MATERIALS

Our designs are made from natural and sustainable materials, including organic cotton, British interlock organic cotton, organic linen and certified Belgian linen. All our fabrics originate from natural fibres and our buttons are made from responsibly-sourced Corozo. Where possible, we source materials from the EU to reduce our carbon footprint. Our suppliers are committed to ethical and environmentally-friendly production, reducing their ecological footprint through new technologies and minimising water usage, plastic and toxic waste.

LINEN

Linen is a natural and biodegradable fibre known for its durability, breathability and anti-microbial properties. We work with either 100% organic linen or premium Belgian linen, which is OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 certified and carries the EUROPEAN FLAX® mark. This guarantees full traceability, from seed to crop to the finished fabric. It also means no harmful chemicals were used in the production process. Along with its traceability, European flax (the plant that linen is made from) is grown with far fewer fertilisers and pesticides – using only rainwater. During manufacturing, the entire plant is used, which means zero waste.

ORGANIC GOTS COTTON

Ruhe only uses organic cotton, which is both biodegradable and recyclable. It means harmful chemicals or GMOs are never used and much less water is needed to make our pieces. Our cotton is GOTS certified – the leading standard for organic textiles and fabrics. Fabrics carrying the GOTS label represent the ultimate in ecological and sustainable production. It assures that the cotton from which the fabric was made has been grown organically, without using insecticides or pesticides. It also means that the entire production process is socially responsible.

COROZO BUTTONS

For our naturally dyed buttons, we use Corozo, which is a 100% natural, sustainable, eco-friendly and biodegradable product. It’s one of the most environmentally and socially responsible materials around. Also known as Tagua, Corozo is the nut of a palm tree that grows in the tropical forests of Ecuador. The Tagua palm is a great CO2 collector, a big pollinator and is important to the forest’s wider ecosystem. Harvesting these nuts also creates employment for local communities and manufacturers.

THREADS + ELASTIC

We do everything we can to make our clothes sustainable, but we aren’t perfect. Right now, we use conventional cotton threads to sew our pieces together and elastics (where needed) in our products to make sure they last as long as possible. We are testing more environmentally friendly alternatives though and will start using them the moment we can.

PACKAGING

We are proud that all of our packaging is sustainable. Everything is made from either recycled or responsibly sourced materials – from our outer packaging to our swing tags and comp cards, which are FSC certified and 100% recyclable.