International Panel on Climate Change 

The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a global organisation of scientists responsible for monitoring and assessing climate change. Established in 1988 they publish assessment reports every 5 years and have recently released the 2nd part of the 6th report that focuses on climate impacts, vulnerability and adaptation.

The recent assessment report is the most comprehensive to date with over 7 years of peer reviewed science. 

The first part of the report published in 2021 focused on projections for future warming and impact on climate systems. The second part specifically assesses the impact of climate change on human communities, ecosystems and biodiversity and what adaptations are necessary through examining the source of emissions from all aspects of society.

The key finding is that Greenhouse gas emissions need to be reduced by 45% by 2030 and net zero by 2050 to ensure temperatures don’t raise above 1.5 degrees Celsius in line with the Paris Agreement. 

However, we are on a trajectory for a catastrophic temperature raise of above 2 degrees Celsius due to inadequate action being taken on a global scale.

Let's start with some reflections and highlights from the last three months of 2021. 

Combatting Overproduction 

“However ambitious, fashion’s environmental efforts are all for naught, say critics, if the industry doesn’t also address its overproduction problem, which they say is the underlying driver of its mammoth carbon, water and waste footprints.” - Vogue Business, Fashion’s sustainability agenda: Where to start

One of our favourite highlights from Q2, 2021 was launching Freya, our first Made To Order collection. We recognised our contribution to one of fashion’s biggest problems – waste via overproduction. With continually evolving demand, we saw we were sitting on more stock than our consciences could handle as a sustainable brand. So, we took action to work towards changing our business model in order to create less waste by launching our Made To Order collection, Freya.

Deforestation & Leather Choices

The fashion industry is complicit in the destruction of the Amazon Rainforest, another reason why we are passionately obsessed with LENZING™ ECOVERO™ and continue to explore conscious fibre choices that are better for our people and the planet.  

“For viscose, which has been associated with heavy deforestation, brands can start making the switch to sources of viscose that are made from recycled clothing or food waste, which uses 90 per cent less water, 75 per cent less energy and greener chemistry than forest based viscose, notes Rycroft.”

We launched two new belts made from 100% LWG certified leather. Learn more about Leather Working Groups traceability efforts for combating deforestation in the leather industry here. 

Greenwashing, what does it mean?

As climate change becomes an undebatable mainstream issue, brands are going to do everything in their power to ensure people continue to shop with them. This can be a good thing, meaning brands change their strategies in order to meet consumer demand by creating ethical products. On the flip side it can also mean marketing and product team will do whatever they can to keep up with consumer sustainability preferences on a surface level. This means offering little to no substance underneath the flashy products, ads, and marketing. 

This is where the term greenwashing comes in. 

Greenwashing is the process of conveying a false impression or providing misleading information about how a company's products are more environmentally sound. Greenwashing is considered an unsubstantiated claim to deceive consumers into believing that a company's products are environmentally friendly. – Investopedia

Some of the biggest brands are the worst culprits of greenwashing behaviour and it isn’t just the fashion industry. There are no regulations in the beauty industry for naming your brand with terms like organic, clean, eco, etc. For example, if the brand name is ‘Simple’ and the look and feel is earthy with leaves in the logo, it makes sense to assume this is an eco-friendly or clean brand. More often than not, when you look at the ingredients, the branding is creating an impression of ‘ethical and healthy’ but the products are full of nasty chemicals. 

Well, the same is for the fashion industry.

Fast-fashion brands are some of the worst culprits, hopping on the sustainability bandwagon in order to keep profits growing without truly offering sustainable or ethical products.

Changing Markets Foundation found that, “Ninety-six percent of claims that H&M made to promote Conscious were misleading and fake. Instead of their clothing being produced from 100% organic cotton, only 20% of it actually was organic cotton because “it wouldn’t have the same quality.” Under Conscious’ section on H&M’s website, it never stated where the materials were sourced.” — Sydney Race, The Central Trend, Companies are lying to us by greenwashing their products

Changing Markets Foundation also revealed in their report that of the brands who made sustainability claims in their products, 60% of these big brand’s sustainability claims were false or unsubstantiated. Some of the brands included in this study were; Asos, Boohoo, Forever 21, George at Asda, Gucci, H&M, Louis Vuitton, Marks & Spencer (M&S), Uniqlo, Walmart, Zalando and Zara.

We know we’re not perfect, but reporting each quarter on our efforts is a step towards transparency and a more ethical fashion industry. 

