The fashion industry has taken a toll on our planet. It has been linked to the increase of greenhouse gases, deforestation, plastic pollution in our oceans and waterways, and depletion of natural resources. We are happy to share our current initiatives to reduce our impact.

CONSIDERED MATERIALS
As a responsible company, we are reviewing the materials we purchase, and selecting fabrics that have minimal impact on our planet. So far, we have transformed 50% of our cotton to organic cotton. Organic cotton farming eliminates the use of toxic fertilizers and pesticides on the farm, and helps to maintain soil health and vitality, and reducing pollution to waterways. We have also started to use recycled polyester to replace our virgin synthetic materials. Currently 30% of our synthetic fabrics are made from recycled sources. We are also working with our suppliers to ensure the processing of our materials is done in the safest way possible, and ensuring any toxic chemicals are not used in our garments in the dyeing and finishing stages.

CERTIFICATIONS

BCI: The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) is a global not-for-profit organisation and the largest cotton sustainability programme in the world. BCI exists to make global cotton production better for the people who produce it, better for the environment it grows in and better for the sector’s future.

GCS: The Good Cashmere Standard® (GCS) sets a new benchmark for the production of sustainable cashmere in Inner Mongolia. The Standard incorporates the Five Freedoms as defined by the Farm Animal Welfare Council. The Good Cashmere Standard follows three main principles: promote animal welfare in cashmere production, support cashmere farmers to secure a sustainable source of income and protect the environment.

FSC: The FSC label is the world’s most trusted mark for sustainable forestry. Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) certifies forests all over the world to ensure they’re responsibly managed and meet the highest environmental and social standards. Fabrics like our FSC®-certified viscose are made using wood pulp from forests that are traceable, certified and controlled meeting FSC® standards.

RWS: The Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) is a voluntary standard that requires all sites, from wool farms to the seller in the final business-to-business transaction, to be certified. RWS farmers and ranchers are evaluated against animal welfare, land management, and social requirements set in the standard.

FOREVER IMPROVING
We are constantly reviewing the materials we use, and reducing our dependency on synthetic fibres, and instead select materials that are from renewable and regenerative resources.

REDUCING WASTE IN OUR SUPPLY CHAIN
Wastage happens at most parts of the garment life cycle.  At Sills + Co, we strive to reduce waste at each part of the process. During the garment production process, fabric is cut into pattern pieces, leaving fabric scraps, which can sometimes waste up to 20% of the original fabric bought. At Sills + Co we are trying to reduce this wastage by reusing fabric scraps where we can, or for our New Zealand made product, we are donating these scraps to local schools or community groups. For all our natural fabric scraps, we are working on sending these locally for composting or recycling.  We are also working with our overseas suppliers to ensure waste is minimised, and recycling is used in each of their operations.

PACKAGING
Plastic packaging is filling up our landfills and oceans with waste and chemicals. We have committed to selecting packaging products that are functional, yet kind on the planet. In 2019, we switched all our plastic garment bags to compostable materials, hugely reducing plastic waste in our supply chain. For our local production, we've moved to tying our garments in fabric off cut ribbons instead, or for more delicate garments using compostable bags that are made here in New Zealand. These are made from tree fibres from sustainably managed forests.  We are developing and innovating our packaging products to ensure all resources are from sustainable and traceable sources.
All of our online orders are posted in compostable or recyclable courier satchels from R3pack, a fellow New Zealand business.
In 2025, we will be looking at our paper products – such as our carrier bags, tissue paper and swing tickets to ensure these materials are not sourced from endangered rainforests and are FSC or PEFC certified. We will also ensure these are designed with recyclability in mind. Going forward we endeavour to remove plastic packaging from all our operations.

At Sills + Co we design each garment with care and consideration. We stay away from fast-paced ‘fashion’ trends, and create seasonless, quality, luxurious garments that will last.  We use beautiful hand chosen fabrics and yarns, and work closely with our vendors to ensure uncompromised attention to detail and the highest standard of workmanship.
"Our mantra is less but better, buy something that lasts and get longevity from your fashion."

FOREVER IMPROVING
Designing timeless, quality pieces is our way to help move towards a circular economy, by helping keep garments in use for longer. We are constantly innovating and developing initiatives to help extend a garments life cycle, and hope to have new models in place by 2026.

PEOPLE + CODE OF CONDUCT
To ensure our overseas suppliers uphold our values and practices for human rights, all vendors are required to sign our Vendor Code of Conduct, and we are working to ensure compliance in every area is followed. This Code has been based on internationally agreed standards set out by the Ethical Trading Initiative , International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the United Nations Global Compact. It outlines the minimum standards we expect of all our suppliers. We work closely with our suppliers to educate and mitigate any issues found in their businesses to ensure compliance with our policies.

TRANSPARENCY
We are working hard to knock down the opaque walls in our supply chain, ensuring every part of our garments journey is made responsibly. We started our traceability journey with our beautiful cashmere garments, mapping the journey of the cashmere fibers back to the farm in Inner Mongolia.  All our Merino knitwear is now certified ZQ Merino. This transparency allows us to ensure responsible practices, and animal welfare is upheld.

CHARITY PARTNERSHIPS
We currently enjoy contributing to the following organisations:

LIFELINE
Since August 2020, we have been donating $5 from every sale of our face masks to Lifeline – who have been helping New Zealander’s who are in crisis for over 50 years.

DRESS FOR SUCCESS
We have been donating clothing to Dress for Success whose mission is: "To empower women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire, and development tools to help women to thrive in work and in life”.

AUCKLAND CITY MISSION
Sills + Co have been gifting much needed food and gifts for Auckland’s families in need. The Mission supplies people in need with food, clothing and support when they need it the most.