Environmental Responsibility
Our vision is to build a sustainable fashion business, delivering ethically manufactured product with minimal negative impact on the environment. Fabric-sourcing, manufacturing, packaging and distribution all affect people, communities and environments.
Our goal is to make product as sustainable as possible and ensure that it is affordable and accessible for our customers, so they can make a sustainable choice without compromise.
The last year has seen us introduce over 9 positive environmental initiatives, including:
- Introducing certified sustainable fabrics into our product ranges a well as offering vintage and upcycled product.
- All main Glassons sew in labels were updated from polyester to 100% recycled cotton using eco friendly dyes.
- All Glassons swing tickets are made from Forest Stewardship council (FSC) certified card printed using eco-friendly inks.
- Focusing on product care, we have added sustainable wash care instructions to our care labels.
- Partnered with Better Packaging Co to supply our fully certified compostable courier bags.
- In September 2020 we started transitioning our plastic poly bags to fully certified home compostable.
- We partnered with The Formary, who are New Zealand leaders in researching textile waste and passionate advocates of circular economy principles.
- To reduce your environmental impact at home our customers can now purchase The GUPPYFRIEND™ Wash Bag online.
- Launched Glassons Connected to provide educational videos to customers on product care, repair and re-loving clothing and planet care.
Our Planet
Having aligned ourselves with globally recognised fibre certifications enables greater transparency of our supply chain. In doing so, we can verify a greater percentage of our fabrics are responsibly sourced using eco-responsible manufacturing by meeting high environmental standards.
All our tier 1 suppliers must adhere to our Environmental Code of Practice, which includes:
- All factories shall comply with all applicable environmental laws and regulations.
- All factories shall comply with Glassons Restricted Substance List (RSL) and Manufacturing Restricted Substance List (MRSL).
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All factories must have an Environmental Action Plan (EAP) documenting implemented controls to minimize the impacts on the environment for:
- Solid waste disposal.
- Hazardous chemical storage, use, handling, disposal.
- Air and water emissions: monitoring and accurate record keeping.
- Adequate training for workers in the safe handling of chemicals.
- Our factories are audited to ensure they have an Environmental Action Plan (EAP).
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Glassons are committed to ensuring our products are safe to produce and wear. Glassons have clear guidelines on the permissibility of certain substances. We are committed to minimizing the use of harmful chemicals in the production of our products. This is an ongoing focus and continue to look for new improvements.
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Glassons Safe Handling of Chemicals Policy and procedures has been established to ensure all chemicals are used safely and responsibly, the objective being to prevent, or to reduce to an absolute minimum, the exposure of chemicals to the workforce and any associated health risks. All applicable laws and regulations must be adhered to. Suppliers must take effective steps to prevent environmental harm from the use of chemicals within their operations.
Click here to read our Safe Handling of Chemicals Policy -
At Glassons we need to measure, manage and reduce the carbon emissions we generate as a business. In 2021 we will be developing our carbon management plan to do just that.
Cruelty Free Fashion
Glassons are committed to Cruelty Free Fashion that respects animal welfare, biodiversity, and protection of our oceans.
The fashion industry impact on the environment is something we all care about and finding solutions and alternatives to mitigate these problems is our priority.
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Animal Welfare is important to Glassons and we believe all living creatures should be treated with respect. No animals should be harmed in order to make our products.
We support the Five Freedoms recommendations on animal welfare set out by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).
- Freedom from hunger, malnutrition and thirst.
- Freedom from fear and distress.
- Freedom from heat stress or physical discomfort.
- Freedom from pain, injury and disease.
- Freedom to express normal patterns of behaviour.
Click here to read our Animal Welfare Policy
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Glassons is committed to educating our customers about washing clothes to reduce microfibre pollution and we will continue to listen, learn and act.
We recommend using a GUPPYFRIEND™ washing bag when washing polyester. This bag protects garments and reduces the amount of microfibres that may enter our waterways from machine washing. The GUPPYFRIEND™ washing bag is online to purchase now.
We have changed all care labels recommending eco-friendly washing processes that encourage our customer to wash less, and have a smaller impact on our planet:
- Wash less.
- Wash cold.
- Line dry/dry flat.
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Respecting biodiversity is a fundamental element of world eco-systems. Issues associated with; over grazing of pastures, degradation of soil due to chemical use and deforestation is where our attention must be focussed. By aligning ourselves with respected textile certification programs will help us in supporting our targets.
Waste
At Glassons we are committed to the 3 R's principle; Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. We have undertaken a range of initiatives to REDUCE waste and increase our recycling capabilities.
Our target is to see a reduction of waste to landfill.
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Textile waste is a well known global issue within the apparel industry, as a business we have taken this very seriously over the last 5 years. We have reduced our textile waste by improving quality control, and internal processes.
We have partnered with The Formary in New Zealand and Worn Up in Australia to continue to our journey on end of cycle solutions.
The Formary New Zealand
"The Formary have been working towards radically reducing the environmental impacts of clothing and textiles in Aotearoa - adopting a circular approach; nurturing and testing new technologies and building awareness that the system needs to change. Along the way we've learned that creating truly new models cannot be done alone - to get there we need the right minds and ways of creating solutions. We are so excited to have Glassons and Hallenstein Brothers onboard, having joined Usedfully - Textile Reuse Programme led by The Formary."
BERNADETTE CASEY, CREATIVE DIRECTOR, THE FORMARY.Click here to learn more about The Formary
Worn Up Australia
Worn Up is an Australian business fully committed to circularity solutions for textile waste. Founded by Annie Thompson, Worn Up is a Planet Ark Case study and member of the Product Stewardship Reference Group and is committed to a target of zero textiles in landfill by 2030.
Glassons are excited to partner with an ambitious team that thinks big, and have evolved to become an Impact Enterprise at the frontier of sustainability practices in the Australian textile industry.
Worn Up were one of the first Pilot participants in the newly formed NSW Circular and a collaboration partner with UNSW SMaRT Centre.
Glassons textile waste will be collected by Worn Up for inclusion into their existing and pilot programs experimenting with ideas of what can be done with textile waste, supporting circularity and sustainable practices.
"Having a partner like Glassons is amazing for us, and will allow us to create solutions that demonstrate what apparel companies can do to help make the world a better place and keep textiles out of landfill."
Click here to learn more about Worn Up Australia.
ANNIE THOMPSON, FOUNDER, WORN UP. -
Our Supply chain
We work closely with our supply partners to ensure any textile waste at factory is minimal, all material scraps must be salvaged and repurposed.
Click here to read more about our end of cycle partnerships
We are using our textile waste off cuts to make accessories like face masks and hair scrunchies.
Click here to learn about our upcycled fabric and vintage. -
