Planet
Extending the life of our garments and protecting the planet
Our commitments
We will switch to more responsible materials.
We’ll become a more circular business.
We’ll take action to reduce our carbon footprint.
Our 2030 goal
100% of clothing to be sourced more responsibly by 2030.
We’re committed to designing products that have a lower impact on the planet. Our goal is to understand the environmental impact of our raw materials and products, switch to more responsible alternatives where possible and increase our responsibly sourced products annually. In 2021, we established a baseline that 14% of our clothing range* was being sourced more responsibly**.
- We are proud members of Better Cotton and Leather Working Group.
- We have mapped our raw materials and established a responsible baseline.
- We have increased our clothing range from 14% to 45% of being sourced more responsibly from the year 2021 to 2022.
- At least 65% of our clothing range* to be sourced more responsibly** in 2023.
- To take it step by step to reach 100% more responsibly by 2030.
Materials
Better Cotton
We have been proud members of Better Cotton since 2021. Better Cotton is not a fabric but by choosing our cotton products, you’re supporting Mint Velvet’s investment in Better Cotton’s mission, which is to help cotton communities survive and thrive, while protecting and restoring the environment. Better Cotton is sourced via a system of mass balance and therefore products may not contain Better Cotton. Find out more about Better Cotton and the Mass balance system.
Organic Cotton
Organic Cotton uses less water and energy than conventional cotton.
LENZING™ ECOVERO™
LENZING™ ECOVERO™ branded viscose fibres are derived from certified and controlled wood sources and produced with significantly lower fossil energy use and water than generic viscose. LENZING™ and ECOVERO™ are trademarks of Lenzing AG.
Recycled polyester & polyamide
Recycled Polyester and Polyamide fibres divert material that could end up in landfill and promote more circular fashion.
TENCEL™ Lyocell
TENCEL™ Lyocell fibres are derived from responsibly managed forests using a closed loop production process. TENCEL™ is a trademark of Lenzing AG.
Leather Working Group
We are committed to supporting responsible leather manufacturing across the globe and that is why we have been proud members of the Leather Working Group (LWG) since 2021. It’s an international organisation made up of stakeholders across the leather supply chain. By choosing our leather products, you’re supporting Mint Velvet’s investment in more responsible leather manufacturing through the Leather Working Group.
*Main body of the item. Excludes swimwear, Mint Velvet Kids and accessories. We are currently reviewing how we incorporate these exclusions in the future.
**Items include 50% responsibly sourced materials or support our investment in responsibly sourced materials. Main body of the item only. The tolerance allowed for garment and fabric composition is +/- 3% based on the total weight of fibres. This is in line with EU Textile Fibre Composition Regulation EU 1007/2011.
***This includes cotton supporting Better Cotton, organic cotton and recycled cotton. Better Cotton is not a fabric, it is a sustainability initiative we support through our sourcing of Better Cotton. Better Cotton is sourced via a system of mass balance and therefore any products labelled as such may not contain Better Cotton.
Our 2030 goal
Design for circularity and implement circular business models by 2030.
We have always had a timeless take on fashion trends and a firm focus on fit and quality to promote the longevity of our garments. This is just one of the ways we’re trying to make fashion more circular. We also support industry-wide initiatives, have introduced give-back schemes and are always finding new ways to involve our customer in our mission.
- We have signed up to Textiles 2030, an ambitious voluntary agreement accelerating the fashion industry’s move towards circularity and system change in the UK.
- We have joined The Microfibre Consortium (TMC) to better understand our microfibre impact and boost microfibre research in the industry.
- We have donated over 49 tonnes of clothing to our charity partners Newlife and Wardrobe Foundation.
- 653 items have been given a new lease of life through our SWAP Party events.
- At our Head Office 290kg of fabric waste have been donated to local partners: Buckinghamshire New University and Refresh Wycombe.
- Customers have donated over 1689 boxes via our take back scheme with Give Back Box.
- Find partners to support us in extending the life of our garments.
- We will test 5 fabrics a year with TMC to see how they perform.
- Provide circular design training to key departments.
Recycle with us
We believe in style over fashion, and quality over speed, so our clothes are made
to
last, and we encourage our customers to store items that they need a break from or give them to friends so
they
can have a new lease of life.
