Made in Canada
ECO-FRIENDLY FASHION IS NOT DEFINED ONLY BY PURCHASING ETHICAL CLOTHING. BUT BY HOW WE CAN CHANGE THE WAY WE PRODUCE, CONSUME AND DISPOSE OF OUR CLOTHING.
Responsible practices
We integrate sustainable practices into everything we do. From fabric to labels, our products are made of ecological materials. From presentation to delivery, we seek to minimize our impact on the planet. From choosing a supplier to hiring an employee, people are at the heart of our concerns.
MADE IN CANADA
All Message Factory and Oöm Éthikwear garments are designed, cut, and made by responsible manufacturing partners located in Quebec. If we can't make it here, we won't create it. Manufacturing in Canada allows us to keep a close eye on quality and to work closely with our local partners at each stage of the production process.
It may seem odd to you, but we visit all of our manufacturers. Most mass clothing brands never see the inside of their factories. Far from the practices of Fast Fashion, we know exactly who made each piece of garment.
60% OF CLOTHING WORKERS IN INDIA AND BANGLADESH HAVE SUFFERED FROM ABUSE OF ALL KINDS. - SOURCE: FASHION REVOLUTION
FAIR WORKING CONDITIONS
Buying locally-made clothing stimulates the economy and creates jobs for your neighbors, friends, or family. It also assures you that the workers who made your clothes have safe working conditions, fair wages and that they are treated equally. Although these rights may seem fundamental, they are simply not guaranteed in many of the countries where clothing is made today.
Many countries have a minimum wage, the lowest legal salary that a company can pay its workers. It is very different from a living wage - the wage that a garment worker should earn to feed themselves, their families, pay rent, health care, transportation, and education. In extensive production facilities located in different countries, workers may be neglected, mistreated, and their health may be endangered. This is why transparency and detailed information on the production chain is essential.
Each year, 108 million tonnes of non-renewable resources are used to produce clothing.
LOWER CARBON FOOTPRINT
Garment production accounts for 70% of the fashion industry's overall carbon footprint, and Fast Fashion emits 1.2 trillion tonnes of CO2 per year. These emissions come from production facilities, transportation, and shipping methods, as well as environmental impacts related to raw materials. The most significant sources of waste related to fashion are textile waste at the production stage and the surplus clothing produced. The more we manufacture, the more we pollute, and the more we have to find solutions to dispose of surpluses.
By producing in Quebec, we can produce in small batches, which means manufacturing on-demand, not quotas. Our carbon footprint is also much lower since 90% of our manufacturers are located less than 50 km from our shipping center. Besides, 75% of our fabrics are dyed and woven in the greater Montreal region, which also limits transportation between subcontractors. Since everything is made here and shipped to North America, there are no containers on ships crossing the Pacific and, therefore, far fewer trees to plant to offset greenhouse gas emissions.
The balance of 30% of the fashion industry’s carbon footprint is directly related to how each of us maintains our clothes and how we choose to dispose of them. Indeed you may be surprised to learn that you can make a difference by adopting some simple care techniques (hyperlink to blog article) to ensure a long life for your clothes and reduce their impact on the environment.
EARTH-FRIENDLY SHIPPING
To remain consistent with our practices, we do not use hangers or plastic packaging, and we ship our products in recycled boxes to our network of retailers. Our internet orders are shipped in reusable and recyclable 100% recycled polyester bags. In-store, we offer reusable and biodegradable bags to our customers if they really need them; otherwise, we encourage them to use their existing bags. It is also possible to collect an internet order from our store and thus avoid packaging and shipping costs.
Our processes, relationships with others, our purchasing, and our work environment are regularly reviewed to ensure that they are consistent with our values. We still have a long way to go to meet our own expectations, but we firmly believe that every little action can have an impact!
