Sustainable kids clothing
THEY ARE THE FUTURE
There’s no denying that the fashion industry has an unfavorable reputation with regards to the environmental and social issues our world is currently facing, and it has never been clearer that we are dealing with a growing climate emergency. Maed for mini is in no way perfect, but we are highly aware of our responsibility and moral obligation. As a kids clothing brand, we want to produce in a way that will leave our kids with a planet to enjoy. It’s very important to us to do what is right for workers, consumers, and the planet. Therefore, we are taking important steps towards becoming the most responsible version of ourselves and minimizing our social and environmental impact to the best of our abilities.
SUSTAINABILITY LIES IN THE POWER OF QUALITY
At maed for mini we are strong believers of the power of durable quality and original but timeless design. With the use of carefully selected materials, we strive to create a long-lasting product that can be worn year-round, deserves to be treasured and that can be passed onto next generations.
With our capsule collections we encourage investing in high quality sustainable kids clothing, wearing them more often and holding onto them for longer to diminish a garments’ environmental impact. Since the majority of items in our collections is unisex, it’s easier to pass your all-time favorites along.
As big advocates of secondhand concepts, we love to see our items get a second or third life so often. Considering how much we invest in the quality of our collections, it’s the crown on our work. We believe it’s important to encourage buying less kids clothing and making well-informed decisions, which is why we are always on the lookout for possible collaborations with local vintage initiatives.
SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS OF OUR KIDS CLOTHING
85% of the cotton used within our SS22 collection is organic and 50% of the polyester we use is recycled. Within our ‘All Time Favourites’ collection 100% of the cotton used is organic and 25% of the polyester is recycled. We are continuously researching alternative responsible and innovative raw material options, but we do recognize that there is still a lot to gain in this area.
This process of sustainable kids clothing regarding materials is ongoing with many challenges to battle, especially as a small company, but we are committed to increasing the percentage of more responsible fibers used in our collections each season.
80% of our finished products are packaged in oxo-biodegradable bags that will become water, carbon, dioxide and biomass in 180 days and will leave no trace. The remaining 20% is packaged in recycled polyester bags.
OUR KIDS CLOTHING SUPPLY CHAIN
Our biggest social challenges lies in our supply chain. The kids clothing and fashion supply chain is long, complex, and labor intensive. The number of parties involved in creating clothing is extensive, which makes it difficult to obtain complete transparency throughout the entire chain. Our team is currently in the process of improving this visibility, not only throughout our first-tier suppliers (manufacturers), but also throughout our second (fabric mills) and third tier (raw materials) suppliers.
90% of our suppliers are GOTS, BSCI and/or OEKO-TEX certified, and we are working hard to lift this percentage to a 100%. Prior to any kind of agreement with a supplier, we subject it to an extensive, personal assessment to ensure that we share the same values and beliefs with regards to paying workers a fair wage and offering proper working conditions. We take great care in establishing and maintaining strong relationships with all our suppliers. 80% of our SS22 collection and 72% of our ‘All Time Favourites’ collection is produced in Europe, which means the majority of our production doesn’t have to travel across the world and can be shipped to us by truck.
NO EXCESS STOCK
Besides the waste of water, the fashion industry generally produces a lot of waste in the production of raw materials, but also in unsold stock. This is a recurring issue since it can be challenging to predict how much stock is needed for which styles. We strive to minimize our waste in a few ways.
Firstly, we take great care in planning our quantities for future collections, which is ultimately the reason some styles tend to sell out quickly. We work with stockists all over the world who place their pre-orders ahead of production, leaving us with very little “guess work” since we’re exclusively dealing with the forecasts of the quantities for our own, limited stock.
We don’t usually have much leftover fabric, but whenever we do, we always try to use it for another (limited edition) style, which means we’re consolidating fabrics as much as possible to avoid waste of materials. Finally about our sustainable kids clothing, when we’re left with any unsold items or samples, we either donate these to charity organizations like Because we Carry, or sell them at selected secondhand stores.