Slow fashion, made to last
Why do we support slow fashion?
The fashion industry negatively impacts the world around us. It accounts for around 10% of global carbon emissions, and nearly 20% of wastewater. In the UK an estimated 350,000 tonnes of clothing ends up in landfill every year. This is not sustainable.
Slow fashion helps address this by making a conscious decision: designing, creating and buying fewer, higher quality clothes that will last for longer. It encourages timeless designs, slower production, sustainable fabrics and ethical working conditions, so that we reduce our impact on the world around us.
Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
At Ducky Zebra we apply the rethink, reduce, reuse and recycle methodology to lessen our environmental impact. Here’s how:
Organic cotton: our clothes are made from GOTS certified organic cotton to reduce their environmental impact and ensure fair and safe working conditions. No harmful chemicals are used in the growing of organic cotton, and it emits up to 46% less greenhouse gases than non-organic.
Digital printing: our fabric is digitally printed rather than screen printed, helping to reduce our impact further. Although it’s more expensive, digital printing offers a higher quality and is better for the environment. It uses less water, less energy and less ink compared to screen printing
Manufacturing process: our manufacturing partner in India is continually looking for ways to rethink their processes to reduce their impact. Currently 50% of their power comes from solar energy and soon this will be 85%. They harvest rainwater, which helps to save the groundwater level, and recycle all waste water. Fabric end bits are either given to the charity centre for re-use, or sent to the mills to make recycled yarn.
Longevity: our clothes are made from high quality fabric, and are designed to last and pass on to siblings and friends for reuse. Sizing is generous, with features like turn-up cuffs to increase longevity. By ensuring our clothes are durable their life can be extended, helping to reduce carbon, water and waste footprints.
Timeless, gender-neutral designs: rather than adopting the latest trends or seasonal gimmicks, we rethink fashion for children. We create small volumes of colourful, unisex designs that can be reused regardless of season or gender.
Pre-loved programme: our pre-loved programme allows you to recycle your Ducky Zebra clothes by returning them to us. We’ll then pass them onto the Oxford Baby Bank for reuse. In exchange, and as a thank you, we’ll give you 15% off your next purchase. This programme helps reduce the number of clothes that may end up in landfill.
Upcycling: we work with Wrapkind to up-cycle our pre-production samples into gift bags, helping to reduce our waste
Rental: we’ve partnered with Borro and thelittleloop, so that customers can now rent a selection of our clothes. This initiative helps to increase the lifecycle of our clothes, reduce waste and make our items more accessible to more people.
Eco packaging: we post our items in recycled and fully recyclable postage bags. Our swing tags, greeting cards and stickers are also fully recyclable.
"Rather than adopting the latest trends or seasonal gimmicks, we rethink fashion for children. We create small volumes of high quality, unisex clothes that are designed to last, and can be reused regardless of season or gender.”
Sally, Founder of Ducky Zebra