Sustainability

Bordelle’s approach to people and the planet is guided by our core values; honesty, integrity and respect. 

We strive for complete transparency throughout our supply chain, from maintaining consistent close contact with suppliers, to overseeing the manufacture of Bordelle pieces at our own Atelier in Romania. 

Our ethos is centred around a collective passion to provide highly adjustable pieces that have been mindfully designed for wear throughout the seasons. Our commitment to quality ensures the long life of every garment, encouraging customers to choose slow fashion.

We champion the idea of buying less and investing in high-quality pieces that last.Our commitment to quality ensures the long life of every garment, encouraging customers to choose slow fashion. The adjustability of Bordelle’s pieces guarantees an individual fit which can be altered to the wearer over time to further extend its life.

We produce our collections in small batches and our innovative adjustment feature across five sizes keeps stock to a minimum, limiting over production across multiple sizes. Our low-waste approach to manufacturing means we avoid over production of materials and garment stock. We also believe in reducing waste at every step of the process through intuitive design, sustainable production practices and re-usable packaging.

We are advocates of fair and ethical processes and only work with manufacturers who share our ethos. The quality and provenance of our products are of great importance to us, so much so that we have invested in our own production Atelier in Romania, the birthplace of our founder.  

Bordelle London team members spend a total of eight to ten weeks throughout the year at our manufacturer, Atelier Bordelle Productions (ABP). Ahead of a production delivery, members of Bordelle’s technical team spend a week at ABP meticulously quality-checking to ensure that all garments are finished to the highest standard. Between physical visits, we also maintain daily contact and regular video calls with our manufacturers, fostering strong partnerships. This approach allows us to confidently provide transparency to our customers, assuring them of the ethical practices upheld in the manufacture of every piece. 

At ABP every member of staff is paid a fixed wage with higher efficiency being rewarded with bonuses and salary increases. Staff members are encouraged to adopt a proactive attitude and an entrepreneurial spirit with a focus on personal and professional development. Employees take part in regular team building activities, training sessions and annual reviews. ABP is equipped with new digital machinery to ensure the highest quality manufacture and avoid excessive electricity consumption associated with older machines.

Find out more about the production of Bordelle at Atelier Bordelle Productions via their website here. 

We recognise the importance of circularity and adopt a holistic approachto the sustainability of our pieces. Circular fashion is a method whereby the full lifecycle and longevity of a piece is considered from conception to end of life and beyond. We are continually working on improving our sustainability strategy and have implemented a range of methods, as listed below,to extend the life of our pieces and raw materials. 

"To date, we have repurposed 700m of embroidery 230m of fabric and 640m of elastic in our Bordelle Revived collections."

It is estimated that doubling the lifetime of a garment reduces its environmental impact by 49%*  

The quality and longevity of everything we produce is our first priority. By following our detailed care instructions and hand washing each piece at 30 degrees using mild detergent, customers can enjoy their Bordelle for as long as possible.  

Clothes Doctor Eco Wash, a special detergent is available for purchase on our website, specifically designed for washing silk and delicate fabrics. It is packaged in a recyclable aluminium bottle and made from natural ingredients, making it perfect for caring for you, your Bordelle and the planet.  

Shop Clothes Doctor Eco Wash here.

We believe that the life of a fabric exceeds more than just one season. To support this, we are proud to offer Bordelle Revived – limited edition ranges produced with the aim to revive surplus material.  

Bordelle adopts modern manufacturing practices, characterised by a commitment to efficiency, utilisation of advanced technologies and the aim to meet market demands while minimising costs and environmental impact. Despite careful forecasting to limit waste, completely eliminating surplus fabric remains challenging due to the inherent nature of these practices. The aim of Bordelle Revived is to breathe new life into materials that our customers loved the first time around, through innovative new designs. 

To date, we have produced six Bordelle Revived collections repurposing leftover embroidery, fabric and elastic from previous seasons. 

Shop our latest Bordelle Revived Collection here.

To maximise the life-cycle of Bordelle pieces we offer a repair service to restore products that have suffered general wear and tear. This ensures that you can continue to wear and love your favourite styles for longer.

Please visit our Aftercare page or get in touch  with us for more information on this service, terms & conditions apply.

We are dedicated to recycling across all areas of the brand. The Bordelle head office partners with multiple recycling companies across London to ensure as much of our waste is recycled as possible. The polybags used to protect our pieces when shipping from our factory to our warehouse are made from recycled LDPE and are 100% recyclable through soft plastic recycling services. In 2023, soft plastic recycling was introduced to our UK warehouse and head office so that polybags, mailbags and other packaging which cannot be reused can be recycled and saved from entering landfill. Cardboard delivery boxes and packaging are kept and re-used.   

Our in-house sampling team carefully sort textile waste into large scraps which are reused for cutting training, and smaller scraps which are collected for recycling. Any unwanted rolls of fabric are donated to local universities. Development samples are carefully taken apart so that gold components and zips can be re-used for future product samples. We also hold annual sample sales where final samples are sold at a discounted price, saving them from going to waste.  

Bordelle’s paper packaging is 100% recyclable, including the paper used for our hang tags, receipt holders and gift boxes. The seals on our swing tags are made from PLA; a plastic substitute produced from corn. The main benefit of PLA is that it is made from a renewable resource, rather than a fossil fuel such as oil, which is used to make plastic.     

In 2022 we introduced Conscious Packaging for online customers, this offers you the option of having orders delivered with a minimal amount of packaging. The paper materials used for this are FSC certified with 70% recycled content and are completely recyclable and biodegradable. The adhesive seal is non-solvent based, non-toxic and environmentally friendly compared to solvent based adhesives. 

