Environmental Policy
Environmental Policy
Through an unwavering commitment to our environmental goals, Del Moment is proudly designed and manufactured in Australia. We are a Carbon Neutral business and members of 1% for the Planet, donating 1% of our annual revenue to environmental non-profits. We choose to use responsibly sourced and manufactured materials including; Tencel™ Luxe & Tencel™ Lyocell derived from renewable wood sources, sourced from FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) sustainably managed forests in Austria, GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) Certified Cotton, and GRS (Global Recycling Standard) polyester.We use GOTS certified organic dyes and work with dye houses utilising techniques to minimise water wastage and contamination. Our garments are transported in plant-based (wheat, cassava & sugar) home compostable AS5810 ABAP 20001 poly-bags. All garment labelling (brand, size and care labels) are GRS certified, made from 100% post-consumer recycled polyester. Our swing tags are recycled and recyclable and hung from biodegradable PLA plastic clothes string tags. Garments are hung from 100% recycled post-consumer plastic hanger tape, hand-wrapped in recycled FSC certified, compostable acid-free paper printed with soy based inks and tied with ribbon printed in Victoria on 59% bio based fibres.
We are proud to partner with local Australian and often independent & family-owned pattern-makers, machinists, dye houses and manufacturers to bring Del Moment to life. The opportunity to have visibility over the production process affords us further transparency that we share entirely with our community. In doing so, we hope to generate more business for our industry given the loss it has endured with off-shore production, and help provide a clearer pathway for others. Together we seek to realise the change we are so desperate for. Our partners are intent on raising awareness for and overcoming environmental threats that the fashion industry poses, including water scarcity, carbon and energy usage and the use of harmful chemicals. They pride themselves on considered processes & practices and continually strive to meet numerous environmental accreditations including; OEKO-TEX Standard 100, ECA (Ethical Clothing Australia), Textile Clothing Footwear and Associated Industry compliance, GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard), OEP (Organic Exchange Products), ISO 9001 and 9002B, Textile Exchange, SAC (Sustainable Apparel Coalition), SLCP (Social Labour Convergence Project) and SEDEX.
To discover more about Del Moment’s environmental policies and commitments, please read on.
Packaging
All Del Moment internal brand, care and size labels are made from GRS (Global Recycled Standard) 100% post-consumer recycled polyester, sourced from our manufacturer, High Top who are BSCI (Business Social Compliance Initiative) accredited. Our logo and garment information are printed in a non-toxic ink.
Our swing tags are made from recycled paper in Australia, and swing tag hanging material is a Biodegradable PLA plastic garment seal cord.
Our garments are stored and sent to customers in compostable poly-bags from High Top in Kowloon, Hong Kong, made from PLA (polylactic acid), a combination of wheat, cassava root and sugar. They have received the Australian Standard, AS5810 and ABAP 20001 for composability, meaning they can be composted at home or in a commercial composting facility.
Our personalised Del Moment tissue is acid-free, made from cellulose fibre where the active acid pulp is eliminated during processing. It is also lignin- and sulphur-free, meaning that ink won’t transfer from the tissue and leave behind these chemicals when decomposing. Our logo is printed with soy-based ink, an eco-friendly alternative to petroleum-based inks, made from soybeans, a renewable resource. Our eco-friendly stickers are from No Issue, printed on FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) paper products that are sourced from a forest and supply chain that is managed responsibly and sustainably. A tree is planted for every purchase we make through No Issue through their Eco-Packaging Alliance. No Issue products are home-compostable, breaking down in 180 days or 90 days in commercial composting conditions.
Our personalised Del Moment ribbon is manufactured in Mt Waverley, Victoria from wood pulp from certified plantations. It is produced in a safe, closed-loop process with material wastes recycled back into the system for reuse with no release into the environment. Used water is cleaned and returned to the source with routine testing to ensure thriving biodiversity in the local river. This optimised, low-impact manufacturing process produces less greenhouse gas emissions and less water, and has a significantly lower environmental impact compared to other conventional cellulose based fibres. The resulting material is 59% Biobased as certified under the USDA BioPreferred Program. The yarn itself holds independent certifications from TUV Austria regarding its ability to biodegrade in soil and water environments.
1% for the Planet
Del Moment are members of 1% for the Planet: a global movement that exists to ensure our planet and future generations thrive. In the words of 1% for the Planet co-founder founder, Yvon Chouinard, their mission is ‘to help fund diverse environmental organisations so that collectively they can be a more powerful source in solving the world’s problems’. We are proud to join over 3,000 members, working with thousands of nonprofit partners in more than 60 countries — proving that together, we all have the power to make a difference. Within Australia 1% for the Planet and Del Moment support the Sea Shepherd, Take 3 for the Sea, Seed Indigenous Youth Climate Network, Plastic Free Foundation, Bottle for Botol, Australian Marine Conservation, Planet Ark and Climate Council of Australia.
