Organic Basics
Organic Basics is a Copenhagen based clothing brand that makes high-quality, eco-friendly basics for men and for women. They work only with trusted, certified factory partners that have the same sustainable vision. Founded in 2015 by Alexander Christiansen, Christoffer Immanuel and Mads Fibiger Rasmussen, Organic Basics is constantly seeking to optimize its environmental and social footprints. At the moment the brand completely offsets their carbon footprint, but Organic Bascis goes further and will keep reducing their carbon emissions across the supply chain.
Every single fabric used at OB is handpicked based on its environmental footprint and lifetime durability. That means natural, renewable, recycled, biodegradable and/or low-impact textiles only (for example fabrics that reduce the amount of water used). The brand uses GOTS-certified organic cotton, meaning the collection is made with hand-picked, chemical free organic cotton that’s grown on the coast of the Aegean Sea. It’s widely regarded as some of the most soft and durable cotton in the world. The GOTS standard also guarantees that the people that made this are paid living wages and treated like humans.
Known as the holy grail of sustainable fabrics - TENCEL™ Lyocell is made from Aspen and Birch trees - which grow fast and thick on low grade land. In comparison to cotton these trees take about 80% less water to grow - and because it is manufactured in a very environmentally friendly process there is also significant chemical and CO2 savings when compared to conventional cotton.
Organic Basics uses recycled fibers, such as recycled nylon from Mantua, Italy - and it’s one of the leading sustainable textile manufacturers in the world. Using recycled materials helps divert waste away from landfills and creates huge savings in water and CO2 during the raw material production phase when compared to virgin nylon. Recycled nylon also doesn’t require any petroleum to manufacture.
Additional savings are created because OB treats their fabrics with a safe, bluesign® approved recycled silver salt called Polygiene® which helps the fabric stay fresher for longer and reduces the need for frequent washing. Through consumer surveys it was found that SilverTech™ Active products are washed ½ as much as people’s other activewear - which results in additional CO2 and water savings.
A massive amount of textile is sent to landfills each year: approximately 92 billion tonnes. That’s often fabric that could otherwise be downcycled into things like upholstery or upcycled into beautiful new garments. OB works with factories that use efficient fabric cutting techniques and recycle their textile offcuts in order to reduce the total amount of waste.
Also, OB´s suppliers work with eco-certified processes that eliminate harmful chemicals. This is not the case in many other factories where often nasty chemicals like lead, mercury, chlorine and formaldehyde are used to manufacture clothing. These can harm our planet’s ecosystem and people and some of them are known carcinogens (not even 1/10th of the 1600 used in dyeing are approved by the Environmental Protection Agency). These factories also run on clean, renewable energy: factories that make an effort to reduce their energy footprint and run their factories on cleaner supplies.
Organic Basics´ factories care about social sustainability as well. They ensure that their workplace is free of child labor and forced labor, their workers are surrounded in a safe working space, paid a living wage, offered employee perks like free lunch and childcare - and of course, they are treated with respect at all times.
To summarize, these are the sustainable features of Organic Basics:
certified B-Corp
part of the 1% for the Planet initiative
uses low-waste shipping materials (i.e. no plastic)
carbon neutral
certified factories that use sustainable & ethical practices
sustainable fabrics, including recycled fibers, organic cotton and TENCEL
a low-impact website
Besides all the efforts that Organic Basics puts in the production process, it has also created a fund to help fight climate change, restore biodiversity and protect vulnerable communities. The Organic Basics Fund is about giving direct funding to people, groups and projects that address environmental and social injustices at the root cause — and aim to create long-term, real impact. Twice per year a portion of the profits are donated to grassroots activists and organizations that advocate for justice for both the planet and communities. Applications from all non-profit organizations and initiatives within Europe that are taking action against environmental crises and social injustices are accepted.
Based: Copenhagen, Denmark.
Ships to: Worldwide.
Products: Eco-friendly underwear, activewear and essentials.
Mission: To to create sustainable and better made basics.
Vision: To democratize sustainable basic clothing on a global scale.
URL: Organic Basics
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