Our Transparency Commitment
iole creates beautiful timeless lingerie, though we are acutely aware of the social and environmental impacts the fashion industry and mass consumption has on our planet.
As such we are committed to and progressing towards more sustainable and ethical approaches wherever we can.
Ethical Manufacture,
iole is accredited and licensed with Ethical Clothing Australia, our in house production in Castlemaine, Melbourne is inspected and audited annually to ensure we offer safe working conditions and pay staff at or above industry award wages.
We currently produce all goods exclusively in house and use no outsourcing. Our production facility also manufactures for several other Australian brands from time to time.
We don't currently manufacture any finished products outside Australia, though this may happen at some point for specialty items. Having worked with global supply chains for 20yrs and living in Asia for more than 7yrs, we have a very clear understanding of these realities and on the ground first hand experience in auditing manufacturers to ensure safe working conditions and environmentally sustainable production approaches.
Global Suppliers,
With the decline of the Australian textile industry in the 1990's we do need to import almost all our materials, trims, accessories and componentry. Where possible we ensure we are sourcing from accredited suppliers who are also committed to improving our industry for a more sustainable, circular future and dramatically lesson our environmental impacts as an industry.
Lace, we source predominantly from both France & China.
Fabric, mainly comes from China & Italy, where each factory has a number of environmental accreditation's for their production facilities. At times we have also sourced from Australia, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
We have some limited material offers using "Dead Stock" which is left over from other production lines that we source to keep from being destroyed or sent to landfill.
Swim Fabric, we have committed here (because it's now possible in small scale) to use exclusively Recycled & Regenerated fibres for all our swimwear.
- ECONYL® is 100% regenerated nylon fiber is made of pre and post-consumer waste (nylon waste, fishnets and carpet fluff). Majority of our swimwear fabric is made in Italy and contains 82% ECONYL® fiber. Iole Lingerie is part of the ECONYL® community and approved to display and promote the brand on our related products.
- RecoTex™ is a series of newly developed environmentally friendly fiber mostly made using recycled PET bottles. We produce some swimwear lining fabric containing 87% RecoTex™ fiber.
Elastics & Trims, predominantly from China, we work with long term partners who have been in operation more than 40yrs and are TESTEX™ & Oeko-tex certified, which means they produce items free of all harmful substances and meet REACH standard.
Production Waste,
Making to order and making small garments like lingerie means we don't have a lot of waste in our workroom. We try to utilize every scrap possible until its too small to fit any part of a garment design. At this time our fabric waste is saved up and has been used as stuffing for leather cushion furniture items. We are currently investigating recycling options where our separated materials by fiber may be collected and turned back into regenerated fibers and yarns
Packaging,
We try to minimize packaging especially plastics where possible. We also reuse as much packaging materials as we can that comes in through our imports.
Our courier satchels may vary from Bio Materials to LDPE, please see shipping for more info.
Carbon Footprint,
We haven't yet considered mapping our business footprint as we are just too small at this stage. We have however where possible partnered with and opted for business solutions that are taking great steps to eliminate, reduce or offset their carbon footprint. In particular our courier partners DHL & Sendle , see shipping for more info.
Also our use of ECONYL® reduces the global warming impact of nylon by up to 80% compared to material made from non-renewable petroleum oil?
RecoTex™ fiber from PET has a 51% saving in energy use and a reduction in CO2 emissions of 58%.
Community & Industry,
We are very passionate about the local fashion and manufacturing community as it rebuilds itself during this time of conscious consumers who believe in supporting a local industry. Our door is always open to meet, work with and discus ideas so that we may be more collaborative and supportive of other local businesses both established and aspiring. We hope to build a more sustainable environment for future creatives and change makers that may follow our footsteps.
We have signed the pledge for the Australian National SEAMLESS Product Stewardship Scheme. Funded by the Australian Federal Government, this world class initiative aims to improve the design, recovery, reuse and recycling of clothing, providing a roadmap to circularity in Australia by 2030.
Shopping Small,
Because we make to order we never have a need to go on sale, instead we can create new designs utilizing the materials we already have on hand when the need arises. We believe in customers who see our items as an investment that will last and know that they are supporting small businesses and the creatives behind them.
Environmental Impact,
There is no perfect scenario as a brand and maker of new products just yet, but we are on a conscious journey to represent a better side of the industry and most importantly a move away from mass, fast, cheap fashion consumption. We continue to educate ourselves on new ideas and initiatives and strive for continuous improvement.
We believe making quality goods and timeless styles is the best fundamental part of what we do. So much so that we will repair any iole item where possible that still has some life in it.