We want to keep as much out of landfill as possible, so here are some of the ways your MV can be recycled.
Give Back with us
Use your Mint Velvet box to donate your unwanted clothes and household goods to charity for free. Simply fill the box, print your free delivery label at givebackbox.org.uk/products/mint-velvet and attach it to your box or bag, then drop it off at over 7000 Collect+ sites (head to yodel.co.uk/store-locator to find your nearest one). If you need to use your box to return your Mint Velvet order, then please do not add your donations to this box, but use any other suitable box or bag to send your donations (it just needs to be able to transit with your goods). Your donations will be sorted and sent to the Air Ambulance, ExtraCare, and Clicsargent who can then resell them to raise money.
Join our Swap Parties
Come to one of our recycling store events where you can swap your clothes with other MV customers. Anything left over at the end of the event gets donated to charity. Check out our Events page for the next one.
Newlife
Since 2017, we've been working with Newlife, a charity that’s changing the lives of disabled and terminally ill children across the UK. We donate all our old season stock and production samples to their stores to be sold to raise money for their amazing work.
Wardrobe Foundation
Wardrobe Foundation is a social enterprise based in Cranborne, Dorset set up to provide quality and personalised clothing to women in need of clothing support across Dorset, Hampshire, Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch, helping women to feel confident & empowered. We've partnered with Wardrobe Foundation since 2021 to donate surplus stock. Through our partnership to date we have donated over 15,000 units, equating to 5.5 tonnes which have been able to support 620 women with clothing gift bags.
Textiles 2030
At Mint Velvet, we are signatories of Textiles 2030, a voluntary agreement for the UK textiles sector. Textiles 2030 is an ambitious UK-based sustainability initiative that aims to transform the textiles sector by making science-based progress on climate action and by delivering a UK-wide roadmap on circularity. As a signatory, we’re committing to collaborate with the industry on carbon, water and circular textile targets. We will reduce our carbon and water footprint by swapping out conventional materials for more responsible alternatives and by working with our suppliers on adopting manufacturing processes that are better for the environment.
Buckinghamshire New University
In 2022, Mint Velvet head office started donating a range of waste fabric samples to the fashion and textiles department at Buckingham New University which is made available to students and enrich their student journey.
Our 2030 goal
Half our carbon emissions by 2030 and Net Zero by 2040.
We’re committed to taking action to reduce our carbon footprint. Our aim is to analyse, reduce and neutralise our carbon emissions to reach Net Zero by 2040.
- We have measured Mint Velvet’s Scope 1, 2 and partial 3* carbon emissions since 2019.
- We have signed up to collaborate on Textiles 2030’s carbon, water and circular textile targets.
- 62% of our stores use LED lighting.
- Measure our scope 3 emissions using Textiles 2030’s Footprint Tool Calculator.
- 70% of our stores to use LED lightning.
- Find a climate partner to help us take action to reduce our carbon footprint.
- Establish a robust carbon footprint baseline across scopes 1, 2 and 3.
- Identify emissions hot spots and define roadmap to Net Zero.
*Scope 1 - Direct emissions from activities owned or controlled that release emissions into the atmosphere (e.g. owned company facilities and vehicles).
Scope 2 - Energy indirect. Emissions released into the atmosphere associated with the consumption of purchased electricity. These are indirect emissions that are a consequence of the organisation’s activities, but which occur at sources the organisation does not own or control (e.g. emissions from the generation of purchased electricity at stores.)
Partial Scope 3 - Other direct. Emissions that are a consequence of activities which occur at a source the business does not own or control and which are not classed as scope 1 or 2 emissions (e.g. private cars, air, train travel and hotel stays).
Our Policies
Environmental policy
We are aware of our environmental impact as a company and are committed to reducing it. As signatories of WRAP/Textiles 2030 we are working with them to reduce our carbon usage and footprint.
Cotton policy
We are committed to respecting human rights within our business and supply chain. The Central Asian states of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan have been found to use forced labour, and, in some cases, child labour, in the production of cotton, as reported by a number of organisations. We have therefore banned cotton from both countries until such time as independent and credible evidence verifies involuntary or underage labour is no longer used within the cotton sectors of these neighbouring countries. This is communicated to our suppliers via our Cotton Policy.
