Natural Materials
Natural Rubber
Motive
Natural rubber comes from the sap of the rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis). Unlike synthetic rubber, which is a petroleum product, natural rubber is a renewable resource and comes from plantations primarily in South and Southeast Asia as well as Central America. As international demand for natural rubber increases, millions of rubber trees are being planted across the tropics; unfortunately, many national forests are clear cut for the new trees.
Where are we now?
Our sourcing of natural rubber is committed to provide only deforestation free, environmental and socially responsible natural rubber to our products. We want support farmers and producers to only operate under legal and responsible management practices. Though only 4% of global rubber plantation area is currently FSC®-certified, well-managed FSC®-certified forest management have the potential to affect a positive environmental and social transformation of the natural rubber sector. We are demonstrating to farmers and producers that there is a strong market for their sustainably produced natural rubber.
Where are we going?
We are on the mission to develop materials further with natural rubber source. Our sourced rubber comes from FSC® Certified plantations which ensures that the product come from responsibly managed forests that provide environmental, social and economic benefits. This also ensure and monitor for abolition of child or forced compulsory labor, discrimination and right to collective bargaining.
Organic Cotton
Motive
Every year, conventional cotton crops in California alone were doused with 2700 tonnes of chemicals. Research has shown that extensive and intensive use of synthetic fertilizers, soil additives, defoliants and other substances wreak havoc on soil, water, air and many, many living things. The alternative to this scenario is to eliminate synthetic chemical use and instead use organically grown cotton.
Where are we now?
We use organic cotton for some of our garments and accessories.
Organically farmed cotton employs nature-based solutions to manage pests and to build healthy soil, instead of the synthetic pesticides, herbicides, defoliants, fertilisers and GMO seeds used to grow conventional cotton. Organic methods support biodiversity and healthy ecosystems, improve the quality of soil and often use less water. Compared to growing conventional cotton, there is a 45% reduction in CO₂ emissions and a 90% reduction in water as a result of growing organic cotton.
Organically farmed cotton employs nature-based solutions to manage pests and to build healthy soil, instead of the synthetic pesticides, herbicides, defoliants, fertilisers and GMO seeds used to grow conventional cotton. Organic methods support biodiversity and healthy ecosystems, improve the quality of soil and often use less water. Compared to growing conventional cotton, there is a 45% reduction in CO₂ emissions and a 90% reduction in water as a result of growing organic cotton.
Where are we going?
We are taking our commitment further, we’ll invest to grow our own cotton on farms working toward the highest standard—Regenerative Organic Certification, which aims to rehabilitate soil, respect animal welfare and improve the lives of farmers and the society around.
Organic Linen
Motive
Organic linen is made from flax, a natural raw material. Flax is a recyclable fibre that does not need irrigation or petroleum-based fertiziliers or herbicides. All parts of the plant are used, ensuring no waste.
Where are we now?
Coming products will incorporate the use of organic linen and the way the harvest process works is; At harvest, our organic linen is dew retted, which means that the long, slender linen stalks are cut and left out in the field so that moisture and sunlight will soften the woody stalks. Other retting methods involve chemicals or large quantities of water to separate the fiber from the stalks. Our organic linen is grown in rotation with food crops such as wheat and rapeseed for canola oil. By buying organic linen for clothing, we’re also supporting a pesticide-free food chain. Therefore workers are not exposed to hazardous chemicals.
Where are we going?
Linen is one of the most biodegradable fabrics in textile history. It is strong, naturally moth resistant, and made from flax plant fibres, so when untreated (i.e. not dyed) it is fully biodegradable. Our aim is to develop this fiber further to improve ways of using it for our core products.
Organic Hemp
Motive
Hemp is naturally antimicrobial with a high UV resistance. Hemp is also incredibly durable with 3x the tensile strength of cotton and why it was so highly prized by the sailors of old for their ropes and sails. Hemp has a large tap root capable of penetrating deep into the soil to pick up water and nutrients. These deep roots prevent erosion and also aerate the soil leaving it rich for the next crop. And when the traditional paddock or ‘dew’ retting process is used, hemp also returns 60-70% of the nutrients it takes back into the soil, making it the perfect rotation crop for farmers already growing soy or corn. The ability of hemp to leave soil in far better condition than when it started via a process called ‘phyto-remediation’ whereby hemp locks up pollutants such as heavy metals by absorbing them through the roots. High biomass crops like hemp are also able to sequester large amounts of carbon through boring old photosynthesis. In fact hemp can trap 1.63 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of hemp harvested (or 10 tonnes per acre), which is roughly 230% more than the equivalent fast growing Eucalypt forest in a year.
Where are we now?
We are using hemp in our board bags today, because it’s a great fiber with great properties as well as it sure looks great on that product.
Where are we going?
We are investigating to blend hemp with other materials to create new fusion materials with a greater appliance to our upcoming life-positive products.
Organic Bamboo
Motive
Organic plant-based celloluse fabric is a natural fabric made from the pulp of the bamboo grass. It grows quick and it is cool and does breathe making it a great choice for t-shirts. That was before, when we did not know better.
Where are we now?
There is more than one way to make rayon. The most common way – and the one widely used for bamboo – is called the viscose process. In this process, cellulose material (such as bamboo) is dissolved in a strong solvent to make a thick, viscous solution that is forced through a spinneret into a quenching solution where strands solidify into fiber. This is sometimes called hydrolysis alkalizations or solution spinning because the fiber is “spun” in a chemical solution.
Where are we going?
There Is No Such Thing as Organic Bamboo textile.
Given that we’ve been using Rayon Viscose marketed as organic bamboo, we are taking our responsibility to phase out the use of this material in our coming products. What we currently have will be offered for customers, because all the effort that’s been put into making those garments needs to be honoured by wearing the garments, just like it was intended to do.
Given that we’ve been using Rayon Viscose marketed as organic bamboo, we are taking our responsibility to phase out the use of this material in our coming products. What we currently have will be offered for customers, because all the effort that’s been put into making those garments needs to be honoured by wearing the garments, just like it was intended to do.