Sustainability Report 2020
Welcome to our very first sustainability report, it’s new, shiny and packed to the brim with our sustainability efforts, impact and progress since we started in 2018 and where we’re going as a sustainable outdoors brand.
Why have we created it? For transparency and accountability. The fashion industry historically has a pretty bad history of not doing right by people or planet, and so we're here to prove that all businesses can and should be doing better. This report is our commitment to continual change, as sustainability can never be 'achieved', it's a continual evolution and one we're pretty happy to be on.
Our full report is available to view HERE.
But if you've only got a quick minute free, check out our highlights from the report below.
- 51,511 bottles recycled into fabric, reducing our dependence on fabrics made from oil and recycling single use plastics
- We saved over 4,800 single use plastics bags, by refusing single use and only using compostable packaging for our garment and mailing bags
- Over $4,900 of cash and in kind donations to Australian organisations making a difference to people and planet
FABRICS
All fabrics were sustainably made, using either recycled or organic fibres. When we launched our Rain Jackets were only 48% recycled fabric, which we've since improved to 100% recycled fabric.
- Both our Rain Jackets and Activewear are made from Global Recycle Standard (GRS) certified recycled polyester
- Our Organic Cotton collections are made from Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certified 100% organic cotton
FACTORIES
We partner with manufacturers who not only have the highest quality of product, but also are ethically and environmentally responsible. We create our fabrics and clothing ethically in Taiwan, China and India, with our factories audited and annual visits by us.
- Our Jackets are made in Xiamen, China with the factory being audited by Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI). Our Jacket yarn and fabric is made in Taiwan
- Our Activewear is made in Xiamen, China and is audited by SA8000 and Worldwide Responsible Apparel Production (WRAP). Our Activewear yarn is made in Taiwan and fabric in China
- Our Organic Cotton is made in Tirrupur, India by a small factory. The yarn and fabric is also made in Tirrupur, a few kms from the garment factory in a solar powered mill
PACKAGING
When we launched in 2018 we sent our first six months of orders in cardboard envelopes as we refused to use plastic mailing bags and couldn’t find a suitable alternative. We've since transitioned to compostable packaging made from corn starch by The Better Packaging Co for our garment and mailing bags.
FREIGHT
Unfortunately this is one area which we did not excel in, only 10% of our product was sent via sea freight from our manufacturers, with 90% sent via air freight, creating far more carbon emissions than necessary, this is one of our biggest (and most achievable) areas to improve upon.
COVID19
We didn’t cancel any orders and placed no pressure on factories to achieve our original agreed upon delivery dates or to rush back to factories, as the health and safety of all workers will always remain more important than any delivery date or product launch.
GIVING BACK
Over $4,900 of cash and in kind donations to organisations doing good for people and planet, including: Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife, Waves of Wellness, Bendigo Bank’s Community Enterprise Foundation for their Victorian Bushfire Disaster Appeal, and Thread Together.
NEXT STEPS
We’ve achieved a lot within our first 2 years, but we’ll always be improving and our goals for the next 12 months include: formalising our ethical code of conduct with manufacturers, introduce recycled swing tags and care labels for all products and significantly change the impact of our freight, with 80%+ of product to be shipped via sea than air.
Our longer term goals include B Corp certification, full supply chain traceability (to all five tiers), becoming carbon neutral and achieving circularity with our products, but these are large goals and will take time to achieve.
Thank you so much for supporting Amble Outdoors and our sustainability efforts. This report is a commitment to continual change, feedback and discussion is welcome with Rhianna at hello@ambleoutdoors.com