There's a lot of talk about sustainability and it's for a good reason. All businesses need to acknowledge and factor in the damage they cause to the environment. Here at Easy Tiger we've taken some big steps towards making our business more "sustainable". We're small brand with a smaller impact and our journey is by no means finished. We may not have millions of pounds to put into research and development of new technology or new fabrics but what we can do and it is our responsibility is to make decisions that reduce our impact and bring us closer to a more sustainable future.
That's why our items are priced the way they are. To take the steps and choose manufacturers that facilitate top ethical standards and greater environmental awareness generally costs more. We've listed some of things we think are positive in our business practise towards greater sustainability but we're always looking to improve. If you want to find out more information about our activity or you feel that you may be able to helps us on this journey please contact us.
Love Team Easy Tiger: Tiger, Basil, Lauren xx
As of 20/11/2020 from Alexa Castellano, Trees for future "The donation of £1768 has helped us plant 8,384 trees, thereby sequestering 303 metric tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere, and helping 17 people plant their way out of poverty and hunger."
You can find out the current totalling donation at the bottom of the webpage.
We know this is only half the battle and the real goal is to reduce our carbon footprint, we've taken steps in our production to reduce these as-well.
We send out all our order in paper mailing bags or cardboard boxes. No plastic packaging. We've opted to use compostable bags to protect the garments but these bags are completely biodegradable and compostable at home.
We recycle all our cardboard with a local cardboard recycling company and so far have saved over 270kg of Co2 from recycling the cardboard alone. We recycle all our paper and look to use a little as possible. Where we can we choose recycled paper and eco friendlier solutions.
If you decide to return or exchange your items please return them in the same packaging.
In all our jersey styles we've opted to use organic cotton and we look to move over all our denim pieces to organic solutions in the following collections.
"Cotton is a difficult crop to grow: yields can be decimated by severe weather (both droughts and flooding) and it is particularly vulnerable to pest attacks. Globally, this crop covers just 2.4% of the world’s cultivated land but uses 6% of the world’s pesticides (and 16% of insecticides), more than any other single major crop." -PAN UK
Choosing certified organic cotton helps reduce these numbers and can guarantee a greater ethical standard depending on the level/organisation of certification.
This year we chose to make our clothes closer to our home in Brighton so our new collections have been made in England, Portugal and Turkey. The majority our production has previously been in Thailand and this has a massive reduction on our carbon footprint.
These are only half solutions as we still impact with the transit of items, we actually now look to develop our collections with a longer time before we launch so the items can be delivered via land and sea thus helping reduce our carbon footprint more.
We're alway looking for ways to improve. For our domestic deliveries we're looking for ways to reduce our CO2 emissions and looking at less taxing logistical companies to help achieve this goal.
Slower delivery times tend to reduce impact so opt for slower delivery if you have time.
We choose high quality fabric and the best factories because we believe in creating products that will last as long as possible.
Creating products that last longer means you won't have to replace that item and it can be used again and re-loved for second hand sales.
Longer lasting quality items make it cheaper in the long term financially and less taxing on the environment. Quality is very important for us.
If you need repairs on your sequin items we can send you extra sequins in the post. Just drop us an email.
We chose to make our denim and jersey garments using 100% cotton rather than choosing to use synthetic fabrics.
Microplastic pollution caused by washing processes of synthetic textiles has recently been assessed as the main source of primary microplastics in the oceans.
Because of this we've decided to use PET fabrics in our polyester lines. This is fabric made from plastic bottles taken from the ocean and recycled to make the fabric for our clothes!
We know that these garments are still polluting plastic when washed so you can purchase a solution which captures the microplastics when you wash these type of clothes and stop the micro plastics from entering the local water systems.
Our factories in Turkey and Portugal are installing solar panel units on their buildings to provide themselves with greener energy in the summer of 2021.
Our suppliers for our productions use new technology to reduce waste water in their dying process. Polluted water from fabric dyes if untreated and not dealt with properly, have led to rivers and oceans ravaged with harsh chemicals.
Our Responsibility in Trading Ethically
We’re aware that still to this day there remains human right challenges in the garment industry not just in other far away countries but locally too.
Here at Easy Tiger we’re aware that we have a responsibility and understanding that the choices we make can impact people's lives, it’s down to us to make sure that that impact is a positive one. Easy Tigers designs come with the message of Love and Positivity, that then needs to be reflected in how we make our decisions when dealing with suppliers.
When selecting suppliers, we work with small teams. Our main suppliers are a family run business. We ensure that our suppliers have been audited by one of the large auditing bodies that exist, in our case they have chosen SMETA.
When making Decisions on our next journey or on growth we always factor in the ethnicity and sustainability of our choices.
What do we do to ensure our standards are met?
Easy Tiger Factory Assessment:
Visit our supplier's location and inspect the site personally.
Due to the pandemic this has not been possible this year.
Ensure that our suppliers are audited with up to date reports with recogonized auditing bodies from independent organisations.
Ensure that if any compliance issues are flagged what has been actioned to amend the issues.
Ensure our suppliers operate within the regulations of REACH chemical compliance, the safety of the workers are not jeopardised and that the workers are safe and operate in hygienic conditions.
Ensure measures have been taken to reduce the spread of COVID.
Ensure our suppliers comply with local laws and regulations.
Ensure that our workers are paid above the legal minimum wage and are paid a living wage.
Ensure that our suppliers reach the ETI Base Code as a bare minimum.
Ensure our suppliers not only meet the minimum requirements but we enquire what they do that goes beyond to ensure their workers have a positive environment to work in. Such as providing free meals and free transport to its workers.
Ensure all Employment is freely chosen
Ensure child labour shall not be used.
Ensure working hours are not excessive.
Ensure No harsh or inhumane treatment is allowed
Ensure Regular employment is provided
Ensure No discrimination is practiced
Regular meetings with our suppliers, business leaders and owners and ensure key messages are translated.
Being a small business gives us the fluidity to make changes quickly and stay true to our key values. Here at Easy Tiger we choose to work with suppliers that match our values. People first.
