FIBRES
PLANT-BASED FIBRES
Plant-based fibres make up around 40% of our raw material sourcing each year and are a key focus for our Spring Summer collections.
ORGANIC COTTON
Organic cotton is our largest plant-based fibre, accounting for 30% of our total annual raw material use.
Organic cotton is a core fibre for us; one we are seeking to improve on by seeking regeneratively-grown organic cotton. We currently source organic cotton materials that are certified through leading textile content standards. These standards require organic fibres to be grown and processed according to organic agricultural standards that restrict the use of toxic chemicals or GMOs. Organic cotton farming reduces synthetic pesticide use, protects soil health, supports water conservation and protects biodiversity.
Regenerative cotton goes further in protecting soils and local ecosystems, seeing everything impacting and supporting one another. This agricultural technique is informed by traditional and indigenous practices.
Recycled cotton remains a small part of our mix, but we would like that to change. The reality is that scaling cotton recycling is still a challenge across the industry, and as a smaller brand our influence is limited. Recycled cotton fibres are often shorter, so they are commonly blended with longer fibres for strength and durability or recycled chemically into a regenerated cellulosic fibre.
BAST FIBRES
Bast fibres come from the stem of plants and require minimal chemical processing compared to many other fibres. Coming from the stem of a plant provides very long and strong fibres, rewarding in high quality materials. Many bast fibres can be grown in Europe, helping us keep supply chains closer to home. Our most used bast fibres are flax and hemp.
Flax is best known for the fabric it becomes, linen. We are working to source all our flax fibre from Europe, particularly France and Belgium where much of the world’s flax is grown thanks to the region’s ideal climate and conditions.
Hemp can also be woven into a linen fabric and has similar qualities to flax. As a crop, hemp is low maintenance, it grows easily in many climates and needs little water and is commonly grown with minimal pesticide use.
ANIMAL-BASED FIBRES
Animal-based fibresaccount for10% ofour total annual raw material useand are a key focus for AutumnWinter collections.
WOOL (Alpaca, Cashmere, Merino, Sheep)
We take a considered approach to wool, by prioritising recycled wool over virgin wool to reduce sheep wool’s carbon footprint and water use. Much of our recycled wool comes from Prato, Italy, a district with a long tradition of textile recycling and a major producer of recycled wool fabrics. Recycled fibres can be pre-consumer or post-consumer, helping to preserve resources such as water, dyes, and chemicals. Our recycled wool blends may have small imperfections because of the recycling process; this means every piece is a little bit unique.
When we do use new wool, such as in some of our 100% merino styles, we hold strict requirements that it must be non-mulesed. All new wool used in Baukjen garments is given a Mulesing-free attribute.
Our cashmere and alpaca are always recycled, reducing the need for new farming and supporting better outcomes for both footprint and animal welfare. We source recycled fibres certified to leading content standards, which set strong requirements for recycled fibre handling and chemical use.
LEATHER
With leather, it is a priority for us to choose both the most responsible options available today, as well as to keep improving what we use over time. We work with bovine, sheep, and goat leathers, including suedes and shearlings, sourced from factories certified to recognised environmental and labour standards.
We also prioritise surplus leathers that meet our requirements (as outlined in the SURPLUS MATERIALS section above). Looking ahead, we have ambitious plans to improve further particularly in sourcing totally plastic-free biobased leather alternatives.
In the past, leather was often described as a by-product of the food industry. We describe leather as a co-product of the food industry, meaning it is sourced from animals already farmed for food, rather than farmed solely for leather.
REGENERATED CELLULOSIC FIBRES
Regenerated cellulosic fibres make up 40% of our raw material sourcing each year and feature across every season. Regenerated cellulosic fibres (also known as man-made cellulosic fibres or MMCFs) are fibres made from natural cellulose (usually wood pulp) that is chemically processed into textile fibres. The cellulose-based pulp is most commonly derived from wood (such as eucalyptus, pine, spruce or bamboo), but it can also be made from other cellulose-based materials like cotton linters, production scraps and unwanted textiles. That pulp is then processed and transformed into fibres such as viscose/rayon, lyocell, modal, or cupro.
We prioritise MMCF suppliers that perform strongly in Canopy’s Hot Button Report, selecting options with at least 28 “buttons” and a Low or No Known High-Risk rating for sourcing in ancient and endangered forests. Many of our suppliers also have robust chemical management in place, including closed-loop systems that recover and reuse processing chemicals.
VISCOSE
Viscose accounts for 36% of Baukjen’s total annual raw material use, making it one of our most important fibres. Our most used viscose is LENZING™ ECOVERO™ Viscose made from wood sourced from responsibly managed forests, where harvesting is balanced with forest regrowth rates. The wood used as raw material for all LENZING™ ECOVERO™ fibres is sourced from certified (FSC® or PEFC certification*) or controlled wood sources, following the stringent guidelines of the Lenzing Wood and Pulp Policy.
*FSC® (FSC-C041246) or PEFC (PEFC/06-33-92) certification.
LYOCELL
Like viscose, most of our lyocell comes from Lenzing through their TENCEL™ Lyocell. Lyocell is unique to viscose-like processing as its wood pulp is dissolved using a non-toxic solvent that can be almost completely recovered in a closed-loop system. TENCEL™ Lyocell is known for this closed-loop production process. Wood pulp is transformed into cellulosic fibres, while more than 99.8% of the solvent is recovered and fed back into the loop, resulting in close-to-zero wastage. The wood used as raw material for all TENCEL™ Lyocell and Modal fibres is sourced from certified (FSC® or PEFC certification*) or controlled wood sources, following the stringent guidelines of the Lenzing Wood and Pulp Policy.
*FSC® (FSC-C041246) or PEFC (PEFC/06-33-92) certification.
CUPRO
Cupro is made with cotton linters, short fibres removed during cottonseed oil production that are too short for in conventional cotton spinning, therefore gives value to an existing material stream. The linters are dissolved using a cuprammonium solution (a mixture containing copper and ammonia), then extruded to form a filament. Cupro is sometimes described as recycled, but this is only true if its recycled directly from a cupro fabric.
SYNTHETIC FIBRES
Synthetic (plastic-based) fibres make up 10% of our raw material sourcing each year and feature across every season.
We always use recycled synthetic fibres. The exception is within our surplus materials, where we may occasionally use non-recycled fibres but instead reusing what already exists instead of creating demand for new.
Our long-term goal is to reduce and eventually eliminate virgin synthetic fibres, replacing them with recycled or natural alternatives where performance allows. In the meantime, we are practicing circular principles such as opting for mono-material compositions that are easier to recycle at end of life and reducing complex blends to support recycling pathways (including chemical recycling where appropriate).
Polyester, polyamide (nylon) and elastane are the synthetic fibres we use most. Our team sources recycled versions that are certified to leading content standards, with clear requirements for recycled fibre handling and responsible chemical use.
