Ethics

RESPONSIBILITY

Sustainability and social responsibility are ongoing commitments for the Edeline Lee team and we are dedicated to the responsibility we have as a business to use best practices.  We create our products responsibly to ensure our business is good for people and our planet. We operate ethically to minimise our environmental footprint and to promote positive social practices across our business.  

Edeline Lee was named one of the four most sustainable brands at London Fashion Week by Good On You in 2021.

 

COMMUNITY

We believe in community-made fashion.  

Edeline Lee is a minority female-owned business with an extremely diverse group of employees.  Although our fabrics are European, all of our dyeing and finishing is done locally in UK.  All of our pieces are designed, patterned, cut, hand-made, hand-finished, pressed and packaged in our own small factory, where we constantly oversee the conditions and quality of the environment for all of our employees, as well as the manufacturing process from start to finish.   The majority of our employees live in our immediate neighbourhood and walk to work every day!  All of our employees work in good conditions and are paid a fair living wage.  We adhere to all UK standards and labor laws.

Our philanthropy work in the past year includes The Line, Women for Women, Cure Parkinson’s Trust, Walkabout Foundation, Artists for Pitzhanger, Crisis and UN Women.  During the first lockdown, we organised a non profit mask making project, organising hundreds of home volunteers to make 15,500 masks that we donated to Warwick House Residential Home, King's College Hospital, Wellchild, Southampton Coronavirus Mutual Aid Group, Elizabeth House, Kingston Hospital NHS Trust Foundation, Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital NHS.

We believe women should be heard as well as seen on the fashion stage.  Please take a look at our AW19 show at London Fashion Week and our Women and Power Speaker Series on our Youtube channel to see our continuing work to raise women’s voices on the fashion stage.

 

DESIGN & MANUFACTURE

Our aim is to create products that last a long time, both in their craftsmanship and design. We do not follow industry led trends, but design timeless, trans-seasonal pieces.  To avoid waste and allow long-term wardrobe-building, we continue producing our best-selling styles and fabrics, season after season.  

Our studio and factory are run on 100% renewable electricity sourced from sun, wind and water, and 100% carbon offset gas.  Our electricity supplier is backed by REGOs.

We choose to keep very little stock, instead producing to order, so as to minimise waste.  Our patterns are consciously cut to minimise wastage.  We store and re-use all of our scraps and off-cuts over time.  We recycle our waste and use biodegradable refuse sacks when we do so.

 

RAW MATERIALS

It is very complex to trace a raw material back to its origin.  We are doing our best to work with suppliers and manufacturers who share our values.  We source all of our materials from small, family-owned European companies.  We admit there is a ways to go, but we are continuously, actively researching how to transition all of our raw materials to sustainable options.  

As of 2014, all of our cotton is 100% Organic Cotton. The provenance of our cotton is sustainable from growing through till finishing.  It is GOTS certified, Fair Wear Foundation compliant with a reduced carbon footprint and climate neutral.

As of 2019, all of our outerwear is confirmed to be produced with wool from industry certified farms prioritising high animal welfare, in accordance with non-mulesing and PETA regulations. Our suppliers are accredited with OEKOTEX and GRS international standards. These certifications act as a confirmation and guarantee that they purchase raw materials and yarns within full compliance of industry standards and regulations.

As of 2019, all of our garments, all the linings, fusings, labels and interlinings have transitioned to 100% Recycled Polyester.  Our care labels are made of 100% recycled post-consumer polyester, made from household collection PET bottles

As of 2022, approximately 75% of our Polyester fabrics are made of deadstock fabric.

We do not use fur, down, exotic animal skin, exotic animal hair or angora.

 

PACKAGING AND SHIPPING

We have redesigned our packaging, printing and ticketing to use more environmentally sustainable and recycled materials, removing anything that is unnecessary, and ensuring they can be reused or recycled.

For our wholesale partners, we use shipping boxes developed in conjunction with WRAP, the Waste and Resources Action Programme. The Enviro-box offers a sustainable and reliable alternative to larger double wall boxes with the following unique features:

  • Increased strength over most double wall boxes
  • Materials used are 7% lighter, meaning lower transport costs and emissions.
  • The process of manufacturing Enviro-box results in a 30% saving in CO2 emissions
  • Recycled content ranges from 60% to 90%
  • These boxes are one of the UK’s most environmentally friendly boxes, helping to reduce material waste in the shipping and moving industry.

For orders generated through our brand website, we use corrugated cardboard made from 90% recycled content. These boxes are printed with water-based ink and ready to be used again.   

  • Biodegradeable: When exposed to light, air, moisture and microbes, this product breaks down to natural elements found in nature.  
  • Certified Wood: Made from paper pulp that’s sourced from responsibly managed forests and mills  
  • Clean Air Policy: Manufacturers remove toxins and pollutants from the air used during the manufacturing process.
  • Compostable: Disintegrating into natural elements while in a specific environment, leaving no toxicity in the soil.
  • Local Fabrication: Centrally located or multiple manufacturers, meaning freight emissions and transit costs are cut.
  • Plastic Free: Contains no petroleum-based plastics

The garment covers that we use are fully home compostable garment covers made by TIPA.  They do not contain any plastic 

The tissue paper used to wrap garments inside our boxes is also 100% recycled.

When we ship, we work with a courier that offsets 125% of carbon emission by investing in projects in developing countries that reduce avoid or greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere.

 

LONGEVITY

To help your garments last longer and to reduce their environmental impact, please consider the following; 

  • Limit washing and spot clean when possible
  • Wash your garments on a low temperature cycle
  • Hang clothes to dry rather than using a tumble dryer
  • Dry clean when absolutely necessary and use an eco-friendly service
  • Repair garments, please contact us for any help or guidance
  • Host a swap party with friends for any garments you no longer wear,
  • Sell on your worn items with Vestiare Collective, The RealReal, My WardrobeHQ or ebay

We have already made significant changes to help minimise our environmental impact and our focus is to continue to do so wherever we can. We hope you will join us on the journey.