Sustainability

Sixteen of the individuals in our brand new Profit-Share Supply Chain

At Origin we take sustainability seriously. We know the fashion industry has a lot to answer for and a lot to do if we are to reverse the catastrophic effects on our climate and the communities most at-risk. It is because of this we are committed to using high quality, carefully sourced, planet-friendly materials and most importantly we focus on the quality of our products and our supply chain.

From the highest environmental standards to fair wages and long-term employment we are proud to now produce our t-shirts and shirts in Kenya with 100% locally sourced natural materials.

In 2022 we began our journey working with independent suppliers in Kenya and a partnership formed with a wonderful factory run by an innovative team who shared our passion for changing the toxic traits of the fashion industry. Every step of our new supply chain of production has been verified and investigated by us personally, from the rain fed cotton crops to the organic water based dyes and energy consumption of production processes, ensuring all the highest standards are met. We are working on making all the details of this supply chain available through blogs (We have launched our profit share supply chain; Tosheka Textiles; Journey of a Sawa Shirt; Frankly Answered Questions) , social media and articles but, if you feel you cannot find any information and are looking for it, please contact us as it is all information we wish to share.

We really mean it when we say we want to be totally accountable and we also recognise the rapid change of technology in the sustainability sector. Therefore, if you know of a way we can be even cleaner, greener or better in our supply chain or the production of our garments - we want to know about it! Send us a message at feedback@originafrica.co.uk and let us know how we can improve. We want to build a community of people who strive for a better way of doing things and call out those who turn a blind-eye. Together for a better world!

Up to 2022

Up to 2022, as we built our brand, we have had 2 ranges of tees. The first is supplied by Stanley & Stella, an exceptional leader in 100% organic cotton goods. They create the base sweatshirts we use too. Click here for their Sustainability Report for 2020 which shows you exactly who made your clothes, their working conditions and how S+S remain committed to transparency and accountability throughout the supply chain.

Our Tanzanian cotton tees are made using 100% Tanzanian cotton from Biosustain and they are made in a vertical factory in Arusha, Tanzania called Sunflag. You can read more about the collection here.

Our printing and embroidering is done in the South West of the UK, close to Origin’s base in Devon and we ensure our material is recycled and printing dyes are vegan-approved and non-toxic.

We are proud of our suppliers and confident in the standards of the garments we create. Though we are a small organisation we are working on gaining accreditation for the artisanal fabrics our artisans create so they can be celebrated for their planet-friendly hand looming approach to textile creation. You can trace the journey of each of our on the wonderful Provenance platform.

Our certifications: