Our new line of TreadRight hoodies, crews and tee’s produced by sustainable clothing manufacturer Teemill is clothing purposefully made to have a positive impact – in more ways than one. Purchases of our wearable TreadRight artwork will support our annual Tread the Pledge Fund, through which we provide grants to community projects worldwide. More specifically, this fund was developed to support projects that our partner brands’ Travel Directors and Trip Managers feel passionately about.
Sustainable fashion is the way forward for us and our planet. Fast fashion has many detrimental environmental and societal consequences, with much of the manufacturing taking place in developing nations. According to Teemill, 100 billion new items of clothing are produced every year, while a truck full of clothing is burned or buried in landfill every second.
Teemill’s products are addressing this problem through sustainable manufacturing in 3 ways:
Circular Process
According to CNN, 80% of all clothing is landfilled or incinerated. Teemill’s production process is designed from the start to create new products from old ones, enforcing a circular economy. Each item is designed to be sent back when it’s been worn out, so that its materials can be recovered and used to create new products. Additionally, each item is made on-demand, meaning materials are only used when they’re needed so that nothing goes to waste.
Organic Materials
Teemill’s materials are powered by organic farming. Their clothing is made with certified organic cotton, which is better for both its producers and the environment it’s made in. It replaces toxic pesticides and fertilizers with co planting and insect traps, making the cotton not only softer but kinder to the planet. Teemill also takes into account the climate necessary to grow organic cotton. They grow their cotton in Northern India, where the large amount of water needed is almost entirely supplied by reservoirs filled by naturally occurring monsoons.
Additionally, Teemill avoids plastic in their packaging entirely, and instead uses natural materials. This includes cardboard boxes and mailers made of paper, and they’ve even been working on stickers and packaging made from recycled organic cotton offcuts from their manufacturing.
Renewable Energy
Teemill uses renewable energy throughout its supply chain. It owns a solar farm in in the UK and two wind farms in India, to power its manufacturing plant. On top of this, they leverage machine-to-machine technology allowing for equipment to be turned on and off dynamically, so they’re only on when they’re needed.
Learn more about the entire process, and shop our TreadRight designs today so you can truly wear your love for our projects, with us.