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eco-friendly clothing: Wolbe's 4 commitments

Eco-friendly clothing: what are Wolbe's commitments?

 

As sports enthusiasts, we take infinite pleasure in surpassing ourselves on the playgrounds that the planet offers us. In the mountains, forests, oceans or in white water. But like you, we see that these ecosystems are deteriorating rapidly. So we created Wolbe to imagine a new standard A brand that offers more freedom without compromising the planet. This is our way of actively committing ourselves to the protection of the environment.

How do we achieve this in the fashion world? What are our biases? On a complex subject, where there is no clear path, we explain the choices we have made to ensure that our eco-friendly clothes respect the planet.

What is eco-friendly clothing?

It means committing to preserving the planet's NON-renewable resources and limiting the pollution that accelerates global warming and the degradation of the soil and oceans.

 

Only two things... but two real challenges for the fashion industry as we described it in our episode on eco-friendly fashion!

 

Fortunately, experts from the Ellen Mac Arthur Foundation (a world-famous British sailor) have built a roadmap that clearly sets out the options to be followed in the clothing industry:

  • choose materials that do not generate micro-plastics (no petroleum derivatives)
  • increase the life span of the garment and facilitate an eco-responsible use
  • consider recycling or biodegradability of the garment from the outset
  • use renewable energy as much as possible

we recommend a very entertaining 4-minute film on the ideal circular economy model for the future (Ellen MacArthur Foundation)

Our commitment n°1: less but better

Firstly, the cuts are minimalists and timeless to match any style. 

Simplicity is timeless.

Fewer parts. But more versatile.

That means less fabric used and less resources damaged.

Secondly, our clothes are pieces to LIVE!

 

Be stylish on a date AND walk in the rain without getting wet AND do some exercise. bike easily without sweating AND going out to an afterwork without changing... How many "lives" do you have in a day? How many clothes should you use?

 

Our clothes are not just perfectly cut. We play with materials, cuts, technologies to increase their functionality of use.

 

The Biella shirton Gianni blazerthe poloshirt Balthazarthe polo shirt Arguin or the Amsterdam jumper They wick away perspiration and do not retain odours. You can wear them several times

 

The jacket Finisher is a blazer when you wear it without the bib, and a very protective waterproof jacket when you activate it. It even has reflective strips under the cuffs and collar and zips under the armpits. So you can be seen at night when cycling. At least three pieces in one ! The same goes for the car coat.

 

Without betraying the style, of course!

 

And designing clothes that follow you around means promoting an active lifestyle and your health!

LESS BUT BETTER. This is our polar star for making eco-friendly clothes!

This philosophy of versatilityThis is the reason why we are also very demanding on the manufacturing of the clothes themselves. Choice of materials, partners, production sites. We explain our choices to you!

stretch blazer jacket Gianni Wolbe
Gianni stretch blazer
Wolbe Gaston grey dry wool trousers
city pant Gaston
Wolbe Royal Merino Oxford shirt
merino shirt Biella

Our commitment n°2: natural or recycled materials

We work 100% of first and second layers of our locker room with natural materials. And not just any kind. The merino wool and the Tencel because they must combine AND technical performance AND a limited footprint on natural resources

The superfine merino woolis therefore our favourite subject. It is the basis of our shirts, city pants, polo shirts and even car coat. Breathable, anti-odour, low-crease, renewable (sheep are shorn once a year), its properties are incredible. Very insulating, it is used in winter against the cold and in summer against the heat.

 

We select the wool ZQ merino "mulesing free'. And we chose a Italian weaver which raises its own sheep, combs its wool in Italy (whereas 80% of wool is currently combed in China) and therefore ensures perfect traceability!

To facilitate end-of-life recycling, we make 95% of our clothing out of single material. Our shirts  and our city pants are 100% in wool. 

 

But we are changing our thinking on the subject. Indeed, certain artificial materials could multiply the life of a pair of trousers by 3. When we know that the first ecological gesture is to buy less clothing, we are conducting a test to appreciate the initiative. Other brands (like Icebreaker) have done it before us. To be continued!

The Tencel (or Lyocell) is our second most popular material. We use it in our shirts and our jumper.

Made from wood pulp from responsible forests, its production is very clean (soft solvents and completely reused production water). Its breathability, softness and anti-bacterial properties convinced us.

Cotton is avoided. It requires a lot of water and pesticides and does not dry quickly enough.

For our third layersAlthough we have seen a number of products that effectively protect you from wind, rain and cold, there are still no products available today that do not contain petrochemical-based fabrics. And yet we have been to the trade fairs... !

We therefore trust Sympatex®a German partner with a strong commitment to research. They have developed the equivalent of Goretex®, but more responsibly. Made in recycled polyesterIt is very efficient. The waterproofness of our blazer jacket is equivalent to that of a high mountain hiking jacket (so you can keep it for a very long time): it will resist a rain shower with a water pressure of 20 meters / cm2! And as it washes much less than a sports shirt, it doesn't release any micro-plastics.

In fact, to facilitate its recycling, our jacket is made of a single material: it is 100% polyester (recycled).

For our car-coatwe have chosen an exceptional Italian complex with 88% of natural materials (wool and viscose), but with a waterproof polyamide membrane.

Our fabrics are Italian, French or German. And our weavers are close to the place of manufacture.

They all have the Oekotex 100The wool is guaranteed to be of the highest quality and to respect animal welfare thanks to the labels of the European Commission. The wool is guaranteed to be of very high quality and respectful of animal welfare thanks to the following labels ZQ merino and Sustainawool. Our French shirt weaver respects the code of conduct AltertexThis guarantees the highest environmental standards throughout the production process.

To make our clothes eco responsible, we refuse all so-called "finishing" treatments Anti-odour, anti-stain, easy ironing. Although this may be relevant. Firstly because they are chemical and can cause allergies. Secondly, because they eventually disappear after a few washes. The same applies to water-repellent treatments based on fluorinated polymers: our waterproof fabrics are PTFE and PFC free.

Our commitment n°3: to make clothes that last

Our outdoor rooms are 100% heat-sealedso seamless. This is the ideal combination of robustness, durability and lightness. This innovation in a city wardrobe also guarantees the complete waterproofness of our third layers. Our small Italian workshop in the Venice region is renowned for its advanced know-how.

We always try to make our clothes easy to use. They are tested, washed and tried on several times. Because we know how you will use them. Our Finisher jacket or Gianni blazer, for example, can be rolled up in a bag without a problem. It will always come out looking good!

In terms of maintenance we aim for practicality. Merino wool is odourless and can be washed twice as often. A shirt can be worn for three days without any problem! Our trousers and polo shirts are machine washable at 30°C.

New avenues are being explored to make faster progress in this area. New materials and new technical processes will enable us to rapidly increase our promises in this area. To be continued!

Our commitment n°4: made in Europe

To limit our carbon footprint linked to transport, we produce exclusively on the European continent, with fabrics spun in France, Italy or Germany. Our Italian weaver is 20 km from our jacket and car coat manufacturer, for example...

But we know we can do even better at making eco-friendly clothes. And we are working to reduce distances even further in this area.

We are proud of the commitments we are making today. In fact, they contribute to our daily motivation! But investing in a sustainable approach also means being clear about the improvements that are still possible.

Even better alignment of our weaving and manufacturing sites to optimise upstream and downstream transport. Work on materials that would greatly extend the life of the product, etc.

Do not hesitate to ask us questions or to send us your ideas if you have any!

1 Comment

  1. Hervé M.
    23/11/2020

    Congratulations to you! Very nice products! Not colourful enough for me! But I am a customer!

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