CSR - THEN, NOW AND FOREVER
We are a fashion brand in the business of dressing families. Just like any family, we aren’t perfect. But like all families, we try and do better every day– especially when it comes to sustainability. Where other brands might refer to corporate social responsibilities, we prefer to call ours Family Values… and if you want to get to know us, you’ll have to get to know them too.
Our business consists of a lot of moving parts. From design to our supply chain to our distribution centers and offices. All working together to make sure you and your family get the jeans, skirt, shirt, sweater, or blouse that fits just right. Although not all parts of the GARCIA family have been sustainable in the past, we are now working hard to make sure our future is.
A FAMILY CODE OF CONDUCT
In 2013 we decided to only work with suppliers who share our family values. This came to life through a code of conduct that all our suppliers had to sign. Based on the BSCI (Business Social Compliance Initiative), our code of conduct makes sure no one we work with violates any international treaties that protect human rights, work conditions, wages, health & safety, and the environment.
Once a supplier is part of the Garcia family, we do what all families do and check up on each other. Audits might not be the friendliest way to check up on family, but that’s what we’ve had to do to make sure they’ve kept to their end of the deal. As of today, we have audited 95% of our suppliers and aim for a full 100% by the start of 2023.
OUR FAMILY DOESN’T WASTE WATER
Jeans straight out of the factory are what we in the industry call ‘raw’. The denim is unprocessed and needs to go through stone- or rinse washing. People say you shouldn’t wash denim too much, and we like that principle. That’s why we treat most of our denim with ozone techniques during the wash, cutting our water usage by 75%. Besides that, we also use fancy sustainable techniques like laser and enzyme washing.
GREEN ELECTRICITY
As of 1-1-2020 our head office will run entirely on green (wind) electricity. The transition from grey (fossil) electricity to green electricity by De Energiespecialist means a saving of 50% CO2 emissions.
In addition, we have switched from regular lamps to LED lamps, which means a saving of 50% in energy and CO2 emissions.
What we have saved in CO2 emissions by the transition to LED lamps and green electricity is roughly equal to:
- Fly 10x to Paris
- Travel 24,000 km by train
- Cycle around the earth 5 times with your electric bicycle
- Eat 325 burgers
WHAT’S A FAMILY TREE WITHOUT TREES?
If our clothing didn’t have tags how would you know what you’re buying? We can’t remove tags altogether, but we can make them a little better for the world and that’s exactly what we have done. Working with the L.I.F.E program assures our tags are made from recycled paper.
All clothing companies rely on packaging to make sure orders get to you undamaged and dust-free. Plastic has always, and probably always will be the most efficient way to ship clothing. However, we believe when it comes to our jeans, efficiency isn’t everything. Especially when 30% of municipal waste comes from packaging material.
Don’t get us wrong; popping bubble wrap is undeniably the best sensation on earth, but it won’t make your GARCIA jeans more yours than wearing them in yourself. That is why we have already reduced our use of plastic by 30% by switching to recycled plastic in our packaging.
A FAMILY CONSCIOUS ABOUT COTTON
If you’re still reading you might agree we’re doing a lot to be better now and continuing to improve for the future. But a day only has 24 hours and sometimes those hours feel like minutes. Right now, our cotton isn’t as conscious as we’d like it to be. As we want our family to be. We are sourcing our cotton through the Better Cotton Initiative. BCI is an initiative that is committed worldwide to better conditions in the cotton sector. Better Cotton is sourced via a system of Mass Balance and is not physically traceable via end products.
See bettercotton.org/massbalance for details. Through BCI and its Partners, farmers receive training on how to use water efficiently, care for the health of the soil and natural habitats, reduce use of the most harmful chemicals and apply decent work principles. So, we’ve set ourselves the goal of using only 100% more sustainable cotton by 2022 and are well underway to reach that goal.
DUTCH CONVENANT
The Dutch government also plays a major role in making the clothing industry more sustainable, which resulted in the "Sustainable Clothing & Textile Convenant". This Covenant was signed by more than 90 Dutch fashion companies. We as GARCIA have also signed the Convenant.
This Convenant has been drawn up by a broad coalition of trade associations, trade unions, critical organizations and the national government. Together these parties want to tackle overarching issues such as better working conditions and environmental issues. By joining forces with industry associations and trade unions, we improve working conditions and tackle environmental pollution.
