Our imprint on the world matters. We take care in what materials we source and where from, trying to balance their environmental and social impacts.
99.4% of our fabrics are responsibly sourced, with 90% lower impact fibres: meaning all garments in our current collection are better for People and the Planet
ECO CASHMERE
Cashmere is a renowned wool that is lighter and more insulating than sheep wool. Our Eco Cashmere yarn is completely recycled, consisting of 50% pre-consumer recycled and 50% post-consumer recycled cashmere wool. It is made in Italy in a high-quality facility and boasts less resource consumption and emissions when compared with virgin wool.
ECOJILIN VISCOSE
Ecojilin Viscose is a man-made cellulosic fibre made from pre-consumer recycled cotton fibres instead of virgin wood. Up to 20% of the fibres from a cotton plant are too short to be made into yarn and discarded at production, called cotton linters. Ecojilin collects such fibres and recycles them into viscose, using significantly less energy and water in the process because cotton breaks down more easily than wood. This viscose uses a waste material and helps preserve tree cover. A true win-win for the planet!
ECOTEC® RECYCLED COTTON
Ecotec cotton is a recycled yarn made in Italy. Our supplier's process shreds pre and post-consumer textile waste, cleans it and spins it into a recycled cotton yarn to be used in new clothes. Ecotec yarn saves resources from going to waste, uses less energy and water during production, and has a lower carbon footprint also!
ORGANIC COTTON
Organic Cotton is a healthier for People and the Planet cotton. Organic cotton fibres are grown and processed according to organic agricultural standard, which doesn't allow the use of toxic chemicals or GMOs. It prevents pollution and preserves the health of soils and water bodies, which benefits biodiversity.
Organic Cotton clothes are kinder for our bodies, the workers and surrounding ecosystems
GREENCASH
Greencash is an Italian yarn with 70% recycled fibres and 30% TencelTM.
This blend of recycled cashmere, recycled wool, recycled polyamide and TencelTM result in a yarn that is warm, soft and resistant. Greencash has been third-party assessed and was found to have significantly lower carbon emissions and lower water use when compared to virgin wool.
HEMP
Hemp is a natural fibre harvested from the hemp plant. As a crop, hemp is low maintenance, it grows easily in many climates and needs little water and no pesticides. The hemp plant produces very long and strong fibres with a naturally low environmental impact.
Hemp garments hold their shape very well, are stronger than other natural fibres and become softer with use. They are also very easy to care for, meaning less work for you and less stress on our planet!
LEATHER
Leather is a natural material that is most resistant and can last many decades when well cared for.
We use sheep and cow leather in our products, always as a by-product of food production. All of our leather is tanned in Europe in factories with good environmental and labour practices, to ensure that it doesn't cause harm to workers nor pollution of the surrounding environment.
LENZING™ ECOVERO™
LENZING™ ECOVERO™ is a branded viscose fibre with good sustainability credentials. Viscose is a man-made fibre that produced from cellulose - the same as paper. LENZING™ ECOVERO™ is made from certified wood fibres that don't contribute to deforestation. This viscose has a proven lower impact on the planet, from raw material extraction to production - it is EU Ecolabel certified for environmental excellence!
LINEN
Linen is a natural fibre harvested from the flax plant, which is commonly grown for its seeds. It grows on all Northern hemisphere continents and doesn't need pesticides or fertilizers. Linen fibres are anti-bacterial, longlasting and naturally low environmental impact.
Linen clothing is breezy and great for the warmer months, though dark colours can fade if they catch a lot of sun. Linen will get softer and crease less with use, creating a lived-in effect that we love - perfect for classics that are worn year after year!
NEWLIFE RECYCLED POLYESTER
Newlife is a certified recycled polyester. Whilst being a synthetic fibre, Newlife is made of 100% post-consumer plastics that are shredded and recycled through a mechanical process that avoids the addition of chemicals. It keeps resources in use and uses less water, less energy and results in less emissions than virgin polyester.
RECYCLED WOOL
Recycled wool is completely natural and manufactured in a protects its quality.
Recycled wool has a long tradition. The Italian district of Prato is a major producer of recycled wool where approx. 22,000 mt of wool are recycled every year. Fibres can be either pre-consumer or post-consumer, preserving resources such as water, dyes and chemicals. Our recycled wool blends may have small imperfections as a result of the recycling process, this means every piece is a little bit unique.
Shop Recycled Wool | Follow our Care Guide or read How to Care for Wool Knitwear
RECYCLED DOWN
Recycled Down is an all-natural, kinder to animals and planet alternative to traditional duck down filling. Recycled Down feathers are taken from old products, cleaned and reprocessed to be used in new goods. The quality of it is as good as new, whilst requiring a lot less resources and contributing to a circular economy.
WOOL
Wool is a natural, renewable and biodegradable fibre known for its warmth. We use responsibly-sourced wool fibres, which ensures good animal rearing practices and that the wool is harvested without mulesing.
Wool garments are naturally resistant to stains and creasing, they are very easy care and don’t need frequent washing.
Shop Wool | Follow our Care Guide or read How to Care for Wool Knitwear
TENCEL™
TENCEL™ is a branded lyocell fibre with good sustainability credentials. Lyocell is a man-made fibre produced from cellulose - the same as paper. TENCEL™ is made from sustainably managed forests that don't cause deforestation. It is also produced in a closed-loop process that reuses 99% of its chemicals and recycles water. This makes it a much lower impact alternative to other fibres!
Clothes made from TENCEL™ lyocell are soft and breathable, and can be recycled or biodegraded at end of life.
UPCYCLED FABRICS & YARNS
Fabrics and yarns are often left over from cancelled or unfulfilled orders at factories and mills. These fabrics and yarns are perfectly good to be reused. As part of our commitment to reducing waste and increasing the circular fashion economy, we are trying to use more of these 'deadstock' fabrics in our collections. They are of course a limited run, so when it's gone it's gone.
VEGETABLE TANNED LEATHER
Vegetable tanned leather is traditionally tanned with vegetable extracts, such as tree bark and leaves. This method of tanning uses very little chemicals and preserves the original properties of leather, meaning it will age and develop patina over time. It is better for the planet and its people because it doesn't rely on non-renewable metal salts, which are hard to dispose of and can contribute to health problems.
LYCRA® T400®
You might see Lycra® T400® in some of our fabric compositions, and it’s simply a different form of stretch fibre which is added to improve the comfort and fit of certain styles like skinny jeans. This form of stretch fibre is unique because it also makes the fabric breathable and is more durable than conventional elastane, meaning the garment lasts longer.
At Baukjen we don’t use a number of materials known to have particularly negative environmental and/or social impact, for example, we do not use any fur, angora or exotic animal skins in our collections.
Every season we carefully assess our use of materials and how our garments can have a more positive impact on People and the Planet. It is our goal to use only Low Environmental Impact materials and contribute to a circular materials economy by increasing the amount of recycled and regenerative fibres we use. Our recycled fabrics might have small imperfections which is just where other fibres have been caught up in the recycling process. We are actively looking to replace some of our materials with alternatives with proven better impact. You can read all about how we class our materials in our “What we mean when we say … at Baukjen” ” page, you can also read about our progress on use of materials in our Impact Report.