Here’s a snapshot of our reduced environmental impact this quarter…

Climate change is, and always will be, a hot topic. To survive rising temperatures every system in the world, natural or human, will need to be as strong and healthy as we can make it.

For this Q1 2021/22 Impact Report we are focusing on COP26 - the world’s opportunity to deliver a credible, binding response to the climate disaster we currently face. And, we are highlighting our industry's impact, and what we are doing to take responsibility.

So what is COP26 about? 
Conference of the parties, otherwise known as COP is an annual global United Nations climate conference attended by our world leaders. COP26, the 26th annual conference postponed in 2020 due to Covid-19, is currently being held in the UK in Glasgow with 196 world leaders attending. Here they unite forces to tackle climate change and accelerate action towards achieving the Paris Agreement climate goals made back in 2015 at COP21. At COP21 every country agreed to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius of pre-industrial revolution levels, with a reduction of 45% carbon emissions by 2030.

Alas, we have seen an increase in carbon emissions since the agreement was made and have subsequently witnessed devastating and unpredictable climate chaos from drought and wildfires, to extreme storms and flooding events.

Threatening our very survival. There is a sense of urgency and need for solidarity.
It is reported that the global temperature rise has already exceeded 1 degrees Celsius and more than one fifth of all human populations live in regions that have experienced a raise of 1.5 degrees Celsius. On the current trajectory global warming could increase by 4 to 5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century - this would be catastrophic.

There's no denying the science.

There have been intense discussions at COP26. These are just some of the highlights:

• More than 100 world leaders promise to end and reverse deforestation by 2030.
• 100 countries have pledged to cut emissions of the greenhouse gas methane by 2030.
• 40 countries have committed to shifting away from coal (not Australia!).

But, these strategies only form part of the solution. We need to transition to a circular economy, moving away from the current take, make, waste economic model. Redesigning products and services that eliminate waste and emissions by keeping resources in the value chain within industry, land use and agriculture. This will require innovation, financial investment and systemic infrastructural change through government policy.

So is there hope?

As individuals we can make a difference through lifestyle changes that can help the plight of our planet; shop locally, consume less meat, recycle more, take public transport. However, this is not enough, we need to lobby our government to take action. They have the power to change policy and stop the destruction and pollution of our precious planet.

“If working apart we are a force powerful enough to destabilise our planet, surely working together, we are powerful enough to save it.” ~ David Attenborough, COP26 2021.

Fashion's Impact.
A 2020 report found that the Fashion industry’s emissions are actually set to rise to around 2.7 billion tons a year by 2030, if current measures stay the same. Fashion’s emissions would be at double the maximum level required to be in line with the Paris Agreement’s aim to keep global warming to 1.5°C.

But in other news... we now have a shiny new number for how polluting the fashion industry is: 2% of global greenhouse gas emissions. That's a huge drop from the original 10% figure frequently cited - a number that some UN intern made up a decade ago. 

The new 2% number is courtesy of The World Resources Institute and the Apparel Impact Institute, which recently co-released a new report. They used Higg and Textile Exchange data to come up with 1.025 gigatonnes (Gt) of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) released as a result of fashion in 2019.

"Unchecked, emissions will grow to 1.588 Gt by 2030, well off pace to deliver the 45 percent absolute reduction needed to limit warming to 1.5°C," the report said. 

What are we doing?

There’s a lot of work ahead of us to become truly sustainable and we are committed to being honest, transparent, and taking responsibility for our actions. We are trying to stay in line with the Paris Agreement emissions reductions targets. This quarter, we are looking to expand our carbon emission reduction targets as a business and setting our goals for the year ahead.

Our challenge.
One of the biggest challenges we face as a company, and as an industry is visibility through our entire supply chain.

Our commitment.
In July 2020, we set the target to reduce the carbon emissions from our freight by 45% by 2025 in line with the Paris Agreement.

Our goal for 2021-22 is to introduce environmental auditing with our key Tier 1 suppliers, expanding our emissions reporting through our supply chain. We will continue to report on freight emissions and will also review emissions generated by our store, head office and distribution centre.

This visibility will allow us to develop a more targeted strategy for carbon off-setting. The environmental auditing will also provide an insight into our Tier 1 supplier water consumption and waste water treatment, which is another critical issue.

The introduction of made to order collections is another exciting sustainable strategy. It is reported that the fashion industry is responsible for 92 million tonnes of solid waste annually. 30% of clothes made remain unsold as deadstock.

