We wholeheartedly believe in the importance of becoming more sustainable. We know that great changes need to take place in order to adapt to a more sustainable, circular fashion system that supports you, our workforce, the economy and the environment. Transparency is key.We are committed to sourcing 50% of our cotton as Better Cotton by 2022. We have developed our sustainability agenda to ensure that it aligns with The Sustainable Development Goals set up by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a collection of 17 goals designed to be a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.
We want to make certain that we are constantly sharing knowledge about our brand and how we make our clothes, so that you as a customer will always be in the loop. The more we share, the more you can make a conscious informed decision. We want you to feel confident in our products. Always. Hawes and Curtis is a proud member of the Better Cotton Initiative, making changes to our supply chain by using qualitative fabrics and ensuring our manufacturing facilities are continuously audited. We are also running take-back schemes for our garments and developing new packaging strategies, working towards guarding access to Clean Water and Sanitation, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Gender Equality, Responsible Consumption and Production and No Poverty with our supply chains.We are committed to improving cotton farming practices globally with the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI).By buying cotton products from us, you’re supporting more sustainable cotton farming.
Did you know...
Better Cotton now accounts 22% of global cotton production
BCI and its 76 field partners delivered training and support to a total of 2.3 million farmers
BCI Retailer and Brand Members sourced 1.5 million metric tonnes of cotton as Better Cotton in 2019
Uptake of Better Cotton accounted for 6% of global cotton production
Feel Good While Shopping
THE BRAND
Hawes and Curtis is a heritage brand. We embody British style at its best. Our goal is to create timeless menswear and womenswear with modern styling whilst delivering innovative, quality products at exceptional value.
COTTON ON TO SUSTAINABILTY
We have been proud members of the Better Cotton Initiative since December 2019. BCI supports better environmental practices and better livelihoods and working conditions for farmers and farm workers. We have chosen to become part of a global initiative in order to secure a more sustainable future for the cotton sector.
CERTIFICATION AT FACTORY LEVEL
Our main formal shirting manufacturing facility maintains strong corporate responsibility policies in place offering free eye tests, health supplements for workers and high standards of workers’ health and safety.
SOCIAL/ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS IN OUR SUPPLY CHAIN
Our factories and manufacturing facilities are compliant with their local legislation. We hold STANDARD 100 and STEP by OEKO-TEX® certification within our supply chain, as well as Global Organic Textile Standard facility certification. Our manufacturing facility based in Lufeng, China has been awarded an 80% overall score as per the OEKO-TEX® sustainability measure, STeP by OEKO-TEX®. OEKO-TEX® measures a facility's sustainability performance based on six key modules; this means that our plain shirt manufacturing facility produces garments in an environmentally and socially sustainable way; they scored as high as 97% on Environmental Management and 90% on worker’s Health and Safety.
Should you wish to enquire further, please get in touch with our customer service agents.
Our Product & Care
PURE COTTON SHIRTS
Our core shirting line is made of 100% pure cotton. Our main shirting supplier has been registered with Better Cotton Initiative since 2018. B.C.I. is a global organisation helping to improve the global cotton industry. In 2019 October 2019 we became members of the Better Cotton Initiative.
SHIRTING CARE GUIDE
In order to better maintain and prolong the lifecycle of your shirts, please take a look over the following guide: how to care for your shirts
SUITING - RESPONSIBLE WOOL
We design for durability. Our suits are carefully manufactured in accordance to a variety of fits and they can be tailored so they fit you perfectly. Also, they are made from pure wool, which makes them highly breathable- this means you are more likely to keep the suits for longer and to prolong their lifecycle. Our main wool supplier has just joined the Responsible Wool Standard in 2019 (this is a worldwide standard on the welfare of the farmers and animals throughout the supply chain).
SHIRTING - PRINTING PROCESS
The majority of our women’s and Curtis shirts are digitally printed. Digital printing is an eco-friendlier type of textile processing. Research suggests that whilst no manufacturing process is without impact on the environment, Digital Textile Printing is certainly one of the most environmentally friendly in today’s UK textile industry. This means no water is used in the process as the colour is applied directly on the fabric.
LINEN FABRIC
We use linen fabric which is recognised for its sustainability. Our core suiting and shirting lines include a variety of linen garments. Linen is known to be sustainable as a crop. "Flax cultivation has positive effects on the diversity of ecosystems and offers a healthy environmental break for the quality of soils, biodiversity and landscapes" (Source: Report from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament, Brussels, 20 May 2008).
Materials Recycling, Repurposing & Disposal
RECYCLED CARDBOARD BOXES
We currently offer packaging for online purchases (boxes) supplied by Lil Packaging UK, that is produced locally in the UK and that is 66% recycled cardboard and 33% Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) responsibly sourced cardboard and fully recyclable. This means that the wood that makes the cardboard of our boxes will never be sourced from ancient or endangered forests.
NEW PACKAGING SOLUTIONS
We are in the process of developing new packaging solutions and strategies across our business so we can reduce the cardboard and plastic used. We are working on sourcing alternative materials for plastic bags, clips and other plastics involved in the packaging. Furthermore, we are developing a system that would, in the future, give you the possibility to opt for a lighter packaging at the check-out, after making a purchase.
PLASTIC PACKAGING TAKE BACK SCHEME
We are designing an in-store take back and recycle scheme of the plastic packaging with the intention of extending this for the online shopping process.
GARMENTS TAKE BACK SCHEME
We have successfully organised our first Garment Take Back Scheme in October 2019. We are proud to say that the initiative has helped our customers to bring back their preloved shirts. This accounted for 30 kilograms of shirting that has been diverted from landfill. We had seven central London collection points. Our customers were be able to bring their used shirts (any brand) in store for charitable recycling. All the recycled shirts were sold for charitable purposes, prolonging the lifecycle of the garments. The scheme was running for the full month of October 2019 and we are planning to organise other Garment Take Back initiatives in the future.
RECYCLING GARMENTS
We are aiming to continue supporting other charitable organisations in the UK by organising further garment Take Back schemes. We understand the Global Fashion Agenda and we strive to adhere to their principles:
- Increasing the volume of used garments and footwear collected.
- Increasing the volume of used garments and footwear resold.
This is because we want to increase the time a product is used and to address the textile waste issues within UK. We also hope that through our clothes recycling programme we can help raise funds for UK-based Charity partners.