Carbon Neutral
We are proud to be a 100% Carbon Neutral business. Each year, we undertake a detailed carbon footprint calculator, which serves to measure our carbon impact and secures our response as a business to offset our carbon emissions.We partner with Carbon Neutral who exists to provide an avenue for businesses to be completely transparent of their carbon emission impact on the planet. A carbon offset (or carbon credit) is generated from an activity that prevents, reduces or removes greenhouse gas emissions from being released into the atmosphere to compensate for emissions occurring elsewhere. Through this program we purchase carbon credits which Carbon Neutral use to plant native trees in the Yarra Yarra Biodiversity Corridor annually to offset our carbon impact.
i=Change
If you are shopping online via delrainbowstore.com, we are proud to partner with i=Change to give back to one of three of our selected charities, The Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation, Restore the Reef and Clean the Sea.
After you checkout, simply select the Charity project you would like to support and $1 from your purchase will go directly to a life changing project to help our community and planet.
The Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation
Literacy is freedom; to take control of your life, be informed, have a voice, stand up for your rights, resist exploitation, be self-confident and self-reliant. Literacy unlocks the door to learning and a world of endless possibilities.
The Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation is transforming lives through community-driven, ground-breaking and best practice literacy programs. Working in English and Indigenous First Languages, ALNF is committed to creating sustainable, long-term change.
Impact: $12 pays for a day of literacy support in an indigenous community.
Restore the Reef
Impact: $50 prevents 1 tonne of sediment from reaching the Great Barrier Reef.
Clean The Sea
Over 160 million tons of plastic is produced each year to create single-use disposable items and packaging. With no established system to close the loop, this has led to over 70 years of accumulation of plastics in landfill (40%) and the environment (32%), with only 10% being recycled.
Seabin Smart Tech, similar to a rubbish bin X pool skimmer, removes floating plastics as small as 2mm, filtering 600,000L of water per day from oil and surface pollutants.
Impact: $1 removes 1.2kg of plastic from the sea.
Fabrics
TENCEL™ Lyocell and LuxeTENCEL™ Lyocell and Luxe fibres exemplify sustainability and closed-loop production in the textile industry. TENCEL™ is derived from nature, from renewable wood sources, and is fully biodegradable and home compostable, making a return to nature at the end of use. In TENCEL™ production, chemical inputs are captured and reused, instead of being released into the environment. Closed-loop production ensures that emission controls and chemical recovery rates are in line with EU Best Available Techniques.
The founder of our fabric supplier, Mozartex, Mozart Tseng was an early developer of dyeing and finishing techniques for TENCEL™ branded fibres dating back to 1992 in Taiwan. Mozart’s son, Mai actually worked with Lenzing directly to develop TENCEL™ Luxe, a filament lyocell which has silk-like properties. TENCEL™ Luxe is durable, meaning the garment will have a long life, and is celebrated for breathability, unlike synthetic fibres, and requires significantly less dye than cotton.
TENCEL™ production begins in FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) sustainably managed forests in Austria and surrounding European countries. Responsibly forested trees are turned into wood chips, resulting in zero waste; the wood mill utilises by-products such as acetic acid and turns them into biofuel used for renewable energy.
The wood pulp is then treated with water and organic solvents, 99% of which are reused, and pushed through small holes to form threads, chemically treated with the ‘NMMO process’ (the solution of N-Methylmorpholine N-oxide which is more easily recoverable, and a closed-loop solvent system means almost no solvent is dumped into the ecosystem), then spun into yarn and woven into cloth. Lenzing claim this process uses up to 50% less water, 50% less energy and has a 60% smaller carbon footprint than conventional cotton production.
Similar fabrics to TENCEL™, such as conventional rayon or viscose may use pulp sourced from endangered and ancient forests. Reports of companies supplying viscose to the international market dumping untreated wastewater in lakes and waterways has been linked to a lack of access to clean drinking water and higher incidence of serious diseases in local communities. Viscose production relies on a number of highly toxic and corrosive chemicals including; Carbon Disulphide (a hormone disrupting chemical) and Sulphuric Acid (which can cause corrosion, breathing difficulties, and is a known carcinogen), and omits by-products such as Hydrogen Sulphide, a highly toxic gas.
