EARTH-FRIENDLY APPAREL

The majority of our sportswear stock is supplied by US based manufacturer Bella+Canvas.
A large part of the Bella+Canvas mission since the beginning, has been to be conscious of their impact on the environment. Like many of us in the clothing industry, they are not naive to the fact that historically, apparel manufacturing has negatively impacted the Earth. However, right from the start they have set out to BE DIFFERENT. And that difference starts at the beginning of their production process and remains a top priority all the way through to the lifestyle they encourage their employees to live and the high-quality t-shirts they produce. They passionately believe in being an eco-friendly apparel company and reducing their ecological footprint, whilst creating a leading clothing brand.
WATER REDUCTION
Bella+Canvas dye all their fabric in California, which has some of the strictest EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) regulations, thereby adhering to the highest level of environmental compliancy for their apparel. During their dye process:
🌱 Everything is monitored to eliminate waste.
🌱 They use the most efficient machines that are available, allowing them to use seven times less water than the average clothing manufacturer.
🌱 They use three gallons of water per pound of fabric, whereas most other manufacturers use anywhere from nine to 20 gallons of water per pound of fabric - During an average week, they save approximately 24 million gallons of water.
🌱 Their technology uses an incredibly low level of dye-per-water ratio, which is monitored through a digital computer system (when dye is mixed manually, it generally uses extra dye causing inconsistency and waste).
🌱 The dyes used are bluesign® certified and are guaranteed eco-friendly.
🌱 Once the dye process is complete, the water and dyes are separated. The water is recycled through an in-house filtration system and reused again, rather than being dumped into rivers or oceans.
🌱 The dye waste is then burned at a high temperature in a self-contained environment, allowing for no smokestacks or pollution to be put into the air.
      ENERGY REDUCTION
      Bella+Canvas take every opportunity to reduce their CO2 emissions by running their sewing and cutting facilities on solar power, and have just completed the construction of a 450,000 square foot solar farm to further their commitment to clean energy. In a further effort to reduce emissions:
      🌱 All the buildings at their headquarters are equipped with motion-sensor LED lighting, which uses nine times less energy than traditional lights.
      🌱 They are constantly updating their employees’ computer monitors to new ones that use less power.
      🌱 The skylights in the buildings also help offset the amount of power needed, and they are continuing to expand the level of natural lighting throughout their premises.
      🌱 All their buildings are insulated in a way that allows for minimal artificial heating and cooling.
      🌱 For several years, their employee car parks have had electric car charging stations to encourage employees to live a green lifestyle even after they leave the office.
        VIRTUALLY ZERO WASTE
        Bella+Canvas recycle everything possible - fabric, plastic, bottles, paper... you name it! Wherever possible, they believe that taking advantage of and incorporating the latest technology to help reduce their carbon footprint. Their systems are very high-tech, and all orders are processed digitally, with minimal paper waste involved. Their goal is to soon have a completely paper-free warehouse – and they are very close! They have only one rubbish bin in each building, so employees take part in sorting and recycling all waste. They also don’t let any fabric go to waste - anything that isn’t turned into a BELLA+CANVAS product, is picked up daily and taken to different recycling centres. The fabric is then recycled into different things like tiles, bottles, stuffing, upholstery – even energy!
        Bella+Canvas pride themselves in advancing in eco-friendly practices at every opportunity. Their goal is to make the best tees around while still putting Earth first.

        Together with companies like Bella+Canvas, Pathfinder UK® are helping to 'Build a Path to a Better Future'.