Link HERE to download this certificate as a PDF.

The ECO/// Mark

The ECO Apparel ECO/// mark certifies that a garment is made from natural and/or recycled fibers and that it has been manufactured in a socially compliant, fair trade facility. The ECO/// mark represents authentic third-party audits and certification; bluesign® for environment, health and safety of fabrics and components, and Intertek and Bureau Veritas for Social Compliance / Fair Trade. As consumers, we can be “greenwashed” by green marketing that is more style than substance. Because there is no recognized industry-wide mark to indicate a garment’s eco factor or social compliance, the ECO Apparel ECO/// mark represents the compilation of certifications, audits, licenses and binding documents that we require from our various suppliers and service providers. We ask the tough questions and make demands on our suppliers to minimize the impact on the environment.

bluesign®

The bluesign® standard guarantees that along the entire production chain products only contain components and pass through processes that are harmless to people and the environment. At the same time, the principle of maximum resource efficiency leads to a reduced environmental footprint. Investing in the most environmentally sustainable products available will in the future represent an increasingly important investment in long-term consumer confidence. Ecological safety is becoming an ever more critical quality factor worldwide, and is a decisive factor for a company’s or a brand’s image and hence its success.

The bluesign® standard brings together the entire textile manufacturing chain to jointly reduce the ecological footprint of a responsibly acting textile industry. Instead of focusing on finished product testing, the bluesign® standard analyses all input streams – from raw materials to chemical components, to resources – with a sophisticated “Input Stream Management” process. Prior to production, components are assessed based on their ecotoxicological impact. Potentially harmful substances can hence be eliminated before production even begins.

CLOSED-LOOP Apparel Recycling

Return your used and tired ECO Apparel 100% Polyester (and/or Recycled Polyester) garments to our factory and showroom (1201 Franklin Street Vancouver, Canada) and we will recycle it-along with our 100% Polyester fabric scraps-into new 100% Recycled Polyester apparel, in a CLOSED-LOOP.

ECO Apparel Recycling

Here’s how it works: using clothing donation bins and corporate clothing drives, ECO Apparel donates good condition wearables to a non-profit, who in turn re-distribute and/ or sell the apparel into a for-profit commodity market. Any (recycled and/ or non-recycled) 100% polyester which is not suitable for re-distribution is diverted to the ECO Apparel CLOSED-LOOP apparel recycling program, to be used as raw material for new ECO Apparel clothing items.

 

The money raised by ECO Apparel is donated to a non-profit organization.

 

1% For The Planet

As a member of 1% For The Planet, ECO Apparel donates one percent of net sales to worldwide environmental organizations. 1% F.T.P is an alliance of businesses committed to leveraging their resources to create a healthier planet. One percent F.T.P. is active in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Japan, South Pacific and South America. Members donate directly to their choice of 600+ approved organizations.

Made in Canada/ Fair-Trade

C.S.R. is a concept whereby organizations consider the interests of society by taking responsibility for the impact of their activities on customers, employees, shareholders, communities and the environment in all aspects of their operations. Our manufacturing facility in Vancouver has been audited and certified by Intertek and Bureau Veritas as socially compliant. The manufacturers we use for our imported goods have also been audited and certified by Intertek  and Bureau Veritas  as socially compliant.

The ECO Apparel Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) Footprint

As a Climate Smart business, we are committed to reducing our GHG footprint. In 2009 and again in 2010, we worked with Climate Smart (climatesmartbusiness.com) to measure the GHG footprint of our 1201 Franklin Street, Vancouver factory and showroom.

To become Carbon Neutral, we’ve quantified our emissions, found ways to reduce our emissions and what we couldn’t reduce, we’ve offset. 2010 saw an 8% reduction in our overall footprint. Although there was an increase in some categories, we did realize a significant reduction by increasing the energy effeciency of heating and a reduction of natural gas consumption.

 

How we intend to lower our GHG Emissions:

1. Reducing business air travel through teleconferencing and video conferencing.
2. Moving towards electronic catalogues in order to reduce paper consumption.
3. Developing an employee bus pass program.

To learn more about high quality offsets and what we did to become a Carbon Neutral company, visit Offsetters.ca. Offsetters is Canada’s first and leading carbon management provider helping individuals and organizations understand, reduce, track and offset their climate impact.