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The more we researched, the more we discovered, the more gutted we became.

The impact of the fashion industry is disastrous on the environment and many of its humans. It's considered to be one of the largest polluters in the world and as the industry grows its damage to the environment intensifies.

There are solutions and alternatives to mitigate these issues and the first step lies in building awareness and a willingness to change.

We're here to show you the options. After realising the full impact of the fashion industry on our beautiful planet, we were motivated to re-evaluate our operations and move Palmah towards a more sustainable practice to protect our world and whānau.

We don't wanna be one of those companies that claims to be doing all that it can, promising sustainability by 2023-24 etc. We can all make a positive impact now, and while it costs more, it's a small price to pay to achieve the hopes and dreams of a sustainable future.

That's why, from now on, 100% of our products will be manufactured sustainably, while retaining their excellent quality.

We will reduce our greenhouse gases, decrease landfill waste and erase unnecessary harm to our people and our planet.

People, Palmah, Planet - come take a tour as we step forward into a future of sustainable fashion...

Happy you = Happy Planet

 Hemp is the rock star plant of sustainable fabrication and we're v v excited to give it the frontman role on our stage.

Couple reasons we love hemp so much -


o One of the most versatile plants on the planet - it can withstand, survive and thrive in most environmental conditions

o Is incredibly fast growing (can reach full size in about 90 days!!), unlike cotton which takes around 6 months+

o Can be made into just about anything (tees, paper, food, you name it!)

o Carbon sink - Industrial hemp crops have been shown to remove significantly more carbon dioxide from our atmosphere than an area of trees the same size. Annually hemp removes roughly 11 tonnes of C02 from the atmosphere per hectare

o Hemp grows and thrives without pesticides, herbicides or fungicides. These chemicals have had a hugely damaging impact on our environment, waterways and human health.

o Hemp nutrients regenerate and purify the soil giving long lasting crops

o Hemp requires very little water to grow compared to other natural fibres such as cotton, linen

We will only use organic produce to make our new goods - we know that the widespread use of carcinogenic chemicals to grow non-organic plants damages the environment and cause serious illness – so using organic is a win-win for you and our environment.

Couple reasons why we're taking the organic route

- Better for you and your skin (no toxic chemicals in the garments)

- Water to feed the plants is most likely to be sourced from rainfall, as oppose to surface or groundwater irrigation.

- Organic growers use a combination of traditional and modern scientific practices to grow crops in a way that develops healthy, fertile soil; conserves biodiversity and protects natural resources

- Better for the health of organic farmers

- Farmers generally receive a fairer wage

- Better for you and your skin (no toxic chemicals in the garments)

Every second, the equivalent of one rubbish truck of textiles is landfilled or burned. 1 truck per second. To landfill. Our landfills are overflowing with textile waste, a conservative estimate is that clothing and textiles make up 7% of landfills globally although many believe this figure is closer to 12%.

Landfills are the third largest source of methane (a chemical that when released is known to be 25 x more efficient than CO2 at trapping radiation, making it a huge global warming problem).

With over 100 billion items of clothing being produced every year and 85% of clothing ending up either in a landfill or incineration, there is a massive problem in constantly making new clothes from mostly unsustainable materials

Using recycled materials in clothing production has some massive benefits and solutions. See some of the reasons we’re using recycled materials where possible

o Drastically decreases the amount of clothing which ends up in landfills

o Recycling 1 million tons of clothing textiles is the equivalent of removing 500,000 cars from the road in terms of global warming contributions

o Reduces the number of plastic bottles and other plastic waste that end up in the ocean and in landfills

o Requires significantly less resources, energy and fossil fuels compared to producing new garments, avoiding CO2 emissions and water usage

o The more we do it the more advanced recycling and processing technologies become as demand for it increases

o Keep the loop going so that clothing can continue to be reused and recycled

Obviously we don’t need too much explanation on this one, we all hate plastic, but can’t seem to escape it 

Currently the world produces over 300 million tons of plastic every year, 50% of which is for single-use purposes – utilised for just a few moments, but on the planet for several hundred years. More than 8 million tons of plastic is dumped into our oceans every year.

Here’s a couple steps we’re taking to reduce and eliminate our plastic waste

o All our clothes come free of packaging, unlike most companies who individually wrap each item in plastic.

o All our poly garments are made from recycled materials, decreasing the amount of plastic waste landfills and oceans

o Like our suppliers, your goodies will come as they are (plus a cheeky lil gift or two). We don’t use any unnecessary packing or even tags!

o We’re also in regular comms with our suppliers to help make sure they reuse and recycle what they can, helping us decrease our waste massively

o In Australia we use compostable packaging and a carbon neutral sending company so we're not adding any extra CO2 into the environment

o In New Zealand, all our post bags are made from recycled plastic and are 100% recyclable. Like in Australia, from our door to yours, these bags are all sent carbon neutral.

 
As cheesy as it sounds, the phrase ‘many hands make light work’, is the only way we're going to create a sustainable future for both the planet and the people that inhabit it. 

While fashion labels should undoubtedly be leading the way, and take responsibility for its ethics and sustainability, the consumer has a big part to play.

In general, ⅔ of a garment's environmental damage is caused after the consumer purchases the item, for example the method of washing, to ultimate disposal.

Below are some easy steps you can take to decrease the environmental impact of your clothes on the environment

o Only wash your clothes when they need washing - saves a tonne of water and energy
o Use gentle / shorter cycles while washing (better for your clothes as well)
o Use eco-friendly detergents - less harmful to you and the environment
o Dry your clothes in the shade outside instead of dryer - saves heaps of energy and will make the garment have a much longer life
o Donate don’t discard - not only are you keeping waste out of landfills, but you’re supporting numerous charities through op shops
o Choose to buy from ethical and sustainable companies - fast fashion is the worst thing for the humans and environment involved in it

At the moment, figures show that of all the textiles manufactured each year, 12% are lost during manufacturing in the form of cutting and production waste, 75% are sent to landfill by consumers, 12% are put back in the system through donating or recycling, and <1% are regenerated into new fibre for new clothes.
Let’s change those figures.