Our Sustainability and Ethical Production Journey
2023 for Sabo isย aboutย continuingย our sustainability and ethical production journey. It's not something that can change over night or instantly, especially if we want it done right, but it is something that we keep at the forefront of our daily decision making.ย Over the past four years, we'veย started small, by breaking down our processes and seeing where we can make the biggest impact and change first and we can proudly provide those details to our customers and followers below.ย
Packaging
We have successfully reduced our paper usage throughout our HQ processes by 90% over the past 2 years and have changed 95% of our packaging to recyclable/recycled/biodegrable materials.
All of our garment packaging is made from recyclable LDPE. Our shipping satchels are made from recyclable materials and have been in use for over 7 years.
Our Sabo Store bags are also made from 100% recyclable materials. We reuse our current garments bags both at HQ and in our Sabo Stores.
Packaging
We have successfully reduced our paper usage throughout our HQ processes by 90% over the past 2 years and have changed 95% of our packaging to recyclable/recycled/biodegrable materials.
All of our garment packaging is made from recyclable LDPE. Our shipping satchels are made from recyclable materials and have been in use for over 7 years.
Our Sabo Store bags are also made from 100% recyclable materials. We reuse our current garments bags both at HQ and in our Sabo Stores.
Material
In 2018, we decided to place an emphasis on increasing our use of natural fibre fabrics, which have continued to improve and increase over the past five years. In the time since, we have successfully doubled our use of natural fibres, mainly cotton and linen, with over 70%* of our designs now produced from a majority blend of cotton/linen/other natural fibre and over 50%* of our designs being made from a 100% natural fibre.
We are working hard on breaking down our material supply chain even further by becoming more heavily involved in its production and sourcing, which continues to be a major interest for us in 2023. 98% of our printed garments are made with our very own custom milled fabrics. All of our exclusive print designs, lingerie, knitwear, swim and denim are made with OEKO-TEX Standard 100 fabrics.
Carbon + Plastic Waste Footprint
We understand the need to reduce our carbon emissions and use of single-use plastics for the wellbeing of our planet and future. Not only have we implemented changes throughout our business-to-consumer supply chain to achieve this, but also throughout our internal processes. We still have a long way to go, but making a change is where it all starts!
We changed our power source at HQ to 100% solar powered in 2019.
Knowing that our HQ operations, from powering our computers to processing orders, are being fuelled by a more sustainable energy source makes us so proud!
On top of this, our electricity usage is lower than our solar output, which means that weโre consistently providing renewable and sustainable energy back into the grid.
Weโve reduced our overall single plastic use packaging by over 90%, and we are aiming to reach over 95% by the end of 2023. We have a strict recycling/reusing policy throughout Sabo HQ and Sabo Stores, specifically with plastic and recyclable items including garment bags and food packaging items. We have switched from recyclable, disposable water bottles at HQ to Reusable Water bottles made from fully recyclable co-polymer. 95% of our processes are now completed electronically and are completely paperless.
We gift resuable tote bags with all orders of 5+ items to encourage reusable bag use, as well as sell reusable products such as tote bags, straws, bamboo toothbrushes, etc. We want our customers to help reduce their carbon footprint, too. We plan on increasing our range of reusable items for sale in the near future. Letโs reach new goals together!
We changed our power source at HQ to 100% solar powered in 2019.
Knowing that our HQ operations, from powering our computers to processing orders, are being fuelled by a more sustainable energy source makes us so proud!
On top of this, our electricity usage is lower than our solar output, which means that weโre consistently providing renewable and sustainable energy back into the grid.
Weโve reduced our overall single plastic use packaging by over 90%, and we are aiming to reach over 95% by the end of 2023. We have a strict recycling/reusing policy throughout Sabo HQ and Sabo Stores, specifically with plastic and recyclable items including garment bags and food packaging items. We have switched from recyclable, disposable water bottles at HQ to Reusable Water bottles made from fully recyclable co-polymer. 95% of our processes are now completed electronically and are completely paperless.
We gift resuable tote bags with all orders of 5+ items to encourage reusable bag use, as well as sell reusable products such as tote bags, straws, bamboo toothbrushes, etc. We want our customers to help reduce their carbon footprint, too. We plan on increasing our range of reusable items for sale in the near future. Letโs reach new goals together!
Wages and work conditions
Our Sabo Team is currently made up of employees and workers in Australia and internationally in China. All of our employees including our Sabo HQ, Sabo Store, international factory workers, contractors, etc. are paid living wages or above, work in safe working conditions and with equal opportunity. Our factories are regularly audited with certifications of compliance provided.
We Have A Strict No Discrimination, No Child Labour, No Precarious Employment And No Bonded Labour Policy Throughout Our Factories.
Our factories must also be compliant with the rights of Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining and Ethical Business Behaviour.