10 initiatives that makes our business more eco-friendly

Every day, our commitment to being responsible, ecological and conscious inspires us to find innovative ways of doing business. As a company that markets ecological clothing for men and women, it is clear that our philosophy must be reflected in our practices. Honestly, it is not always easy, because, in addition to being socially responsible, we must also remain competitive and profitable.

Message Factory wants to bring quality, sustainability, and humanity to the fashion industry. As an ethical fashion brand in Quebec, we integrate sustainable practices into everything we do, from the sourcing of ecological or recycled fabrics to the "upcycling" of some of our products.

Here are 10 of the things we do that make a difference in our business’s environmental impact.

1. To reduce greenhouse gases; we manufacture locally and make sure we are as close as possible to the end consumer.


2. We do screen printing with water-based ink. Our messages are printed locally in Montreal using water-based inks that have been tested and formulated to be Non-Phthalates (inks or compounds that do not contain PVC resins or phthalate-based plasticizers). These inks also comply with Oeko-Tex 100 and do not contain any chemicals that may cause cancer or be harmful to reproduction.

3. By social responsibility, the organic or recycled fabrics that we use to make our clothing are grown without pesticides or herbicides and 75% are certified from the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). Ecological and organic fabrics naturally decompose over time, while synthetic fibers become only permanent waste, in addition to releasing toxic gases into the air when they decompose. Most of our eco-friendly fabrics are knitted and dyed here, using a process (Oeko-tex Standard 100) that is harmless to health and the environment.


4. For some of our products like women's leggings, we use recycled materials such as polyester which is made from plastic water bottles. This material is ultra-absorbent, it wicks away moisture to keep it dry and is durable and resistant to abrasion.

5. As part of our upcycling project, we manufacture unique products, underwear and fashion accessories in Quebec from materials that come from fabric scraps.

6. When purchasing clothing from our online store, we use reusable shipping material for subsequent use. The envelopes we use are made from 100% recycled materials. They have two self-adhesive strips for multiple uses and are finally recyclable. The same goes for the boxes we use for shipping our largest packages to our network of retailers, they come from a company distributing recycled boxes, they are used several times and then they are recycled.

 

 

7. For our new collections, we print our catalogs on Enviro100 paper which contains 100% post-consumer recycled material. We make sure to keep the quantity to a minimum and use electronic files as much as possible. Our marketing tools are produced to be as durable and reusable as possible. Our invoices are all electronic.

8. We use bulk biodegradable cleaning products for the maintenance of the premises and our clothing store located in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. We compost all organic waste.

 

 

9. Our employees are part of our philosophy! Every day, we sort our waste, we recycle paper and cardboard. Our employees have dishes, utensils, and cups available for their meals. We encourage the use of reusable or recyclable containers for our corporate events.


10. Finally in this era of "fast fashion", we NEVER throw clothes away. We do liquidation sales, sample sales and we maintain an online sales section and clearance section at our store to liquidate our excess inventory. Subsequently, our unsold or defective products are donated to social causes to help people in need.