The conscious, circular fashion movement with Bee & Sons

Bee & Sons is reversing the trend for throw away fashion, by championing natural fibres, predominantly cashmere, and knitting them into colour-clashing chunky knits as well as smooth classics in everybody’s favourites, black and ivory.

The second collection from Bee & Sons is dropping now, made with 100% Italian cashmere, derived from 100% post-consumer waste. Most commercial cashmere is virgin – transported from Mongolia and spun into new yarn all over the world.

Most recycled cashmere is part virgin fibre and part recycled – and of the recycled yarn, derived from ‘pre-consumer’ waste – ie waste created by the brand themselves. Bee & Sons’ cashmere is upcycled from old sweaters that have been rescued from landfill and incineration, washed, mechanically recycled and spun into fresh new yarn. It looks new, feels like high quality virgin cashmere, and wears beautifully.

The sheer scale of fashion production in the world is overwhelming. By 2030 it is estimated we will be producing 102 million tons of clothing with a value of $3.3 trillion. Most clothing is discarded within the first year of ownership.

The idea that nine out of every ten garments sitting in our own wardrobes will become pollution is unacceptable. The fact that they’ll be burnt, or end up sitting in a hole in the ground, (by the way, for longer than the span of our own lifetimes), is inconceivable.

Reusing & Recycling

Bee& Sons wants to keep clothes out of landfill and incineration by dispensing with the linear ‘take/ make/ dispose’ economy and replacing it with a circular economy, which follows the 3R approach:

They Reduce reliance on natural resources by Reusing their products to create Recycled yarns. There are no synthetics involved in any garment – not even the labels, so they can recycle the yarn to make new yarn. Any virgin fibres are sourced from reputable companies and traceability certified – meaning that they have a low environmental impact production cycle. They do not use yarns that are not able to be recycled.

The aim is to re-use and re-use and re-use the fibres they have chosen, in order that they avoid landfill and incineration and the pollution that those involve. By reusing old yarn, they are also not creating a demand for new yarn, and the environmental impact that its production entails.

Manufacturing processes

Most clothing is made in nameless factories by faceless people. Bee & Sons supports Fashion Revolution, a global movement that addresses social inequalities and human exploitation in the clothing industry and encourages transparency of supply chains. The brands’ clothes are made in a local textile manufacturing company committed to ethical conduct, where employees are treated fairly and paid properly. They know the people who make the clothes.

”They work hard and laugh a lot.” Most fabrics are sourced, and clothing is made anywhere in the world with little consideration of carbon emissions.  Bee & Sons’ clothing is made in the UK. “True, our yarn comes from Italy, and until we start producing our own, that will remain the case. But all manufacturing happens locally. We recognise the importance of local employment and saving the UK’s manufacturing skills.”

Bee & Sons’s Takeback Service

Everything made at Bee & Sons is designed to be unmade. It accepts responsibility for the entire life-cycle of its garments. So, if your garment is broken, they can fix it. If you’re tired of it, they can resell it for you and give the proceeds to charity, and when your cardi has had it, hopefully in years to come, the brand will take it back to dismantle it, chop it up, re-spin it into fresh yarn and start all over again.

Bee & Sons Packaging

Bee & Sons packaging tape, compostable bags, stickers and tags come from No Issue, a cute little packaging company totally committed to sustainability. There are three strands to its philosophy: compostable products are made from renewable plant-based materials and/or bio-polymers that are home compostable within 180 days.

Recycled packaging is made from post-consumer products that would have ended up in landfill or incinerators. Reusable products have a built in second, third or even fourth use. The cardboard boxes come from Rajapack’s Eco-Responsible range and are made from 100% recycled cardboard which is also 100% recyclable. Make sure you put your packaging to its full use to give it a maximum lifespan. It not only saves it from going to waste, but it also reduces the need for virgin materials.

For more information please visit beeandsons.com

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