Our commitment to sustainability 

The sustainable development goals - a blueprint to achieving a better and more sustainable future for all - were set out by the United Nations (UN) in 2015 with the intention of being achieved by 2030. Global public health, marine and wildlife conservation, human rights and access to justice, social economic development and the climate crisis; are just a few of the challenges the SDGs are hoping to tackle.

It is our belief that we should be working together, as one global community, to tackle the most pressing issues that are currently threatening civilisation. At Pangaea, we are working hard, to transition with the world, towards a circular economy; by designing our systems to reduce waste and pollution; reusing our old products - whilst supporting the regeneration of our planets natural systems. 

Our focus at Pangaea is on using the power of business as a force for environmental, economic and social good. With the climate crisis and global injustices worsening, we have the responsibility to mitigate our environmental and social impact, and not focusing solely on profit - a theory known as the triple bottom line: profit, people and planet. 

How we are making a change

Materials:

Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) organic cotton - This standard stipulates requirements throughout the supply chain for both ecological and labour conditions in textile and apparel manufacturing using organically produced raw materials. 

Organic production is based on a system of farming that maintains and replenishes soil fertility without the use of toxic, persistent pesticides or synthetic fertilisers. In addition, it includes welfare standards for animal husbandry and prohibits genetically modified organisms. 

Compared to growing conventional cotton, there is a 45% reduction in CO2 emissions and a 90% reduction in water, as a result of growing organic cotton.

Care labels - Our care labels are made of 100% recycled polyester satin (rPET).

Recycled polyester is the after product of used plastic bottles, broken down into small chips, processed, and eventually turned into yarn.

This process helps to limit the use of virgin materials - lowering rPETs environmental impact versus that of traditional polyester.

Apparel tags - Our apparel tags are made from kraft card that can be recycled. Our tags are tied to our products using twine that is reusable.

Social responsibility programme:

Fairtrade - Fairtrade standards are designed to support the sustainable development of small producer organisations and workers in the poorest countries in the world. 

Consumer support enables Fairtrade organisations to be advocates and campaigners for a wider reform of international trading rules, to achieve the ultimate goal of a just and equitable global trading system. 

For producers, Fairtrade is unique in offering four important benefits: stable prices, market access, partnership, and empowerment of farmers and workers. 

Supply chain:

Renewable energy and energy efficiency - We are actively trying to lessen our consumption of and demand for energy; whilst making our UK facility as energy efficient as possible.

Additionally, we have installed on-site solar panels at our manufacturing, packaging and distribution facility, to lower our consumption of fossil fuels.

Packaging:

Compostable mailers - Our compostable mailers are made from a combination of PBAT - a bio-based polymer which is compostable - and PLA which is made up of plant materials such as regular field corn and wheat straw. 

Our use of PLA makes up barely 0.05% of the annual global corn crop, making it an incredibly low-impact resource. Our compostable mailers are a great step towards sustainable packaging, and are certified for both home and commercial compost. 

Compostable shipping labels - All of the materials used to make our labels are compostable and non-toxic, and are made from FSC certified, heat sensitive thermal paper and a nontoxic adhesive. 

Post cards - Our postcards are made from recycled paper and are FSC certified. 

Thank you cards - Our thank you cards are made from 50% recycled content and are FSC certified.

Wildflower bags -  We would love to see our customers reuse the bag that the wildflower seeds come in, before throwing it away.

If you do reuse your wildflower bag; once it is empty, take a photo of how you are putting it to use and tag ‘Pangaea Co-op’ on Instagram. We would love to share your creative resourcefulness with others.

Here are some ideas and ways you can reuse your bag:

• Zero waste mini gift bag 
• Gift tags
• Add small items into it, such as coins, seeds, paper clips, etc.
• Scrap paper

All profits from our wildflower seeds go towards helping people with terminal illnesses.

Transportation:

Carbon offset - To achieve of our aim of being a carbon neutral company and to reverse the climate impact of our business, we currently offset the carbon emissions we emit from the transportation of our goods, to and from, our manufacturing, packaging and distribution facility. 

To do this, we have partnered with a third-party company to offset the emissions directly produced by our business - from electricity, waste and delivery - by planting 20 trees per month in sustainable projects around the world, to offset 15 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year. 

Waste:

Reducing waste, recycling and composting - Our goal is to be a zero-waste to landfill company. We know that we can have a lower impact on the environment, use less resources and energy, and save more money by reducing our waste. 

Therefore, we have implemented various strategies to limit our waste, such as: sorting our waste to maximize recycling and composting of materials; using compostable packaging; installing waste stations at our manufacturing and distribution facility; phasing out single-use plastic and working to minimise our material use.

Repurpose and upcycling - We think that our products should stay out of landfills once they reach the end of their life, because sending our worn clothes to a landfill and not recycling them, uses more energy and increases greenhouse gases. 

To stop this from happening, we set up Pantinue - a platform that keeps our products in use for longer - in 2021. 

Please visit Pantinue to find out more.

Ethics

Working conditions:

Living wage - Apparel workers are among the lowest paid people in the world. Through Fairtrade, we provide workers with tangible benefits that improve their lives. 

What can you do?

1. Informed customers can vote with their money and support brands that are working towards a fair living wage. 

2. Ask your favourite brands what they are doing to achieve a living wage. Demand better practices - what you buy is what the industry will become. 

Diversity:

At Pangaea we acknowledge the importance of diversity in the workplace. Therefore, we look to recruit people from all backgrounds, ensuring equality across all four types of diversity: 

1. Internal - age, race, sexual orientation, etc.
2. External - education, nationality, etc.
3. Organizational - pay type, seniority, etc.
4. Worldview - moral compass, political beliefs, etc.

What's next

To reduce our carbon footprint and cause less harm to the environment, our goal is to partner with a carbon neutral shipping company by the end of 2022. 

We want to partner with a green energy supplier by the end of 2021, ensuring 100% of the energy used at our manufacturing, packaging and distribution facility, comes from green energy sources, such as: solar, wind, hydro or biomass. 

We would also like to transition towards a drop-shipping business model; enabling our products to be shipped directly from our suppliers to our customers - reducing the number of miles our goods have to travel. 

Although we do our best to source the materials we use to make our products responsibly; we are not perfect. That's why we have set ourselves the goal of sourcing 100% of our materials responsibly by the end of 2022. 

Our final goal is to be a zero-waste to landfill company by the end of 2022; preventing precious resources and valuable waste from being incinerated. 

Going forward, we want to continue to work with suppliers who provide a fair living wage to their employees and provide opportunities to workers of countries in the developing world.