Sustainability and Social Responsibility
Sustainability and Social Responsibility are two of the core pieces that make up our mission. We want to slow down fashion, reconnect people with what they buy, and reduce waste. We also care immensely about working conditions of garment workers.
Our goal is to eventually produce our pieces locally and have more control over the welfare of the people who produce the garments. We also want to provide greater transparency over the supply chain and traceability of all the parts that make a piece of swimwear.
But this is not an easy task as a startup, and we are taking this one step at a time. We know that the sustainability challenges in the fashion industry don’t have a quick fix. So here are some of the steps we have taken:
Our product range includes eco-friendly products made of recycled post-consumer plastics.
Recycled polyester (rPET for short) is a fabric that’s produced from synthetic fibers. Recycled polyester is produced by recycling existing materials (like plastic bottles and packaging) but still has all the characteristics and performance as a regular polyester, making it a more sustainable fabric alternative.
Producing rPet takes 33% to 53% less energy than creating polyester from scratch. Also, rPet produces approximately 54.6% fewer CO2 emissions to the air than virgin polyester.
By using recycled materials to make things like our High-Waisted 2-piece swimsuits, some of our everyday plastic wastes don't end up in landfills.
Made-to-order = no product waste
Around 85% of all textiles produced by the fashion industry end up in landfills, making it a major contributor to environmental damage. One in every five garments reaches a landfill without being worn even once.
By choosing Milpali, you choose apparel that's created only as the order is placed, creating less fabric waste than conventional manufacturing. Every purchase, big or small, has a footprint. With each purchase, you have a choice. You choose the size of the mark to leave on the planet, and we want to help you choose wisely.
Fabric Waste reduction during production
To avoid waste from being produced in the first place, our production partners started optimizing our print product layouts. Previously, printed products generated 42% of leftover fabric, but last year we reduced it to 35%. They reuse part of these leftover fabric to make scrunches and headbands to minimise wastage.
Fair working conditions
Our production partners have a strong focus on creating fair working conditions. Their pay their employees a living wage which is higher than the local minimum wage. They have established a Code of Conduct with their suppliers that provides a whistleblowing hotline across the supply chain, a channel for workers to highlight concerns they have about their employment or working conditions.
Our production partners have also partnered with ethical trade organization Sedex to ensure transparency and help monitor supplier compliance.