ISKO™ Denim
ISKO™ are setting the benchmark for denim production through their impeccable standards of sustainability, transparency and responsibility, being the first denim mill in the world to be awarded Nordic Swan Ecolabel and EU Ecolabel certifications. They are also the only European denim mill to partner with Bluesign, one of the industry’s strictest standards for environmental health and textile manufacturing.
Specifically, we use ISKO Earth Fit™, a pioneering denim made from 90.19% GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) Certified organic cotton, 8.55% GRS (Global Recycled Standard) polyester and 1.26% elastane. ISKO™ have provided us with a statement declaring they do not use cotton from Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan or XinJiang in China, regions reported to violate human rights in sourcing, including implementing forced labour.
ISKO Earth Fit™ is the pinnacle of ISKO™’s conscious approach, relying on lower impact materials such as organic cotton, recycled cotton and recycled polyester, and innovative production techniques. ISKO™ claim that when raw cotton is processed into yarn, typically 10% is lost in the spinning process. They add this cotton back into the process, closing the loop on this material and saving the energy, water and resources needed to grow and transport virgin cotton. All reused cotton is CCS (Content Claim Standard) certified, a chain of custody standard that provides companies with a tool to verify that one or more specific input materials are in a final product. ISKO Earth Fit™ denim is OEKO TEX Standard 100, a worldwide independent testing and certification system for raw, semi-finished, and finished textile products at all processing levels.
The Green at ISKO™ commitment states that “we refuse to source more material than we need. Our waste management innovations reduce the environmental performance impact from yarn to fabric production, by using reused and recycled materials.” Responsible Innovation™ is a mindset that governs ISKO™’s actions and output, including responsible sourcing. A member of Textile Exchange, SAC (Sustainable Apparel Coalition), SLCP (Social Labour Convergence Project), and Sedex, ISKO™ are guided by practice recommendations, preferred fibres and responsible supply networks; from farming to materials, processing, traceability and product end-of-life.
GOTS certified cotton
GOTS certified cotton production sustains the health of soil, ecosystems and people by working with nature to support the growth of healthy crops, such as using rainfall rather than irrigation which adds pressure to precious water sources. Organic farmers avoid synthetic pesticides and fertilisers, toxic chemicals and GMOs, benefitting human health by eliminating hazardous toxic pesticides from water, soil and air, particularly important in low-income and water-scarce countries, where the majority of cotton is produced. The GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) is based on on-site inspection and certification of the entire textile supply chain.
A textile product carrying the GOTS label must contain a minimum of 70% certified organic fibres. If all farming was organic, research suggests that pesticide use would almost cease to exist. Organic farmers and their families are not exposed to chemical toxins, meaning they can grown food on their land, with crop diversity being an important part of organic farming. GOTS-certified workplaces mean that workers have their human rights respected; receive fair pay, and work in safe, hygienic conditions. These standards also prohibit coercion, discrimination, excessive hours, child labor and inhumane treatment.
Conventional cotton crops rely on irrigation, requiring 2,700 litres of water to make a single t-shirt. By comparison, according to the Water Footprint Network, an organic cotton t-shirt uses 273 litres.
The avoidance of fertilisers and chemicals in organic farming also means water pollution is reduced by 98% compared to conventional cotton. Conventional cotton is grown on the same oil time and time again, degrading soil quality, removing nutrients and leading to unhealthy crops. These unhealthy crops require more water and are irrigated heavily, resulting in water wastage, whereas organic cotton is regularly rotated from one soil to another resulting in healthier crops. Organic cotton is generally grown on small-scale farms and hand-picked, preserving the purity of every fibre and ensuring that no fibre is damaged. Damage caused by machine picking can lead to waste. By using less machinery, organic cotton is responsible for 46% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than conventional cotton. By virtue of being free from fertilisers and pesticides, soil used to grow organic cotton also acts as a carbon sink, absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere.
Melbourne Textile Knitting (ECA Accredited) are our dedicated supplier for GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard)Certified Organic Cotton. MTK knit and manufacture our GOTS Certified Organic Cotton here in Australia. The Victorian mill has been servicing the local and international industry for the past 87 years. A testament to the capability and quality of our local Australian textile industry, MTK are also actively invested in the sector's future growth as Board members here at the Council of Textile and Fashion (AFC). MTK began in 1929 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia and continued to supply a thriving local industry well into the new millennium. MTK fabrics are all designed, knitted, dyed and finished in Melbourne and shipped all around the world. MTK are also partnered with Flicker's, our dye house.
Trims
Fusing
Our fusing is sourced from Circular Sourcing and woven in Germany with OEKO-TEX® certified 100% cotton. One side is coated with formaldehyde-free resin fusing. We had to combine this with a local recycled fusing alternative as we ran out of meterage closer to final production units. Our ongoing goal here is to source a functional lightweight GOTS-certified fusing.