Our Luxury Packaging option includes a mesh pouch made from 100% recycled materials and cut efficiently to achieve zero waste. The pouches are designed to be kept; providing protection for Bordelle pieces whilst being stored or for packing when travelling. Bordelle packaging straps are designed to be repurposed into wearable accessories, with small straps doubling as collars and large straps doubling as belts. 

Bordelle strives to choose materials which are kinder to the planet. Our gussets are made from 100% cotton and we prioritiseorganic cotton, knitted within the EU when possible. Our labels and mesh pouches are made from 100% recycled materials, and we offer selected ranges featuring bespoke embroidery on a sustainably sourced, recycled tulle base. Our gold components are made with 15% recycled Zamak. Any excess Zamak is recycled after pouring into the moulds, and the components are then plated with 24k gold.

We recognise the importance of sustainability in our approach to production and continually incorporate this into our practices and production planning. Bordelle’s meticulous forecasting process helps to avoid overproduction and enables Atelier Bordelle Productions to focus on smaller production runs of high-quality products. Fabric is cut efficiently to minimise waste material and small cuttings of material and elastic are repurposed for use on smaller areas of a piece.

Bordelle is passionate about investing in people as well as the planet. Each year, we support our chosen charities; CARE International and UNICEF, valuing their focus on supporting women and children.

In support of International Women’s Day, Bordelle donates 10% of signature sales to CARE International UK each year during the month of March. CARE is a global humanitarian and international development charity fighting poverty and social injustice. CARE focus their efforts on girls and women because they are disproportionately affected by poverty. For more information, please visit www.careinternational.org.uk.

Bordelle donates annually to UNICEF who work in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rightsand to help them fulfil their potential, from early childhood throughadolescence. For more information, please visit www.unicef.org.

Bordelle have committed to being plastic neutral. Since 2021, we have been partnering with Cleanhub to offset our plastic usage by saving non-recyclable plastic waste from reaching the ocean.   

Cleanhub work with carefully chosen waste-management organisations to collect and repurpose plastic before it enters the ocean. This way, instead of wasting away in landfills or polluting the ocean, plastic waste gets recycled or used as an energy source while local communities are empowered.   

Bordelle have chosen to work with Green Worms, a waste-management organisation and social enterprise from Kerala, India. Green Worms hire female self-help groups to collect household waste in more than 50 municipalities across South-India, creating critical employment opportunities for more than 300 women whilst simultaneously preventing plastic waste from entering our oceans.   

For more information and to take a look at our progress, please visit our Cleanhub page here.  

• Committed to using 10% Sustainable Aviation Fuel for all shipments from the Bordelle Head Office 
• Committed to collecting another 1500kg of plastic with Cleanhub 

• Introduced flexible plastic recycling to Bordelle’s UK Warehouse and Head Office  
• Increased our annual plastic collection goal to 1500kg with Cleanhub 
• Committed to collecting an additional kilogram of plastic with Cleanhub for every order received during the Black Friday sale period 
• Switched to using an electric and ultra-low-emission courier service for all business deliveries within London 
• Began using 3D rendering to reduce material waste during the sampling process  
• Reworked the lay-planning and cutting of our mesh pouches to achieve zero waste  
• Worked with our supplier of nipplet tape to remove the plastic packaging from our deliveries 

• Introduced our Conscious Packaging option for online customers  
• Collected 1000kg plastic with Cleanhub  
• Launched Square Lace Revived, saving 325m of embroidery  

• Partnered with Cleanhub to become plastic neutral 
• Switched to a 100% paper-based recyclable tape for all online orders  
• Switched to recycled polyester labels  
• Introduced biodegradable hygiene stickers  
• Launched Rey II, saving 215m of jersey 
• Launched Otto Revived, saving 641m of elastic  
• Began using organic cotton gusset jersey for some styles 

• Switched to mesh pouches made from 100% recycled materials  
• Removed all animal leather products from production  
• Launched Magdalena Revived, saving 139m of embroidery 
• Launched Lea Revived, saving 17m of mesh 
• Switched to using recycled paper at Bordelle head office  
• Began donating 10% of our sales throughout the whole month of March to women’s charity Care International in support of International Women’s Day  
• Launched first embroidery collection using a 100% recycled tulle base  

• Launched the first Bordelle Revived collection, Sensu Revived, saving 239m of embroidery 
• Donated 15% of our sales, made over one weekend in March, to the women’s charity Care International in support of International Women’s Day   

Whilst we are always making steps towards being more sustainable, we recognise that this is a work in progress which will continue to develop alongside advancements in research and technology.   

We invite you to join us on our journey towards achieving our future sustainability goals: 

• Introduce renewable energy sources at our production Atelier by the end of 2024. 
• Introduce a carbon off-setting shipment option for our online customers. 
• Continue working on sourcing materials as local to our manufacturing base as possible. Currently 83% of our suppliers are based in Europe and we are working to improve this.   
• Continue increasing the use of recycled material options wherever possible.   
• Continue utilising 3D rendering to reduce material waste during the sampling process wherever possible.  

• Continue working with suppliers who adhere to Bordelle's ethical and environmental code of conduct, 73% of which are OEKO-TEX® certified.   
• Keep up to date with the latest material and technology innovations to find sustainable solutions wherever possible.   
• Continue to select carbon neutral options for shipments wherever possible.  
• Introduce carbon offsetting for all flights taken by the Bordelle team.  
• Introduce soft plastic recycling at our EU warehouse.  
• Continue putting sustainability at the forefront of our company and providing transparency on our progress towards achieving our sustainability goals.  

Mistra Future Fashion, Environmental Assessment of Swedish Clothing Consumption (September, 2019)