ETHICALLY MADE
Our clothing is not only cute, incredibly soft, and designed in the UK with love. It is made in a socially responsible factory in Bangladesh that is audited by both ETI (Ethical Trading Initiative) & amfori BSCI.
These two European-based organisations define what is ‘ethical’ when it comes to manufacturing clothes, and fight to establish and maintain workers’ rights in garment factories all over the world.
We choose to produce in Bangladesh because being one of our home countries, we count with the amazing support of a team of family & friends who have worked in the textiles industry for decades. Without them, lal & nil would simply not be possible.
Our partner factory is a purpose built facility with the latest technology from China & Japan that automates part of the knitting process. All the other parts of the process are made by hand such as cutting and joining, quality control, finishing, ironing, attaching accessories, etc.
The factory provides a safe, hygienic and ergonomic working environment. It’s spacious, the layout is clearly organised allowing for traffic areas free of hazards. The different working stations provide the necessary furniture and facilities to ensure people can perform their tasks comfortably.
There is a combination of natural light that comes through the windows, and artificial light making all areas well lit and bright.
All workers have freely chosen to be employed here, and they have got the right to form trade unions. When joining, they receive health and safety training. They are treated with respect and dignity, in equality. Child labour is completely abolished. Wages paid are enough to meet basic need and to provide discretionary income.
When people hear about 'Made in Bangladesh,' unfortunately there is still a huge stigma attached to this industry due to the catastrophic events at Rana Plaza. We completely agree that it's hard to track which 'Made in Bangladesh' products are made ethically, hence we will make a difference by being transparent about our production and by showing that not all factories are dreadful. Our goal is by doing this, to also educate the public so that not all 'Made in Bangladesh' products are misjudged.
The reality is that since these events, hundreds of factories have had to shut down because they didn't comply with the new government regulations. The first thing you see at the gate of our partner factory is this banner, clearly indicating that child labour is completely forbidden.
The textile industry is part of Bangladesh's history and culture. The garments sector has given employment to a whole generation of young, unmarried females, mainly from rural areas. It is calculated that currently, two-thirds of workers in this industry are women.
The factory is situated in a town in the outskirts of Dhaka. It employs people from the area. Without this industry, the town would not be able to offer many opportunities for them and their families. The area is very underdeveloped (the streets are still mud streets). This factory helps both men and women support their families and provide education for their children.
By supporting us, you are contributing to keep them employed in safa and fair conditions, hence supporting their families too.
SUSTAINABLE
Our clothing is made only in natural materials: 100% Certified Organic Cotton, coconut shell buttons (no plastic buttons!) & metallic zippers (only in the Baby Genie).
We deliberately avoid the use of synthetic fabrics because 85% of plastic pollution in the ocean comes from microfibres from synthetic clothing (the worst offender is the fitness clothing industry).
While we are not perfect, we are constantly making new steps to be as sustainable as possible: we started off using Organic Cotton, and now we only use GOTS Certified Organic Cotton. The main difference is GOTS Certification is more strict and makes sure that not only the yarn is organic, but also every part of the process of creating the cotton yarn. For eg, dyes can be very toxic so GOTS Certification ensures only toxic-free dyes are used. GOTS Certification also guarantees ethical treatment of the cotton farmers.
The single garment bags for our newest clothing collections are designed and made by us in 100% biodegradable cornstarch.
The packaging of your orders is sourced from an environmentally responsible company: the tissue paper and stickers are FSC certified & acid, lignin- and sulfur-free free. The inks used are soy-based inks, a low VOC alternative to petroleum based inks.
We donate our seconds to organisations that help people in need, we make sure our faulty stock gets a new life before being disposed of.
GIVING BACK
1% of every sale is directly donated from us to an orphanage in Dhaka. 1% may not sound like a lot, but this is not a temporary promotion we do only during Christmas, or when special events emerge that drive businesses to donate for a specific cause. We donate always.
A lot of companies donate a percentage of their profit, however as a small starting business it is hard enough to start making a profit, so we decided to donate 1% of every sale to make sure our donations can be substantial enough to make an impact, and they certainly do.
We have visited this orphanage ourselves. The children who live there also attend the adjacent school: primary & secondary, which is open to children from outside as well. While this is a Catholic orphanage, it hosts children from all religions: Muslim, Christina, Buddhist and Hindu.