Carbon Neutral

       Hey my Swaggers! Hope your all well and have enjoyed the 1st day of Spring. Lovely to hear bees buzzing, flowers blooming and birds singing. There is definitely a feel of optimism. The boost in our mood and energy levels that hits us every year as the season changes. There is nice buzz around us all that moment as people are feeling more energised and happy. Spring is such a beautiful season.  We do have a beautiful world and we should try and protect it the best way we can. So I have been doing research on carbon neutral and learning exactly how our clothes are made. Our products are made in factories powered by the wind and the sun. Renewable sources of energy minimise pollution, unlike finite fossil fuels like coal which release greenhouse gases when used, contributing to global warming.   Organic Raw Materials To make farms more productive, the business as usual approach is to pump fertilisers into the ground, pesticides into the air, and in some cases, artificially heat and light plants to increase yield. Economically it makes sense because neither the cost of throwing stuff away when it is worn out, nor the climate cost of energy is costed in. But its astonishing. Because the amount of energy, water and transport used, and the pollution that is created, is expensive for our environment and the people within it. It is not acceptable to us, because we do not want our products to cost the Earth. That's why when we were looking for suppliers for our clothes we wanted to take a different approach. Organic agriculture is a fundamentally different approach. It means letting plants grow naturally - using techniques the way nature intended them. Instead of pesticides, co-planting crops distract bugs. Instead of fertiliser, well, you have options. Like cow poo. And clean soil means that farmers can grow onions and food in the dry season instead of needing to irrigate water. So instead of creating carbon, these crops absorb it. Soft, kind to skin and a positive solution for our climate. Reusability  Organic production massively reduces the carbon cost of materials, and, better still, we can reutilise the material we have already got to reduce emissions further. Our Remill technology enables us to make new products from worn out materials instead of creating them from scratch every time. This is what we mean when we talk about circular design. The clothes you buy are made with organic cotton that has been sent back and remade. This reduces the material required to make a new yarn by using the material our supplier already have. And by only printing what people need when they need it, waste is designed out in their factories at every stage. Waste saved is carbon saved. Tree Planting Weekends I love that our suppliers have tree planting weekends. They're about more than just biodiversity and creating jobs for people in places where they make a difference. Trees absorb carbon. At the time of the Carbon Trust study, together our suppliers have planted enough trees to equate to over a million kilograms of CO2 sequestered. How amazing is this! Trees are famous for their CO2 absorbing super-powers, amongst other benefits like cleaning our water and air. By planting so many trees the total absorbed worked out to be more than the remaining CO2 left. It's the trees that got us to net zero. And as we regularly run buy one get one tree offer weekends, it's something you can participate in, promote, and link back to this wider climate story time and again.    We as a family love making a difference, now its your turn. The change is happening as more and more brands are becoming aware of how their brand is effecting the climate.  60% of people say they want to shop more sustainably and we are proud to say we can offer products that are affordable and sustainable.  Lots of Love!