Our stance
At Finn, we're keen on doing our best to leave a positive mark. To be fair, the fashion industry has found itself in a pickle. Hyper competitive ‘fast fashion’ has made moving unsustainable low quality goods the norm - with supply and consumption of clothing leaving an adverse impact.
We are careful about claiming sustainability tags, and we avoid falling in the green wash basket. ‘Sustainable’ is one word that means conserving ecological balance by avoiding depletion of natural resources. There are a lot of brands throwing this word around, but to comply with it, a brand’s sum operational activities need to be carbon neutral. A clothing brand claiming full sustainability is a rare unicorn, and if you find one genuinely achieving this, please tell us about them at hello@finnathleisure.com. We're keen to see what we could learn from them.
With that said, this page is about setting ‘sustainability’ as the big hairy audacious goal we strive towards.
We have had a good initial crack at finding and implementing solutions to reduce our footprint. We continue to do this, and it will be an ever evolving challenge for us.
When the time comes, we're keen to measure our current footprint and officially offset it with carbon credits through a reputable certification scheme. This is a work in progress.
Below we have shared some areas where we think we can turn the dial, and where we've already had a crack at reducing our footprint from the outset.
There are a lot of things we can do - some low hanging fruit, some high. We want to be fully transparent with the bullseye we are targeting, what we have done to date, and where we are looking to next.
Where we can turn the dial
Choosing the right suppliers
We assess and select our suppliers on quality control, sustainability efforts and relevant accreditations. Suppliers don't necessarily have all the accreditations under the moon, and certain standards aren't universally relevant across the industry or supply chains. If in doubt, we either don't engage, or seek validation through third party assessment.
Utilising the right fibres and fabrics
Our goal is to have an entire product mix cut from natural bio-degradable fibres or recycled synthetics.
Our product mix already has featured the use of reputable fibres, fabrics and standards.
REPREVE® - made from post consumer recycled plastic, which meets standards such as the Global Recycled Standard (GRS) and OEKO TEX Standard 100.
Merino sourced in accordance with the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) - RWS aims to protect the sheep that supply the wool and the land they graze on.
Tencel™ - fibres processed from wood pulp that's responsibly sourced from certified forests. This is done using a renowned closed loop process with high resource efficiency and low environmental impact.
Product design
We have purposefully designed high-quality, versatile staples intended to be simple and timeless. This means we will keep rolling stock, rather than wasting it. This also means you can use less clothing for more uses, and for longer.
Packaging & logistics
We're proud to be working with r3pack - using their recycled & recyclable mailer bags, and compostable poly bags to protect and ship your goods.
For larger orders, we have also custom made our own recycled kraft mailer box. This has been sourced from a supplier in China, which has FSC certification, along with an ISO 9001 certification. Meaning, you are getting a damn fine recycled & recyclable box, which has been sourced responsibly.
Our packaging also includes the use of carbon neutral paper for packing slips, recycled / recyclable kraft paper tape for sealing mailer boxes, and the use of recycled / recyclable kraft thank you card inserts.
Being a startup, logistics is one of the higher hanging fruits. As we scale, our situation will change with how we store and distribute goods. Our goal is to use eco-friendly freight options and minimise air freight where possible.
Educating best practice and facilitating opportunities for our community.
Beyond supplying the goods as above, there is a lot we can do in levelling up everyone's awareness, helping you get the most out out of your kit, and what to do with it once your done.
Let's be honest, most of us need all the help we can get.