The Covenant offers tools to prevent and combat negative impact by participating in joint activities and projects that we as a business cannot solve on our own.
FAMILY SECRETS
Buying an article of GARCIA clothing means you take the pledge to share our family values. This means you’re privy to some valuable information to help you fit our family as much as GARCIA fits you:
- Remove stains by using the sun’s rays as a natural bleaching agent after you hand wash them.
- Hang clothing instead of throwing them in the dryer. It keeps their colors vibrant and you’ll have a lower energy bill.
- Hanging clothing in a bathroom steams out any creases while you shower.
BETTER WASHING, THAT'S HOW YOU DO IT
By taking a critical look at your own washing behavior, you can reduce the environmental impact of your clothes. How do you do that?
Start with your washing machine. The most economical washing machine (A+++, 76kWh) uses about 10,000 liters of water per year at 220 washes per year. Assuming use of the eco setting, wash 40℃ and 60℃.
Per wash this amounts to approximately 40-60 liters of water. For comparison: showering costs approx. 65 liters of water for approx. 9 minutes. The greatest impact of washing (approx. 80% - 90%) is caused by the temperature and thus the energy consumption of a washing machine.
If you wash your clothes at 40℃ instead of 60℃, that saves about 1/3 of energy, which you use less.
You can make even more impact by drying clothes on a clothes rack instead of putting them in your dryer. Drying a laundry in a dryer requires a lot of heat and therefore a lot of energy.
Also consider whether washing a garment is really necessary. Clothes that you wear directly on your skin, such as underwear, T-shirts and shirts, are often washed after a day's use. You can often wear sweaters, cardigans, jackets and jeans longer before they need a wash. Especially if they are made from natural materials such as cotton, hemp, wool and linen. Natural materials are less likely to retain odors than synthetic materials.
Finally: choose detergents with an ecolabel as much as possible. These detergents contain vegetable ingredients and are free from harmful chemicals such as synthetic dyes, brighteners and chlorinated bleaches.
If you do not want to wash and still want to freshen up or de-wrinkle your clothes, you can also think of a biodegradable water-based spray from, for example, DFNS.
CSR - THEN, NOW AND FOREVER
We are a fashion brand in the business of dressing families. Just like any family, we aren’t perfect. But like all families, we try and do better every day– especially when it comes to sustainability. Where other brands might refer to corporate social responsibilities, we prefer to call ours Family Values… and if you want to get to know us, you’ll have to get to know them too.
Our business consists of a lot of moving parts. From design to our supply chain to our distribution centers and offices. All working together to make sure you and your family get the jeans, skirt, shirt, sweater, or blouse that fits just right. Although not all parts of the GARCIA family have been sustainable in the past, we are now working hard to make sure our future is.
A FAMILY CODE OF CONDUCT
In 2013 we decided to only work with suppliers who share our family values. This came to life through a code of conduct that all our suppliers had to sign. Based on the BSCI (Business Social Compliance Initiative), our code of conduct makes sure no one we work with violates any international treaties that protect human rights, work conditions, wages, health & safety, and the environment.
Once a supplier is part of the Garcia family, we do what all families do and check up on each other. Audits might not be the friendliest way to check up on family, but that’s what we’ve had to do to make sure they’ve kept to their end of the deal. As of today, we have audited 95% of our suppliers and aim for a full 100% by the start of 2023.
GREEN ELECTRICITY
As of 1-1-2020 our head office will run entirely on green (wind) electricity. The transition from grey (fossil) electricity to green electricity by De Energiespecialist means a saving of 50% CO2 emissions.
In addition, we have switched from regular lamps to LED lamps, which means a saving of 50% in energy and CO2 emissions.
What we have saved in CO2 emissions by the transition to LED lamps and green electricity is roughly equal to:
- Fly 10x to Paris
- Travel 24,000 km by train
- Cycle around the earth 5 times with your electric bicycle
- Eat 325 burgers
WHAT’S A FAMILY TREE WITHOUT TREES?
If our clothing didn’t have tags how would you know what you’re buying? We can’t remove tags altogether, but we can make them a little better for the world and that’s exactly what we have done. Working with the L.I.F.E program assures our tags are made from recycled paper.