Fast fashion is a relatively new phenomenon. This faced paced instant gratification fuels a disposable mindset. Traditionally clothes were made to order; the anticipation fostering a deeper appreciation. We believe designing classic timeless pieces using a made to order model offers a slow sustainability solution to reduce textile waste, resource depletion and carbon emissions.

Additionally we are introducing an exciting new initiative to move towards a circular fashion economy: watch this space!

Our goals for 2021-22 in line with the Paris Agreement emissions reductions targets.

1. Introduce environmental auditing and emissions reporting for key tier 1 suppliers by the end of 2021-22.
2. Expand on emissions reporting for our distribution centre, head office and boutique.
3. Carbon off-setting through donations and collaborations with our partners in line with our carbon emissions.
4. 90% of orders to ship by sea freight.
5. Made to order collections.

Here's a snapshot of our Q1 2021/22 Performance.

Reduced fibre impact.
By using sustainable fibres in place of generic fibres we have reduced our impact by:

Reference: Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Higg Material Sustainability Index.

Want to decode the above? Head on over to our glossary of sustainability terms here.



Circularity: Revive.

To meet the UN targets we need to transition to a circular economy, moving away from the current take, make, waste economic model. Redesigning products and services that eliminate waste and emissions by keeping resources in the value chain.

This quarter, we have repurposed most of the waste fabric from landfill to craft our Dylan Revive Scrunchies and Headbands, launching soon!

We are expanding our Revive offering, collaborating with local designers and makers…stay tuned for more...

So Extra. 
We’re proudly extra! We avoid plastic at all costs – no plastic packaging, trims as in buttons and zips, or kimbles. We use exclusively FSC recycled materials for packaging and swing tags. We keep it it all compostable.

There’s a lot of work ahead of us to become truly sustainable and we are committed to being honest, transparent, and taking responsibility for our actions. We’re forever grateful to you for joining and supporting us on this journey.

For us here at Arnhem we define it as the processes and actions we take to avoid the depletion of natural resources, in order to keep an ecological balance and allow good quality of life for all who inhabit our planet.
When measuring our impact and looking for opportunities to do better we focus on three sustainability pillars: people, planet and prosperity.
Sustainability is a lifelong journey, and our ultimate goal is to be able to create from a place where all life forms and future generations can flourish, and ecosystems can recover and become resilient. But just like you, we’re only human, so we focus on consistent progress, rather than perfection. We want you to trust that what you buy makes a difference, so this quarterly report is proof of our commitment to being transparent and accountable.

You will find facts and info about all areas of our business below, however we’re super excited to share the serious progress we’ve made this quarter across all sustainability pillars.

We hit a major milestone when it comes to the pillar of people, by manufacturing our first ever collection here in Australia!

A significant climate action goal for us was making the switch from air freight to road freight as a standard option for delivery of your treasures within Australia – and we can’t wait for you to read about the impact on our planet below! And when it comes to profit, this quarter with the launch of our Arnhem X Rainforest Rescue ‘It’s In In Our Hands’ charity tee through our giving back program, together we have planted 383 trees.

So, cosy up and get stuck into this quarters must-read...

Beneath Our Sun: First ever Australian Made Collection

This quarter we launched our first made in Australia collection. We are extremely excited to be supporting local makers and hope to have seasonal collections made in Australia going forward.
Our “Homegrown” tee was knitted and manufactured in Melbourne. With a mill established in the early 90’s ABMT are a vertical operation combining fabric knitting and garment manufacturing. This efficient centralised system offers quick response to market as well as minimising fabric waste and ensuring quality control.
The organic cotton was grown and processed into yarn in India. Growing organic cotton in Australia is unfortunately uneconomical. We are currently exploring Australian grown cotton practices as this would be the ultimate sustainable tee dream.
ABMT are pioneers of ethical and sustainable manufacturing here in Australia. Their facility is predominantly solar powered and their 5 stage on site water treatment plant allows for up to 85% of water to be reused through the manufacturing cycle or by a 3rd party program for agriculture and industry.
Their fabrics are Australian certified organic and manufacturing is Ethical Clothing Australia certified. Their strong ethos for transparency, ethical and environmental responsibility and quality are inspirational.

