Sustainability

WHAT WE'RE ACTIVELY WORKING ON:

Product Development.

By taking small steps, we can all begin to affect big change. Every piece of clothing goes through dozens of processes - and they all have an effect on our planet. Here at ASTRO SAND, there are still plenty of ways we can play a part in limiting our own environmental impact through using sustainably sourced materials from certified leathers to alternative fabrications and technologies.

Leather + Shearling.

We are constantly working with our Leather + Shearling suppliers to improve every step of the production process through traceability, chemical transparency and chrome free non hazardous tanning, to ensure that our products and hardware are durable enough to last you a lifetime. Within this development, we are exploring new fabrics and techniques and only working with certified green factories to ensure that every step of our production meets the highest standards of environmental performance.

Outerwear / Puffers.

Our commitment to sustainability is rapidly growing and we are ever passionate about developing materials that help our products perform their best, last for years and reduce environmental impact. We are looking into innovative solutions for our materials including regen recycled nylons made from pre-consumer waste. This material reaches 100% Global Recycled Standard certification and also conserves petroleum resources. Partnering with globally recognised brands that are pioneering in offering environmentally friendly solutions, including fibres that are made from alternative recycled PET bottles, to achieve maximum comfort whilst achieving the best insulation proprietary technologies.

Jersey.

We are further developing different fabrics, dying techniques and washes across our jersey collection. We are continuing to work with our supplier to ensure that all of our jersey items reach the Global Organic Textile Standard by containing organic fibres, using a minimum chemical input and being processed with the least possible environmental impact.

Packaging.

Our goal is to have zero waste packaging. We put an enormous amount of work into changing the smallest details to ensure sustainability is embedded in our business. We are actively improving our packaging by using more sustainable, reusable materials such as using recycled cardboard. We are working on multi-functional options that extend the life of our transit packaging to consumer use.

Suppliers.

As we continue to grow, we are very selective with any new factories that we work with. Our aim is to be working with a range of factories who are all ‘Green factory' certified and part of the Leather Working Group. These are like minded factories who share our vision, our values and who care for the environment. We are also working with our current suppliers to improve their production and waste reduction in order to gain these certifications. By reducing waste reduction, we will be reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. To do this, we will cut hides down to size before tanning so that we only process what we actually use. We are also going to only transport usable leather from the tanneries to the factories, by doing both of these we will be reducing our leather waste.

We also aim to ship all shipments from our factories to us, via sea freight. Shipping via boat provides lower energy consumption and emissions of products harmful to the environment than land transport or air transport. Maritime transport is and will probably remain for a long time the least polluting mode of transport per tonne of goods transported over long distances, so we are working towards ensuring that all shipments we receive are sent via the sea.

Innovation.

We think outside the box, where we focus on the company's efforts in improving the entire value chain. We look to use best practices around tanning, where we will aim to reduce waste, water, energy and chemical use in the leather supply chain to treat the material. Using improved tanning methods, metal free initiatives and up-cycling waste leather and textiles that are generated during the production process.

Designing Sustainably.

We work with many of our best selling shapes, updating them slightly season to season. We never follow short term trends, we want our pieces to feel relevant for many years to come. We also continually educate our customers on how to care for their products, we want them to show their items lots of love, so they can age beautifully.