Sustainability

Our
sustainability
journey

At Orlebar Brown, we believe holidays are the very best time with family and friends. You create memories and see wonderful places. Expand the mind. Relax the body. Release the soul.

We know that to enjoy our products, we all contribute to climate change. From sourcing, manufacturing, to distribution and our operations… To the holidaying itself. All of these factors impact the environment We have made a commitment to be a better company with a rigorous approach to MEASURE our impact on the environment, then REDUCE where we can; this includes introducing more sustainable fabric bases into our products. Further details on our fabric roadmap are below. And then finally, following the close of each year, we analyse and then REBALANCE our carbon output towards becoming a carbon neutral company - a goal we have achieved since 2021 You can see the carbon, and equivalent greenhouse gases, emitted through the production of every product we offer by clicking the link ‘CARBON BALANCED PRODUCT’ for details.

Recycled Short

RECYCLED
POLYESTER

We design our products to be worn

in and around the water where significant amounts of

plastic waste accumulate. We are beginning

to change the synthetic fabrics used for our

swim shorts and outerwear by utilising recycled

plastic waste instead, some of which is sourced

from plastic waste in the oceans.

ORGANIC
COTTON

The environmental benefits of using organic cotton

include a reduction in water and energy usage

as well as lower greenhouse gas emissions. Organic

cotton is also grown without the

use of synthetic pesticides, reducing the environmental

impact on both people and the planet.

OB Cotton
OB Wool

WOOL

We aim to use mulesing* free Merino to guarantee

that the animals in our supply chain

do not suffer. Our goal is to use

only certified wool that focuses on

good animal welfare through traceability back to the farms.



* Mulesing is a procedure that removes strips

of wool-bearing skin from around the breech

of a sheep to prevent the parasitic infection flystrike.

We believe this a painful and unnecessary process.

DOWN

As with wool, we care about animal welfare

and are committed to only using certified down.

OB Down
CATEGORY TARGET 2022 2023 2024 2025
POLYESTER/ POLYAMIDE PRE OR POST CONSUMER RECYCLED YARNS 68% 80% 90% 95%
COTTON ORGANIC OR RECYCLED YARNS 67% 80% 90% 95%
WOOL (MERINO) NON-MULESED, AND FROM MORE SUSTAINABLE SOURCE (RESPONSIBLE STANDARD, RECYCLED) 88% 100% - -
WOOL (CASHMERE) FROM MORE SUSTAINABLE SOURCE (RESPONSIBLE STANDARD, RECYCLED) 57% 70% 80% 95%
DOWN ALL DOWN TO COME FROM FARMS WITHOUT LIVE PLUCKING AND FORCED FEEDING 100% - - -
LINEN EU FLAX, REEL LINEN, ORGANIC LINEN - 80% 90% 95%
MAN-MADE CELLULOSIC FIBRES FSC OR PEFC CERTFIIED, RECYCLED FIBRES - 80% 90% 95%
SILK RECYCLED OR OCS - 80% 90% 95%

PRE OR POST CONSUMER RECYCLED YARNS

2022 2023 2024 2025
68% 80% 90% 95%

ORGANIC OR RECYCLED YARNS

2022 2023 2024 2025
67% 80% 90% 95%

NON-MULESED, AND FROM MORE SUSTAINABLE SOURCE (RESPONSIBLE STANDARD, RECYCLED)

2022 2023 2024 2025
88% 100% - -

FROM MORE SUSTAINABLE SOURCE (RESPONSIBLE STANDARD, RECYCLED)

2022 2023 2024 2025
57% 70% 80% 95%

ALL DOWN TO COME FROM FARMS WITHOUT LIVE PLUCKING AND FORCED FEEDING

2022 2023 2024 2025
100% - - -

EU FLAX, REEL LINEN, ORGANIC LINEN

2022 2023 2024 2025
- 80% 90% 95%

FSC OR PEFC CERTFIIED, RECYCLED FIBRE

2022 2023 2024 2025
- 80% 90% 95%

RECYCLED OR OCS

2022 2023 2024 2025
- 80% 90% 95%

OUR
FACTORIES

We choose factories that are experts in their field and that create high quality, long-lasting products. In 2019, over 80% of our products were made in Portugal and 100% of our knitwear was made in Italy due to the expertise in these regions. Keeping our production within Europe (and close to our UK Operation) also enables us to minimise our inbound freight carbon footprint. We also currently work with three factories in Asia, which we have selected due to their specialisms in premium technical product and footwear. We are firm believers in the importance of responsible sourcing and the promotion of fair and safe working conditions within our supply chain. We are committed to ensuring that all workers involved in the production of any Orlebar Brown products are treated with humanity and dignity, and all are entitled to their basic human rights. We request all suppliers to work to the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) Base Code.

In addition to the ETI Base Code, we also audit all our factories, either through a third-party or we carry out internally to ensure their operations are socially and ethically compliant. We are also a member of Sedex, an online platform that allows us to share our factories audits with our business partners for full transparency We are also looking at the impact the factories we work with have on the environment. Our primary factory partners, who made 49% of our product in 2019, are leaders in environmental improvements. Some of their initiatives include:

  • recycling most of the waste from their manufacturing plants, ensuring minimal waste goes to landfill,
  • solar energy creation and 100% biomass energy usage for heating systems,
  • electrical cars used for local deliveries,
  • and a rainwater collection/recycling system

OUR
PACKAGING

In 2019, we set a goal of creating more sustainable packaging. From 2021, our boxes and swing tickets will be made from recyclable FSC certified card. In 2020, we assessed the plastic bags we use to protect our products during transportation between our factories, warehouses and stores. We then eliminated single-use plastic from our supply chain by introducing reusable fabric bags and replaced polybags with 100% recycled and recyclable plastic.

OB AquaOB Packages

OUR
PRODUCT
LIFESPAN

We design our products with longevity in mind, meaning that we trial and test our products before trading. As a result, we are confident in our products and want our customers to continue enjoying them year after year. We have a 5-Year Guarantee in place for our swim shorts and repair or replace them if a customer is unsatisfied with their purchase.

OB 5Year
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