Sustainability as Standard

When creating Anegada, it was of utmost importance that we created a business tailored not just to the customer, but to the artisans and the environment as well.

Cotton

When designing our garments, our main priority was to use natural materials.

All of our garments are made from GOTS certified organic cotton. This certification means not only that our cotton is organic and is not treated with chemicals, but also that the working conditions are safe and fair wages are paid. 

On a few garments we have buttons. We have decided to use shell buttons on these so as to avoid plastic. 

 

Dye

Azo dyes are often used in the colouring process of textiles and leather. They are very common and popular as they are able to dye the cloth at a low temperatures whilst offering a wide range of bright colours, which will not run in the wash. 

Azo dyes do not degrade under natural environmental conditions. When wastewater is released from the factory where the fabric is dyed, it will bio-accumulate in the environment, affecting the entirety of the ecosystem. 

For these reasons all of the dyes used in our garments and block printing are azo-free. 

 

Artisans

Taking care of the artisans and workers who make our garments is just as important as the environment and is a key part of being sustainable. 

We split our sewing work across two ethical workshops, both of which are compliant to the Sedex 4 pillar and VF Corporation Social Standards. Project Thrive is one of these and is a sewing centre for women based amidst the slum clusters surrounding the industrial area in New Delhi. It trains the women from these slums in sewing, cutting, quality control and packing. 

Project Thrive aims to:
 
  • Employ such at-risk women and provide them stable jobs and fair wages
  • Offer them additional benefits such as flexible hours for childcare and housework, provident fund and healthcare
  • Safe commute to and from home
  • Scholarship fund for future education

    The goal is to empower these women to have a say in their own lives.  Economic empowerment will bring with it respect at home and the right to exercise their voice.

    Our block-printing is undertaken in the traditional block printing village of Bagru in Rajasthan by an artisan business. They are small family workshops that employ at least 50% women.

    Block printing is highly skilled but is unfortunately a dying craft due to mass production of clothing and screen printing. When designing our collection we wanted to showcase the work of our artisans. 

    All of our basket, fan and hat weaving takes place in the Bolgatanga region of Ghana. Rural artisans are bought together into cooperatives, which help them produce and market their products through export. 

     

    Packaging

    All the materials used for our Anegada boxes are from fully certified FSC registered mills sourced from responsibly managed forests. The ink used for the printing of the boxes is vegetable ink. 

    The outer shipping box is made from 75% recycled materials, and both boxes can be fully recycled.

     

    Finally

    We always use natural materials so if any of your Anegada pieces have come to the end of their life, you can pop them into a compost heap to decompose naturally.

    We hope that you will love and cherish your Anegada beachwear, and that you will appreciate the love that has gone into them from our artisans. We know we still have a way to go in achieving a fully sustainable business and we will always be looking for ways to improve. We appreciate your support and patience in doing this. If you have any ideas on how we can improve our sustainability, please do drop us a line as we'd love to hear your thoughts.