Sustainability and Ethical Fashion
By Verbatier
Sustainable Development goals
There are 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) and 169 targets in total. While they are all important, interrelated and set out a positive vision for the future, in some areas, we, as Verbatier, have greater potential to contribute, given the nature and scale of our business. Our all-encompassing approach to sustainability offers solutions to the problems endangering both people and the environment. Consequently, sustainability is an integral component of our strategy of "Luxurious for Less".
1. No poverty
The majority of workers in the fashion industry are located in developing countries where the laws that regulate labor activity favor systemic poverty.Only 4% of the price of a garment goes to the person who makes it. We aim to paying fair wages to drastically reduce global poverty levels.
5. Gender equality
There are more than 60 million garment workers worldwide and an estimated 75% are women. Most of them are in situations of insecurity worsen by extremely low wages, forced overtime, child labor, pregnancy discrimination, as well as physical and verbal abuse. For Verbatier, it’s essential that our business cares about establishing standards that protect its workers. that's why we work with a code of conduct.
6. Clean water and sanitation
The textile sector is a great consumer of water, it depends on it in all its processes. It’s estimated that more than 80% of the wastewater resulting from human activities is dumped into rivers and seas without removing the contamination.
If textile companies discharge into freshwater circuits, residents of the towns where the industry is located have a high probability of ending up drinking and bathing in contaminated water.
That's why we ask our manufacturers to define goals to improve water management practices and monitor progress and draw comparable results.
12. Responsible consumption and production
What came first? Overproduction or excessive demand for garments? Both brands and consumers must assume their share of responsibility for the consequences caused at an environmental and social level by the fashion industry. We currently consume 400% more garments than 20 years ago and we use them half as often.
We ensure the durability of our products. That's why we even provide a Lifetime warranty on wear and tear.
also; we extend our commitment beyond the sale and raise awareness in our community with our recycling program.
13. Climate action
The excessive scalability of the fashion industry has earned its link to climate change. Consolidating a linear production system, having an unsustainable effect on the environment, and having supply chains that are very complicated all lead to the depletion of the planet's natural resources. This leads to deforestation, uncontrolled carbon emissions, droughts, floods, global warming, and a lot of waste.
Even though Verbatier is small, our company tries to use renewable energy and improve the energy efficiency of our supply chains. We also use compostable packaging and plant a tree for every item we sell.
14. Life below water
In addition to the contamination of water through chemicals, marine life can also be affected by textile activity from the release of microplastics caused during the washing of garments. In addition to our code of conduct we also aim to use solutions such as laser cutting, material coatings and fabric pre-washing. These techniques can be used on synthetic materials to reduce the release of microfibers throughout their lifetime.
Studying the features of the materials used in our collections, as well as assessing their impact, allows us will to develop actions to reduce our footprint.
15. Life on land
The fashion industry has a great impact on biodiversity. An increase in textile waste and its subsequent effects on land ecosystems have been brought about by the extensive use of land for the extraction of raw materials, the excessive consumption of natural resources, and the overproduction of clothing. The fashion industry has a key role in preventing biodiversity loss.
Analyzing and evaluating the life cycle of products from an holistic view helps our business make more responsible decisions about the supply, processing, and disposal of the items.
17. Partnership for the goals
Partnerships between governments, private and public bodies bring our goals closer to achievement. When we work together towards the same goals, we have the power to achieve them all. Sharing goals means sharing a vision. Ending poverty, battling inequality and paralysing global warming are ambitions we all strive for. We aim to make partnerships built upon collaboration. When companies, countries, governments, and people unite and take action, great goals are achieved.
We aim to have a full production cycle within Europe and increase the exports of developing countries within. We also share and cooperate to advance science, technology, and innovation. Think you can help us be more sustainable? Join us in a partnership to achieve our goals!