked name given by the Austrian company Lenzing AG to their process of creating lyocell fabric, which uses only FSC certified wood. 
    • ECOVERO™ is a viscose material, also a cellulose/wood pulp based material produced and trademarked by Lenzing AG. Like lyocell, raw materials are sourced from sustainably managed forests and manufactured in a closed-loop process.
    • Conventional viscose, rayon and modal are fabrics made from wood pulp but these materials have been associated with unsustainable forestry and deforestation and the processing is often associated with toxic chemical release, linked to health issues for communities and workers, so they are to be avoided.
    • Recycled cotton, wool, polyester, elastane and nylon (such as ECONYL®) are better than their non-recycled counterparts. 

Choosing the most sustainable fabric - Ethical Consumer - August '21 

INDEPENDENT ORGANISATIONS 

Being accredited by trusted independent organisations is a way for brands to evidence that their products are made in an ethical way.  The following are examples: 

  • Fair Wear 
  • GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard)
  • GRS (Global Recycled Standard)
  • OEKO-TEX  - ensures product is harmless to human health and ecologically responsible

 

BEYOND ACCREDITATION

We know that certifications and memberships aren't everything.

'The most ethical clothing companies are arguably going beyond ethical certification labels, such as organic and Fairtrade. They have become innovators within the slow fashion movement; a movement which, like the slow food movement, emphasises the importance of quality, building direct connections with producers and knowing the provenance of a product.'*. These are all things we look for when finding brands.

*Ethical Clothing Brands - The Ethical Consumer - updated 11-Aug-2021

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We want to support brands and designers who are genuinely trying to do the right thing.  

This is a journey for everyone, including us. 

If you have any feedback or concerns about certifications, brands, materials or anything else please let the founder know at sophia@circol.co.uk. This is a continuous journey and we welcome new information and knowledge.