BEHIND THE SEAMS
OUR SUSTAINABILITY TEAM
Swatches of candy pink wool, soft, striped jersey and floral-printed cotton are scattered over a trestle table at White Stuff HQ. We’re here with our sustainability team, chatting about our new autumn collection. They’re taking us through the entire process, from finding fabrics to the finished garments. And how every little detail is intentional and impactful.
“It really all starts with our overarching sustainability strategy,” says Jack, our Sustainability Manager. “That’s divided into three key pillars: fabrics, the environment and community.”
“That’s right,” agrees Jo, the Responsible Materials Partner. “We really pride ourselves on sourcing natural fibres. It definitely sets us apart from other brands.”
FABRICS
Jo attends fabric trade shows to see what’s trending, and to spot any new innovations in terms of sustainability. And that shapes the beginning of the fabric sourcing process.
“We work closely with our Buying and Design teams to decide what will be new for the season. To choose more sustainable fabrics, we work with our supply base to make sure materials are certified.”
“We get what we call ‘transaction certificates’ for our suppliers and factories,” explains Jo. “From the farms, to ginners and spinners manufacturing the fabrics, to the mills. It gives us transparency on what happens at every stage of our production process.”
ENVIRONMENT
“We now have much more certified viscose in the collection, and it is either LENZING™ ECOVERO™ viscose or FSC certified,” Jack says. “Viscose is actually made from wood pulp, so the certification guarantees that the wood itself is coming from sustainable forests. No deforestation will occur in the process and it won't impact local biodiversity either. It’s from sustainable farming sources. That’s a big achievement for us.”
The team work hard to ensure garments are built to last. “It’s important that our clothes have a really long life cycle,” continues Jack. “And using quality materials like 100% cotton or viscose within our blends also means that when they do eventually come to the end of their life, they're easier to recycle and can biodegrade too.”
And when it comes to waste, we are zero landfill from our stores, head office and distribution centre. Which means all of our waste is completely tracked by our waste management company.
COMMUNITY
Our community is so important to us. Our charity partners, the staff working for White Stuff and everyone contributing to our supply chain.
“Our suppliers are very aware and supportive of our goals,” says Jo. “And I think our customers are keen to know that the clothes they’re buying are coming from more responsibly-sourced areas too.”
“Definitely,” agrees Jack. “And we’ve got some great initiatives in place for our wider community. We have sample sales in the office with all proceeds going towards our charitable arm, the White Stuff Foundation. Clothes that aren’t sold also get donated to Newlife, a charity for disabled and terminally ill children.”
Then there’s our ongoing partnership with Thrift+, a marketplace for second-hand clothes. All you have to do is buy a bag online (or from one of our shops), pack the clothes to be rehomed and send it off to Thrift+. They’ll take care of the rest, selling what they can, donating to charity or responsibly recycling.
“The bags we use to send online orders are made from 100% recycled materials,” says Jack. “They’re certified by Global Recycled Standard (GRS), and the bags can be recycled too.”
“And we have a lot of odd shoes, as we get just one sample shoe back from our suppliers. So we found a charity called Jo’s Odd Shoes, for new amputees and people with limb absence. It means people can have a brand new shoe, rather than something secondhand. Which is great.”
But there’s still lots more to do, and much more we want to achieve. “We’re giving our customers better choices,” says Jo. “We know our cotton is coming from a better source. Our viscose is coming from protected forests. And there’s only more good stuff to come.”
Shop our new autumn collection here. And follow along on our social channels for more from our dedicated sustainability team.