Tuesday 19 September 2023
Welcome back to the green pulse!
Hello sustainable fashionistas!
Welcome back to the green pulse newsletter including all things sustainable fashion from the latest headlines, to events, to discounts, interviews and updates from us at Good Maker Tales. I hope you’re doing well!
This week in the world of sustainable fashion
So this week what’s new? As well as our round up of the best available conscious offers, we’re having a look at some events for your diary across the UK. For starters, we’re now only a week away from Sustainable Fashion Week, but already started is the Great British Beach Clean and FSC’s Sustainable Forest Week starts on Saturday.
And in the news. Great news. This week has turned into a bit of a clothes recycling technology special. Textile waste is finally getting tackled, in a big way, from countries across Europe including France, Spain and the UK. It doesn’t take away the problem entirely – textile waste still needs to be transported, sorted and processed, then transported again. All of this uses energy and resources. But if it reduces the big global problem of textile waste then it’s surely getting us somewhere better than where we are now!
And if you’re in the market for a sustainable bed, look no further. Or sustainable socks and pyjamas, given the onset of cooler days and nights. We bring you the best sustainable brands to check out.
Next time I’ll be bringing you interviews from brands including Rapanui, The Manda and Dedicated so watch this space.
Enjoy and have a great fortnight 😊
Conscious discounts
- Oxfam: For Secondhand September, Oxfam are offering £10 off a £50 spend on secondhand fashion. With brands including Cos, Reiss and Levi’s, it’s perfect if you need to refresh your winter wardrobe!
- Seasalt: Act fast! Until tomorrow 20 September, Cornish brand Seasalt are offering £15 off a £75 spend or £40 off a £150 spend with codes SAVE15 and SAVE40.
- Mattress Online: Offering a range of eco-friendly and non-toxic mattresses, Mattress Online are now offering up to 60% off in their end of season sale plus free next day delivery.
- BAM Bamboo: One of my readers’ sustainable favourites, activewear brand BAM are offering an exclusive 5% discount to Good Maker Tales readers with the code BAMBAM5.
- Omnes (pictured): For affordable and sustainable style take a look at living wage employer Omnes. Now offering an extra 15% off their sale with code FINAL15.
Quote of the week:
“Fashion can be a universal player in protecting the planet.”
Pharrell Williams
Upcoming events
Sustainable Fashion Week
SFW is upon us! From 25 Sep – 8 Oct the Bristol based event will spread across the UK and worldwide with 2 day hubs in different cities.
This year’s theme is the Rewear Revolution, celebrating everything second-hand, reworked, reworn and handed down.
The Great British Beach Clean
It’s already here, all of this week until Sunday 24 Sep, the Marine Conservation Society are organising hundreds of beach cleans right across the country.
You can even buy their t-shirts!
FSC Forest Week 2023
Next week from 23-29 Sep the FSC are promoting sustainable forests with their Trust the Tree campaign. Fashion, especially viscose use, has a massive impact on our forests.
You can take part by choosing FSC-certified products or spreading the message on social media.
Latest posts on Good Maker Tales
11 UK Ethical Sock Brands Stepping into Sustainability
Lost your socks in the laundry? Looking for some sustainable new styles? Check out our handy guide to some of the best ethical socks the UK has to offer.
21 Ethical Pyjamas in the UK for sweet dreams
Get cosy with these 21 brands making chic, stylish and snuggly ethical pyjamas for UK shoppers. Sustainable sleepwear never looked so good!
15 Sustainable beds in the UK for the best green sleep
Sustainability is an important part of finding a perfect bed. These brands are making finding a new bed easy with sustainable beds for UK shoppers.
What news? Sustainable fashion in the press
Robots to recycle your clothes
Last time we reported that France was going to pay you to get your clothes mended and this week the French are at it again!
French company Cetia have developed an innovative new way to separate and recycle clothes using AI. Their machines can separate materials by colour and fabric type, even including fabric mixes which they detect automatically, ready for recycling.
They can also take out hardwear such as buttons and zips and rip soles off trainers ready to be recycled. They’re hoping to make the depressing figure that only 1% of textile waste in Europe is recycled a thing of the past!
Spain is also finding ways to recycle clothes, backed by Zara
As of 2025 an EU law will mean that all textiles have to be separated from other waste. Fast fashion giants such as Zara, H&M and Mango are finally getting in on finding a solution to this massive problem.
Zara’s parent company Inditex is partly funding charity Moda Re’s sorting centres opening in Barcelona, Bilbao and Valencia. Moda Re is part of Spanish charity Caritas and runs the biggest second-hand clothing chain in Spain. They have their work cut out, Europe produces 5.2 million tonnes of clothing waste every year!
Apple rejecting leather in favour of twill from post consumer waste
Apple are to stop using leather for its accessories such as watch straps and iPhone accessories such as cases. It will be replaced with a new textile called FineWoven, a twill made from 68% post consumer recycled waste.
This is part of Apple’s 2030 net zero emissions goal, given the heavy carbon footprint associated with animal rearing and the processes such as tanning used to make leather.
Fashion giants H&M & Puma pushing to rid their supply chains of coal
It’s a huge mountain to climb given the ingrained dependence on coal in fashion’s supply chains, especially for powering factories, but big companies like H&M and Puma are taking on the challenge. H&M no longer accept new suppliers with coal powered boilers, and are working with existing suppliers to switch their power source. Puma have set public targets to rid their tier 1 and 2 suppliers of coal by 2030.
This is great news given that the fashion industry is responsible for up to 10% of the world’s carbon footprint, so we look forward to more brands following suit!
Pakistan could increase organic cotton production by 405%
Organic cotton is a better alternative to conventional cotton in so many ways: no toxic chemical pesticides or fertilisers, better conditions for farmers and reported reduction in water use, but supply is currently a problem. Pakistan is hoping to fix that by becoming a world leader in organic cotton production.
At their second Organic Cotton Pakistan conference, leading scientists highlighted their huge capacity and potential. Meanwhile, the country is working on new standards and certifications to ensure quality in their organic cotton production.
UK first: Sustainable textile factory to open in Hull
Going back to our recycling stories, the UK are also taking textile waste seriously. UK company MYGroup is investing £500,000 in a new recycling and remanufacturing facility in Hull.
The company is looking to make new clothes and other products from the textile waste they sort and process, creating up to 30 jobs to do so. Even their interior walls will be made from recycled plastic from the plastic they recycle!
That’s all for now…
I hope this week’s newsletter has given you food for thought, and if you do participate in any of the events shared here please let us know! And sharing is caring, please share with any friends that you think might enjoy!
Have a great fortnight.
All the best
Julie
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