Plastic Free July is here! A global movement that challenges people to reduce the use of single use plastic. Whether it's drinking coffee from a mug, wearing clothing made from natural fibers or avoiding items packaged in unnecessary plastic, it all adds up to making a huge difference! It also becomes more at the core of our brand every year, as our competitors move further and further towards using single use plastic to reduce the cost of printing at the expense of plastic wastage (Also the prints feel like a giant sticker on your T-shirt).
This is happening because it's cheaper and quicker, but we will always stick to our slower and more time consuming method of printing directly onto the garments with water based inks as it's sustainable, significantly better for the environment and feels soft to touch and comfortable to wear. I'd also feel a bit awkward if I was releasing full collections supporting the environment if I wasn't practicing what I preach!
We actually got an email yesterday asking if our prints feel soft, or heavy like a big sticker yesterday, which makes me think people are starting to notice. It's hard when you're fighting a battle that isn't always visible, and to outsiders it just looks like we are printing slower and charging more money, but know that we do this because we actually believe in sustainability, and making sure there are no nasty chemicals in our T-shirts, jumpers or hoodies.
We used to cop flack for not packaging our individual items in plastic, which was a strategic move as we'd rather reduce the amount of overall packaging used, and instead restrict it to just one completely biodegradable satchel (Made of corn of all things!) that is shipped via carbon neutral shipping at our expense. We don't think that being sustainable should be a burden on you, so we don't charge any additional fees for all the initiatives we take to try do more good.
It's also worth noting our core supplier AS Colour also ships to us without any plastic, and instead just uses cardboard that we have recycled multiple times a week. On top of this, they are one of the most ethically transparent manufacturers in the world and a part of all the biggest global business movements such as the Better Cotton Initiative that reduces environmental impact as well as Improving biodiversity and land use and building worker resilience / improving livelihoods.
Anyway although Plastic Free July is a powerful movement for one month of the year, know that your friends are Lonely Kids Club work tirelessly to as little plastic as possible in any of our processes all year round. We still contribute very little to landfill as we only print on order, and we will always put the environment ahead of monetary gain with every decision we make. So go forth and say no to single use plastics / unnecessary plastic packaging!
- Warwick