Self-covered buttons
Our self-covered buttons are sourced from Adelaide Manufacturer in Melbourne, Australia made from a metal shank, covered in our Lenzing Certified TENCEL™ Luxe, derived from renewable wood sources, sourced from FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) sustainably managed forests in Austria.
Thread
Our thread for sewing is currently cotton, however our ongoing journey here is to use GOTS-certified cotton thread that has functionality and stability testing for durable use, we are working closely with our suppliers to achieve this as quickly as possible.
Zips
Our YKK Zips are sourced from China by M.Recht in Melbourne, Australia. Our ongoing journey is to understand how we can achieve the MOQ or work with suppliers to make this more achievable to order YKK Natulon zips made from recycled PET bottles and manufactured in a more sustainable way. Currently the MOQ's are very high, so we look forward to working with our suppliers to navigate this and see what we can achieve moving forward.
Feature buttons
Our feature buttons are made from 100% corozo fruit seed, sustainably sourced from Panama City, Panama. Once the fruit has fallen from the tree, the seeds are collected and processed for button making. Corozo is a 100% natural product which is similar in consistency to a hard resin. At a microscopic level, corozo is made up of very tightly wound organic fibres which give it excellent durability and scratch resistance. It’s porous nature allows colours to penetrate deep into the surface which makes it ideal for dyeing. We dye our buttons with GOTS certified dyes in Australia to match our fabric.
Lining
Our Pivot Jean and Purpose V Trouser pocket lining is made from excess Lenzing-certified TENCEL™ Luxe/ TENCELl™ Lyocell blend fabric, used in our Wave series.
Brass Rivets and Buttons
We use brass for both our rivets and buttons. We are working to source a stainless steel alternative and consulting with denim trim suppliers to understand why eco options aren’t more readily available and why the MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity) is so high. Some may see this as only 1% of the overall garment, but it is essential for us to push all boundaries and achieve the highest possible sustainability standards.
Elastic
We use 3mm & 18mm elastic within the bands of our Element Dress & Body Suit which is eco GOTS-certified Organic Elastic sourced from James Tailoring UK (Made in Austria from GOTS certified organic cotton & natural rubber) 70% organic cotton from Turkey / 30% natural rubber from plantations in Malaysia. We use 18mm & 40mm Ecru Elastic in our Essence Bralette & Short, which is eco GOTS Certified Organic Elastic sourced from James Tailoring UK (Made in Austria from GOTS certified organic cotton & natural rubber) 65% organic cotton from Turkey / 35% natural rubber from plantations in Malaysia. We are actively working on finding an eco organic elastic source closer to home.
Hanging Tape
Our hanging tape is sourced from Simply Ribbons, United Kingdom. We made a conscious decision to use ribbon sourced from Simply Ribbons due to the unavailability of responsibly produced clear hanging tape (usually plastic or elastane) for hanger appeal, especially as these are generally removed by the consumer post-purchase.
Water, Washing & Dyes
Geelong Dyeing
We choose to partner with Geelong Dyeing in Melbourne, Victoria, an Australian owned and operated textile dye and finishing house to dye our TENCEL™ Lyocell/Luxe fabrics. Geelong Dyeing have been serving the industry for over 40 years. Geelong Dyeing use GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certified dyes for our product and have onsite water catchment, recycling and treatment processing. All water used by the plant is recycled up to 3 times prior to treatment processing, and once treated 85% of the water released is drinkable.
Flickers Dye House
Flicker’s Australia is one of the largest Dye Houses in Victoria, Australia. Flicker's are also a developer and supplier of world-class textiles and inter-related value added services. The company was established in the 1950’s, when it was known as Worsted Finishers Australia Pty Ltd. In 1975 Mr. Harry Flicker acquired the business, renaming it Flicker’s Australia. The businesses diversified and the predominately commission dye-house developed into a multi-faceted organisation, offering a full range of services to knit, dye, finish and yardage print especially for the clothing and other industries. Flicker's dye our Del Moment GOTS-certified Organic Cotton Styles in GOTS-certified Dye.
Richmond Wash House
Proudly servicing the Australian textile industry for over 33 years, Richmond Wash House (ECA Accredited) use only GOTS certified dyes. Richmond Wash house are NICNAS (National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme) registered and their plant is trade waste compliant, makes solar energy and heat exchanges for efficiency, and uses specialised equipment to reduce water waste.
Please refer to to the fabrics within our Environmental Policy for water usage throughout the manufacturing process.