Sustainability Q+A with Nixnut

INTERVIEW WITH RENEE NIX
CO-FOUNDER NIXNUT

WHAT IS THE NIXNUT ETHOS?

For us premium quality, timeless designs and the most comfortable fabrics are key. Piece by piece is with love designed by us, two Dutch sisters, and Fair Trade made in Portugal. The clothes are made only from premium cotton and organic cotton because sustainability is our philosophy. On purpose we are not a trend sensitive label, we create timeless designs which you can wear beyond the season.

After almost four years we are still a small family business because trying to be the biggest is not our thing. We believe in quality above quantity, Fair Trade handcraft above mass production and we work with store and factory ownerswho are as passionate about their shops and factories as we are about nixnut.

YOU ARE BASED IN THE NETHERLANDS, IS YOUR WHOLE TEAM THERE?

At the moment one of the co-founders lives in Brazil, she works from there.

WHERE ARE THE COLLECTIONS PRODUCED? HOW DO YOU ENSURE YOUR MANUFACTURERS ARE MEETING BEST ETHICAL PRACTICES AND ARE YOU ABLE TO CLOSELY MONITOR YOUR PRODUCTION?

The whole collection is being produced in Portugal. Every season we visit the factories ourselves. We think it's important to actually see were clothes come from and how factories are managed. Due to our visits we can proudly say that our collections are made by factories that are run by families with fair trade conditions and have the same ethical thoughts as we have. The time we are not there we work with our trust person who keeps an eye on the production.

WHAT KIND OF FABRICS DO YOU MOST USE? ARE YOUR FABRICS GOTS ORGANIC OR OEKO-TEX CERTIFIED?

For our garment we only use natural materials, most of it is premium cotton (longer fibers so more durable) and organic cotton. We are 80% organic including GOTS certified. Of course we are striving to be organic completely and this is a process we keep developing (being really 100% transparent organic is not easy) but this is a big step already where we are very happy with. Our key focus is being sustainable.

HOW DO YOU SELECT THE FABRICS YOU USE AND WHERE DO THEY COME FROM?

All our fabrics come from Portugal. Due to our visits every season we visit fabric suppliers in Portugal to see and feel new fabrics and talk with the fabric experts over there.

CAN YOU PLEASE TELL US ABOUT HOW YOUR FABRICS ARE DYED?

For our organics a specific dye-bath is used using less chemicals. Also our main factory invested recently in new dying machines which waste less water than a 'normal' dye machine.

WHAT DO YOU DO WITH YOUR OVERSTOCK OF MATERIALS AND FABRIC SCRAPS?

Overstock of our ongoing collection is being used for our re-orders so there is a very low level of overstock. Wherever possible fabric scraps are turned in to recycled cotton, so leftovers are spun into new yarns and fabrics. This is a sustainable alternative to disposal and prevents unneeded wastage.

CAN YOU PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOUR PACKAGING FOR SHIPMENTS TO CUSTOMERS?

We use recycled boxes for packaging.

DO YOU USE INDIVIDUAL BAGS FOR INDIVIDUAL ITEMS WHEN YOU SHIP TO RETAILERS? IF YES, ARE THEY RECYCLED AND/OR COMPOSTABLE?

We use plastic bags, they are not compostable.

DO YOU USE RECYCLED PAPER FOR YOUR HANG TAGS, POSTCARDS AND MARKETING MATERIALS?

Yes we do use recycled paper for those.

DO YOU WANT TO SHARE ANYTHING ELSE WITH OUR READERS ON YOUR EFFORTS IN SUSTAINABILITY AND ETHICAL PRACTICES?

We only work with high quality clothes, our garment last long so it's easy to wear a second round. We are very happy to see that there is a lot of activity on the second hand market with our clothes because it stays in good condition after lots of washing/wearing. In this way we can also contribute against mass production and the related environmental impacts.