ABMT production manager interview
What is your name?
Parveen Abusalam

What is your job role at ABMT?
Production manager

How long have you worked in the fashion industry?
25 years

What inspired you to work in the fashion industry?
The love of fashion, meeting new people, travel

What do you like about working at ABMT?
The people I work with are extremely nice and have a good work life balance

What do you like to do in your spare time?
Like going for long walks, catching up with friends

Our woven collection was crafted by Lux Design Group in Melbourne. With a longstanding relationship with Ethical Clothing Australia certified manufacturers their community values are very much in alignment. They offer strong attention to detail and were able to skilfully navigate our complex designs and border placements. We were delighted with the quality and look forward a blossoming relationship. The fabric for this collection was woven and printed in China as we were unable to source within Australia.
We trust that through supporting the industry here we can help facilitate its growth and expansion. With a very limited woven apparel textile industry increased demand will drive innovation and technology. Economies of scale will support accessibility of price point necessary to compete in the global market.

Lux Design production manager interview -
What is your name?
Ba Phan

What is your job role?
Production manager

How long have you worked in the fashion industry?
I have worked in the fashion since 1998, so for 23 years

What inspired you to work in the fashion industry?
My first job in Melbourne was in the fashion industry and I have worked in the same industry ever since. My family also worked in this industry so growing up, I had a lot of experience in this area.

What do you like about working at Lux?
Lux has a diverse range of styles that would be appealing to customers. Some styles are new and different, which I prefer.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
My hobby is gardening. On the weekends I tend to my plants and flowers both indoors and outdoors.

99% of the fibres used this quarter were sustainable

By using sustainable fibres in place of generic fibres we have reduced our impact by:

The process of mechanically recycling nylon unfortunately requires more water than generic fossil fuel-based nylon however the reduction in greenhouse gasses, eco-toxicity and resource depletion off-sets this.

Reference: Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Higg Material Sustainability Index.

We have not included our sustainable cotton corduroy and denim collections as BCI cotton reporting is not available on the Higg MSI tool at this stage. We will look to review this once this data is available.

We have saved the following plastic bags from landfill by introducing compostable packaging:

This quarter we launched our latest charitable tee “It’s in your hands”. The profits made from the sale of the tee will support the restoration of the Daintree Rainforest through a joint project of Rainforest Rescue together with Eastern Yalanji Traditional Owners and their representative corporation, Jabalbina, Greenfleet, and the Queensland Trust for Nature with the goal to plant ONE MILLION RAINFOREST TREES within 5-10 years.

This incredible project will provide habitat, sustain ecosystems and sequester carbon.

To date we have raised $3,833.22

This quarter we introduced a standard domestic freight option for our online customers. We pride ourselves on our service and ensure customers receive their treasures in a timely manner. After reporting on our carbon emissions for the last few quarters we realise that the express service is significantly contributing to our carbon footprint. We hope you will support us and opt for standard freight shipping and look forward to reporting on the reduction in carbon emissions in the next quarter.

Transparency matters, because we want you to trust that what you buy makes a difference. Sustainability is at the core of everything we do, because we care about the health of people, planet and future generations. In the second quarter of 2020/21 we were tracking at 99% sustainable fibres, saving 58,404 plastic bags from landfill, off-setting enough carbon to be carbon neutral for domestic & international freight, and continuing on a mission to be circular by design. But from previous reports you know that we’re already scoring well in these areas. So, this quarter we are honing in on social sustainability by introducing you to our Artisan family.
We are devoted to expanding opportunities in some of the most vulnerable countries by addressing inequality, protecting the planet and working to ensure prosperity. When you purchase an Artisan made treasure, you are conserving traditional knowledge and positively impacting lives of future generations around the world. We are also shining the spotlight on supply chain transparency, which is critical to ensure protection of workers at every stage of production. Trust us, there’s some seriously good stuff in this report, so sit back, dive deeper and find out more about the progress we’re making.

Artisan accessories

This quarter we launched a new range of artisan made accessories. We believe in the importance of protecting and preserving traditional crafts, intrinsically interwoven with culture and history through generations. Empowering marginalised communities socially and economically. Respecting and valuing cultural heritage, capturing unique cultural richness and authenticity. Our range was made from natural materials sourced locally by artisans with minimal impact on the environment.
We wanted to share the stories of the artisans that made the collection with you. Let’s meet the makers:

What is your name?
Bunga Talya Quamilla

Where did you grow up?
In Cirebon, west Java.

From whom, or how did you learn your craft?
I learned to make the crafts from my mother, by watching her making the crafts like bags, accessories, key hangers, etc.

How has partnering with overseas brands to collaborate on artisan products helped your community?
I’m very pleased and proud to work with overseas brands for the items. This will boosts the spirits of the workers as well to support and grow the local group of artisans here and hopefully can accommodate more artisans to work with.

