Finding ethical, environmental, economical and beautiful clothing can be such a challenge. So often it seems that you’ve found the perfect suit with all the right environmental and ethical considerations and then your eyes widen at the number of zeros on the price tag! Or you find one in the perfect price range, only to realise that it comes in seven different layers of plastic bags!
It isn’t easy to tick all of these boxes and here at Threadpepper we hold our hands up to be the first to admit we aren’t perfect. Some of our products contain polyester, we have to ship things from A to B and plastic bags to keep products clean and dry are an unfortunate necessity. But here are a few of our conscious choices that we make to minimise our impact:
Sourcing conscious products:
One of our newest suits that we are very excited about is the Acaro Grey & Blue Check Suit. The suit doesn’t skimp on the style, and is produced in collaboration with Lyfcycle; a UK based ethical, sustainable clothing manufacturer. The fabric used for these exquisite garments is 65% Recycled Polyester added to a plant-based fibre, with each suit containing at least 45 recycled bottles.
We also have these stunning Reversible Check Scarves in a rich burgundy or smooth blue colour ways, shot through with a mellow moss-green. These 100% Cotton scarves are handmade in India and are Fair Trade certified to ensure safe working conditions and a fair wage is paid to all in the process of making these scarves.
Handcrafted products in house:
Most products have their fabric milled in one place and are manufactured in another, then they are sent to a supplier, then onto a distributor before the finally reach you! That can be many thousands of miles of travelling per garment! Here at Threadpepper, we have a skilled in-house team that handcrafts many of our accessories to remove three of those steps, reducing the mileage by quite some margin.
Reducing it even further are these premium silk cravats and pocket squares. These choice accessories are crafted from a Pure Mulberry Silk that is printed in the Cotswolds, just 8 miles down the road from us! In fact, it is so close that one of our team collects our fabric on their way into work!
Plastic bags:
All of our products are shipped to us in plastic garment bags to keep them in mint-condition; an unavoidable necessity. However unlike some stockists that would then replace all these bags with new or branded bags, we wouldn’t want to send that much plastic to landfill! We send all our products out in their original bags, only replacing them when they no longer keep the garment safe and dry.
Another unavoidable use of plastic is the bags that we use to send your order out to you. In order to keep your clothes dry in transit we use 100% Recycled Plastic mailing bags to keep everything safe and sound so that you can rest easy in the knowledge that your order has used minimal amounts of plastic!
These are just some of the ways we are trying to make (and help you to make!) conscious choices; so while we will accept we are by no means perfect when it comes to our impact on the planet, it is something we take into serious consideration here.