positive IMpACTs AT KA WA KEY

KA WA KEY is committed to being part of a movement of change in the industry, which the future of fashion relies on respect for the planet, people and their communities.

MATERIALS

We are fully committed to using certified sustainable materials only for our yarns, fabrics, and trims such as buttons, elastic bands, zippers etc.

We incorporate a great variety of certified environmentally-friendly plant-based fabrics including GOTS organic cotton, BCI cotton, TENCEL™ lyocell, LENZING™ ECOVERO™ viscose, Oeko-Tex certified linen and hemp etc.

We do not use animal furs and leathers. All our wool yarns and fabrics are either regenerated that is recovered from post-consumer fibres of wool garments through a mechanical process without the use of chemicals, or certified to Responsible Wool Standard, which recognizes the best practices in animal welfare and land management that farmers are implementing.

When we do not have any alternative but to use synthetics materials for our fabrics because of their performance characteristics, we use either GRS-certified recycled polyester made from plastic bottles which otherwise pollute the environment in landfills and oceans or biodegradable synthetics such as CiCLO polyester which biodegrades at rates comparable to natural fibres like wool.

Buttons are made of natural renewable materials like stone, coconut, wood or plant-based resin.

Craft AND MANUFACTURING

We work closely with local makers and artisans for our signature textile crafts including manual knitting by hand and by hand-knitting machines, devoré, embroidery, shibori etc. We collaborate with artisans from around the world to create original fabrics and handmade pieces. We celebrate and value the skilled work of these artisans and it is our privilege to play a role in the continuation of these age-old techniques.

We produce small and “made to order” batches in-house in East London At our studio, which is powered by renewable green energy. We do not overproduce excess units.

Whenever we need additional sampling and manufacturing support, we work with carefully selected small-scale sample houses and factories. We make sure they are in line with our code of conduct underpinned by our belief in best practices that exceed the standard of ETI Base Code. We plan our manufacturing processes carefully to achieve a less significant carbon footprint and reduce environmental impact. Currently our suppliers for T-shirts and knitwear are powered by renewable energy sources.

For all of our printed designs, we use ZERO-D printing technology with clean pigment that uses 90% less water than traditional textile printing and does not discharge harmful substances.

All chemical inputs such as dyestuffs and auxiliaries used must meet strict environmental and toxicological criteria.

All of our knitwear pieces are fully fashioned - meaning that the garments come off the knitting machines already shaped into the pattern pieces. There are no “off-cuts”. Excessive yarns will be used for our next collection.

We work closely with our manufacturers on cutting down on their single-use plastic. All of our plastic hangers for production are made from recycled bottles.

REDUCING AND REPURPOSING

To minimiSe waste, we reuse our ‘leftover’ which is returned to us from our manufacturers and repurpose them for our next collection.

As part of our “Magical Jumper Project”, we collect deadstock yarns from our network of certified yarn mills and upcycle them for our knitwear offered as a limited edition.

PACKAGING

We carefully fold the garments in tissue papers, which are sourced from FSC certified sustainably managed forests from environmentally conscious suppliers, then secured with paper sticky tape.

We encourage our customers to reuse and eventually recycle our packing materials.

CARE AND CIRCULARITY

We make sure the quality of our products is at the highest standard which prolongs the product life of our garments.

We guide our customers on how to care for our products. We encourage customers to wash garments at 30°C and wash any synthetics pieces inside a microfiber catching laundry bag.

We encourage our customers to stay in touch with us if they would like to repair and mend our products.

But we are committed to putting the planet and people at the core of each decision we make to work towards sustainability and commitment to positive environmental impact.

We know we are not perfect. But we are constantly improving our sustainable practices. We are committed to putting the planet and people at the core of each decision we make to work towards sustainability and commitment to positive environmental impact.