What is a regular day like for you?
I started the day by praying for the day, then start working at workshop making the items or buying material stocks for the workshop in the area. On the night time I’m preparing the package and deliver to the local courier in the area to the customers.

What does sustainability mean to you?
For the material terms it is to use materials which are environmental friendly. In related to the business is to keep the business alive to provide the workers by maintaining the quality of the items and developing new styles for the items.

What is your name?
Adis

Where did you grow up?
Kalumpang village, Kapuas, in the province of Central Kalimantan

From whom, or how did you learn your craft?
From my parents. It is mainly a woman's role, the wives spend a long time at home, tending the farms and collect rattan skins, slice and dry them while taking care of children. The learning is taught to young girls when they are 10-13 years old.

How has partnering with overseas brands to collaborate on artisan products helped your community?
From Central Kalimantan, we have to buy materials to Bali on shipment. If the brand sells well, we help the rattan farmers and our weavers, with their income.

What is a regular day like for you?
I live in Bali with my wife and 8 years old son, we have a shop selling rattan-woven handbags, ladies bags, travel bags and some baskets and floor mat - all from my village - Kapuas. I open my shop at 8 and clean around shop, my wife goes to buy supplies and take our son to school (but not anymore with COVID19) we help him with online teaching.

What does sustainability mean to you?
It means we must live without destroying our nature. Our ancestor in our island, Kalimantan - teach us to respect nature and the nature will bring us back our food (that means, we sell our products and the income puts food on the table).

Frida Straw Bag: Launching soon...

What is your name
My team have Charuayporn , Awe Parnsomboon, Lumpon Parnsomboon, Bunjerd Kantuam , Nuntakarn Kantuam my team had 30-40 person for weaving (age period 35-80 years old).

Where did you grow up?
We are local people of Central Thailand.

From whom, or how did you learn your craft?
We learn from grandparents who have been passed down through generations. First, weave bamboo and develop into water hyacinth.

How has partnering with overseas brands to collaborate on artisan products helped your community?
For collaboration with overseas brands, it helps my team meet the standards. And experienced.

What is a regular day like for you?
Weaving this is my main job except for the farming season. On farming season, we have to farm and return to weaving in the evening.

What does sustainability mean to you?
This weave the bag is important for our family. We can weave and take care of our parents, sons or grandchildren. Some families don't have to go to work in the capital. They can work from home. Then we have to teaching children and those interested in the event. Keep this knowledge. We are not afraid of the coming of machines product. Because that makes this craft product an interesting place.

What is your name?
My team have Somjit, Prachya , Tuenjai , Noon , Sompong, Boonyang, Thongdang my team had 20-30 person for weaving (age period 30-70 years old)

Where did you grow up?
We are local people of Northeast of Thailand

From whom, or how did you learn your craft?
We learn from grandparents who have been passed down through generations. First, weave basket with water hyacinth and develop into slippers

How has partnering with overseas brands to collaborate on artisan’s products helped your community?
We are proud to cooperate with global brands and hope my products will make more people to know. And hope my local has more orders and revenue.

What is a regular day like for you?
Regular day, we weave slippers and grow vegetables. If we have a lot of orders we have to divide the team. Men grow vegetables and women weave slippers.

What does sustainability mean to you?
Water hyacinth is a weed and a sustainable fashion. These slippers can massage and save the world. We will continue to teach the local children to maintain this knowledge.

 

 

We have a strict code of conduct in place. 100% of our Tier 1 suppliers (garment manufactures) have signed our Code of Conduct

By using Econyl in place of generic nylon we have recovered 66.70kg of waste including 16.6kg fishing nets from the ocean

The process of mechanically recycling nylon unfortunately requires more water than generic fossil fuel based nylon however the reduction in greenhouse gasses, eco-toxicity and resource depletion off-sets this.
We have saved an estimated total of 12,880,073.39 gallons of water by using sustainable fibres instead of generic fibres.

Total C02 Emissions Q2 2020/21 = 95.45 tonnes of C02

Fabric that ends up on the cutting room floor is usually destined for landfill. Our Arnhem Revive initiative is all about turning fabric off-cuts into beautiful, fabric efficient accessories to match back with your Arnhem treasures. The idea was inspired by our makers on one of our visits to their factories, we saw our bright floral fabric remnants crafted into pin cushions, scissor lanyards and fabric weights.

This initiative not only allows us to repurpose fabric from waste but also provides more work and income for our makers.

In Q2 we saved around 8,473m worth of fabric offcuts and transformed them into 2075 stunning revive accessories that we know you love. Circularity at its very best.