How We Make Radically Low-Impact Clothing

How We Make Radically Low-Impact Clothing

Type Two is founded on strong environmental values. These values shape the products we design and the methods we use to create them. For our first product – the Type Two Neck Warmer – we focused on 3 factors to reduce the carbon footprint of the garment we brought to market.

FACTOR 1: MATERIAL SELECTION

In order to create a high-functioning, cold weather neck warmer, we began the design process by searching for a high-quality outerwear fabric. The fabric needed to deliver on insulation, wind resistance, and breathability. After an extensive search, we settled on an ultra-soft polyester fleece that offers warmth where it counts.

Polyester fleece has been used by brands specialising in outdoor performance gear for decades. The trouble is most companies use virgin polyester to produce their garments. This is because virgin polyester is faster and cheaper to produce. In contrast, our recycled polyester fleece is made from post-consumer products like plastic bottles and old jumpers, which are melted down and re-spun into fibers that then get woven into fabric that looks and feels just like new.

In addition to using Global Recycling Standard certified polyester, we also chose to work with a supplier with an integrated supply chain. This meant that our fabric was woven and dyed in the same facility as it was cut and stitched into garments. The benefit here: less travel (and ultimately less fuel) moving materials around from one part of the supply chain to another.

FACTOR 2: WASTE REDUCTION

For our garment’s construction, we worked incredibly close with our supplier, designing one iteration after another. Our aim was to use as much of the fabric as possible so that little-to-no fabric would end up as a by-product. After a lot of calculation and just as much testing, we decided to change the Neck Warmer’s design from 1 piece of long fabric to 2 shorter ones. This allowed us to use the full width of the fabric roll and achieve 99.13% material efficiency. An exciting moment when the industry standard is 80-92%.

FACTOR 3: DISTRIBUTION

Once the garments were produced and ready for sale, our next challenge was distribution. The launch of the TT Neck Warmer fell in the lead up to Christmas – a time when national postal services are notoriously stressed and gas-guzzling couriers are unappealing as ever.

To make sure our Neck Warmers reached customers in time, we launched our first green delivery campaign. For 5 days in December, we offered free next-day bike delivery for any orders within London’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ). With over 40 stops to make, all orders were hand-delivered, all arrived before the holidays, and over half of the cycle journeys were fueled by a vegan diet – which can lower the overall carbon cost of the delivery service by up to 74%.

 

 

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