All clothing companies rely on packaging to make sure orders get to you undamaged and dust-free. Plastic has always, and probably always will be the most efficient way to ship clothing. However, we believe when it comes to our jeans, efficiency isn’t everything. Especially when 30% of municipal waste comes from packaging material.
Don’t get us wrong; popping bubble wrap is undeniably the best sensation on earth, but it won’t make your GARCIA jeans more yours than wearing them in yourself. That is why we have already reduced our use of plastic by 30% by switching to recycled plastic in our packaging.
A FAMILY CONSCIOUS ABOUT COTTON
If you’re still reading you might agree we’re doing a lot to be better now and continuing to improve for the future. But a day only has 24 hours and sometimes those hours feel like minutes. Right now, our cotton isn’t as conscious as we’d like it to be. As we want our family to be. We are sourcing our cotton through the Better Cotton Initiative. BCI is an initiative that is committed worldwide to better conditions in the cotton sector. Better Cotton is sourced via a system of Mass Balance and is not physically traceable via end products.
See bettercotton.org/massbalance for details. Through BCI and its Partners, farmers receive training on how to use water efficiently, care for the health of the soil and natural habitats, reduce use of the most harmful chemicals and apply decent work principles. So, we’ve set ourselves the goal of using only 100% more sustainable cotton by 2022 and are well underway to reach that goal.
DUTCH CONVENANT
The Dutch government also plays a major role in making the clothing industry more sustainable, which resulted in the "Sustainable Clothing & Textile Convenant". This Covenant was signed by more than 90 Dutch fashion companies. We as GARCIA have also signed the Convenant.
This Convenant has been drawn up by a broad coalition of trade associations, trade unions, critical organizations and the national government. Together these parties want to tackle overarching issues such as better working conditions and environmental issues. By joining forces with industry associations and trade unions, we improve working conditions and tackle environmental pollution.
The Covenant offers tools to prevent and combat negative impact by participating in joint activities and projects that we as a business cannot solve on our own.
FAMILY SECRETS
Buying an article of GARCIA clothing means you take the pledge to share our family values. This means you’re privy to some valuable information to help you fit our family as much as GARCIA fits you:
- Remove stains by using the sun’s rays as a natural bleaching agent after you hand wash them.
- Hang clothing instead of throwing them in the dryer. It keeps their colors vibrant and you’ll have a lower energy bill.
- Hanging clothing in a bathroom steams out any creases while you shower.
- Hanging jeans upside down uses gravity to iron out the legs as they dry.
- Longer lasting clothes don’t need to be replaced as often. Zip and button up clothes before each wash so they don’t damage other clothes.
- Delicate items should also be washed in a mesh laundry bag.
BETTER WASHING, THAT'S HOW YOU DO IT
By taking a critical look at your own washing behavior, you can reduce the environmental impact of your clothes. How do you do that?
Start with your washing machine. The most economical washing machine (A+++, 76kWh) uses about 10,000 liters of water per year at 220 washes per year. Assuming use of the eco setting, wash 40℃ and 60℃.
Per wash this amounts to approximately 40-60 liters of water. For comparison: showering costs approx. 65 liters of water for approx. 9 minutes. The greatest impact of washing (approx. 80% - 90%) is caused by the temperature and thus the energy consumption of a washing machine.
If you wash your clothes at 40℃ instead of 60℃, that saves about 1/3 of energy, which you use less.
You can make even more impact by drying clothes on a clothes rack instead of putting them in your dryer. Drying a laundry in a dryer requires a lot of heat and therefore a lot of energy.
Also consider whether washing a garment is really necessary. Clothes that you wear directly on your skin, such as underwear, T-shirts and shirts, are often washed after a day's use. You can often wear sweaters, cardigans, jackets and jeans longer before they need a wash. Especially if they are made from natural materials such as cotton, hemp, wool and linen. Natural materials are less likely to retain odors than synthetic materials.
Finally: choose detergents with an ecolabel as much as possible. These detergents contain vegetable ingredients and are free from harmful chemicals such as synthetic dyes, brighteners and chlorinated bleaches.
If you do not want to wash and still want to freshen up or de-wrinkle your clothes, you can also think of a biodegradable water-based spray from, for example, DFNS.
