At White + Warren, we value transparency with our customers, and are eager to share some important updates with you. In 2017, we began learning about alternative options to manufacture more responsibly while still maintaining the quality we are so committed to.
We acknowledge that the process of sustainability is never-ending, and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. There is still so much work to be done, and the first step is making the commitment.
Responsibly Sourced Materials
As of Spring ‘20, nearly all of our cotton is BCI-certified, meaning it has passed the certifications of the Better Cotton Initiative, a non-profit that promotes improved farming standards in the cotton industry through water and agricultural sustainability, as well as fair wages for farmers. This season, we also introduced sweaters made from recycled bottle cotton, an innovative yarn made with Italian cotton and polyester upcycled from plastic bottles collected from the ocean floor—with our Spring collection we recycled 2,500 bottles. A W+W staple, linen is a naturally sustainable yarn sourced from the flax plant, which utilizes less water than other plants and doesn’t require the use of pesticides to grow. Even better, the entire plant can be used in production, reducing waste.
Considered Processes
We’re looking at our processes from all angles, from product to production. By using a natural wash to dye our Spring ‘20 linen styles, we saved 45,000 liters of water. And for BCI cotton, our partner mill recycles 60% of the water used for dyeing the yarn. Every single hangtag is now made of 100% recycled paper, and also recyclable. We’re transitioning our beloved cotton dust bags that arrive with every order to raw, unbleached cotton in our efforts to reduce water usage.
Waste Reduction
Shipping and handling leave a huge carbon footprint, so we’re auditing every step of the process to ensure they meet our standards of sustainability. We recently switched to compostable polybags, keeping 41,000 plastic bags out of landfills—and counting. We also eliminated unnecessary tissue from shipments, saving approximately 40,000 sheets of paper.
We recognize there will be challenges and will continue to evolve and improve in order to reduce our environmental impact, sharing our efforts with you along the way.