This Danish fashion brand is paving the way for a more sustainable and diverse fashion

AmoMama
AmoMama
Sep 5, 2018 · 3 min read

The $2.5 trillion fashion and apparel industry employs over 60 million people. In many emerging markets women make up over 70% of the supply chain.

Due to the enormous scale of the industry, it has a significant social and environmental impact. The resources-intensive production is very distractive for the environment, and the poor working conditions affect the female workers the most.

Changing this situation — that most people don’t even know about — requires a conscious effort on the part of not only producers, but also consumers. And if we want to push the industry’s standards, we need to educate ourselves and support the brands that try to make a difference.

One of them is “Blanche,” a Denmark based fashion brand that is paving the way for sustainable and diverse fashion.

BATTLING THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

“Blanche” focuses on local production. Their concern for nature and environment is incorporated in their business model and core values, according to their website.

They care about where and how they produce their clothing items, in order to reduce transportation related CO2 emission. “Blanche” says they have detailed manuals for their suppliers to ensure that environmental standards are met to reduce energy consumption and minimize their carbon footprint, including reducing water use and implementing water recycling.

“We want to take responsibility of our global society and generations to come. Our key focus in design and product development is that our production should have as small impact on the global environment as possible.”

CHEMICAL RESTRICTIONS

Chemicals are needed in all kinds of textile products. From the actual manufacturing of raw materials to dyeing and printing. According to “Blanche” the challenge here is to avoid the toxic ones that are harmful to the environment, animals, and our health.

Their chemical restrictions are based on EU’s regulation REACH. Moreover, the criteria (compounds and limit values) are inspired by the Oeko -Tex Standard 100.

FOR WOMEN, BY WOMEN

Most workers in the industry work under poor conditions, are overworked and underpaid. Most of the affected workers are women. It is estimated that as much as 80 % of workers at garment factories in Bangladesh — one of the biggest fashion and textile suppliers in the world — are women.

“At BLANCHE, we especially emphasise women’s rights and how we can possibly achieve gender equality in the fashion industry.”

“For “Blanche,” CSR is not only about making sure our products live up to our high-quality standards and customer expectations, but also that they are produced responsibly. Our social responsibility includes every interaction with BLANCHE. Our main obligation for our consumers […] is to assure the working conditions in the factories we partner with are descent.”

In the year of 2017, many women in the fashion and textile industry still work under significantly poorer conditions than men. Cultural stereotypes have made it easy to take advantage of women, which has made them desirable workers; they are frequently subjected to physical as well as verbal harassment, they are prevented from taking maternity leave and often women receive lower wages.

“When manufacturing clothing within the ecosystem that is our global society, one makes a pledge to making the right decisions for you, us and the generations that are to come,” says Mette Fredin, Creative Director.

Instagram @blanchecph

What feels refreshing about “Blanche,” aside from the fact that there are not that many sustainably minded fashion brands, is their honesty. They are not saying they do not use chemicals, they are saying “hey, we are trying not to use the ones that hurt the environment.” They are not talking about the issue with broad strokes, but rather explain their reasons and detail the process. They are not exploiting the term “organic” that’s become sort of meaningless trend, but share their passion for sustainable, responisible, and cute clothes.

You can check out what kind of clothes “Blanche” makes on their Instagram account: @blanchecph

Sources: AmoMama, Blanche

AmoMama

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AmoMama

AmoMama creates engaging and meaningful content for women. Read more at news.amomama.com

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