From our production methods to our garment design, raw materials and working conditions through to our environmental and social impact, we are proud of who we are at our essence. We want to set an example for other, bigger and upcoming brands, hopefully inspiring them to do the same - because sustainability isn’t something brands could be doing, it’s something they absolutely should be doing. This means we are continually assessing every aspect of our business - we are committed to learning, growing and evolving to meet the moving and sometimes blurry goalposts of being a responsible business.
We deliver our garments in biodegradable bags made of corn starch and our care labels are 100% cotton. We eradicated our use of single use plastic within our office, including the bags in which our products are shipped in. We’d always used recyclable bags but worked hard on creating our own compostable bag. They’re TUV certified and we can proudly say break down within a few weeks – tried and tested by our team at HQ. For packaging, we use third party suppliers such as Porter Packaging and for our online orders, they are sent in compostable bags or recyclable cardboard bags. Our tissue paper is supplied through No Issue tissue who have their sustainability journey available online here
We reduce our impact through safe and minimised use of chemicals and when possible, we work with un-dyed fabric which conserves water, energy resources and reduces the overall footprint of the garment.
We choose sea freight over air shipments. Air freight has a Co2 emission over 40 times sea freight. Our offices have an environmental focus with our staff encouraged to take part in recycling schemes.
Some of the key certifications our fabrics, suppliers and business holds:
BSCI
Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI) supports companies to drive social compliance and improvements within factories and farms throughout their supply chain. Our factories are either BSCI or WRAP Certified (or both).
Compostable Mailers
All of our packaging at Marle includes compostable garment bags, recyclable cardboard bags and compostable courier bags.
Global Organic Textile Standards (GOTS)
GOTS is the worldwide leading textile processing standard for organic fibres, including ecological and social criteria, backed up by independent certification of the entire textile supply chain. Marle organic cotton pieces are either GOTS or OCS Certified.
Global Recycled Standard
The GRS is an international, voluntary, full product standard that sets requirements for third-party certification of recycled content, chain of custody, social and environmental practices and chemical restrictions. Our factories are all aligned with this standard.
OCS Certified
The Organic Content Standard (OCS) is an international, voluntary standard that sets requirements for third-party certification of certified organic input and chain of custody. All Marle organic cotton is either GOTS or OCS Certified.
OEKO-TEX
Oeko-Tex is a registered trademark, representing the product labels and company certifications issued and other services provided by the International Association for Research and Testing in the Field of Textile and Leather Ecology (Oeko-Tex for short). Majority of our knitwear and silk pieces carry this certification.
Organic Cotton
Organic cotton is grown with water from rainfall, which reduces pressure on local water sources. It's non-GMO and grown without man-made fertilisers, pesticides, and herbicides.
Responsible Wool Standard (RWS)
The Responsible Wool Standard is a voluntary standard that addresses the welfare of sheep and the land they graze on.It provides the industry with a tool to recognise the best practices of farmers, ensures that wool comes from farms that have a progressive approach to managing their land, practise holistic respect for animal welfare of the sheep and respect the Five Freedoms of animal welfare.
Shokay Partnership
Shokay is a sustainable textiles company best known for using yak wool to develop premium products, from fibre to finished garments. With a fully traceable supply chain, Shokay sources directly from Tibetan herders and partners with like-minded manufacturers along the supply chain. All of our yak wool is sourced through this partnership.
Traceable Cashmere
Cashmere is prized for its softness, lightness, and excellent insulating properties. How your cashmere is produced matters and at Marle, we offer the finest, quality cashmere that has been controlled at every point of the manufacturing stage. Traceable cashmere relies on meticulous record-keeping and full transparency from farm to finished garment. Our yarn mill is affiliated with Traceable Cashmere.
ZQ Certified
ZQ is operated by the New Zealand Merino Company and is recognised by ISO/IEC 17065:2012 standard. ZQ Certified wool guarantees sustainably farmed, ethical, quality qool and ZQ growers and brand partners alike are committed to protecting the environment as well as animals and people. Our Perino yarn is ZQ Certified.