Sustainability Q+A with Poudre Organic

INTERVIEW WITH QUENTIN FROTTIER
CO-FOUNDER POUDRE ORGANIC

WHAT IS THE HISTORY OR ETHOS OF POUDRE ORGANIC?

We have developed Poudre Organic to build a more sustainable fashion and support a cause that is very important to us.

WHERE IS YOUR TEAM BASED?

We are in Auxerre, in the heart of Burgundy, south of Paris where we opened our first shop.

WHERE ARE THE COLLECTIONS PRODUCED?

The collections are entirely design in France, and produced in Portugal, the cradle of European confection.

WHAT WAS YOU PROCESS IN SELECTING YOUR FACTORIES AND HOW DO YOU ENSURE YOUR MANUFACTURERS ARE MEETING BEST ETHICAL PRACTICES? ARE YOU ABLE TO CLOSELY MONITOR YOUR PRODUCTION?

We met many factories before finding the ones we wanted to work with. We did not want "price", we wanted ethics, and also a company on a human scale, and who considered his employees.

We visit our factories regularly to make sure everything is in line with what we are asking for. But we do not want to go too often to avoid flying and minimize our carbon footprint.

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

We mainly work with cotton gauze, woven in singles or doubles. We develop flax, which is a material that requires less energy. All fabrics are GOTS and OEKOTEX certified, and all come from organic farming.

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

Dyes are also certified, which avoids the use of chemicals.

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

As I said before, we only choose organic fabrics, and we only work with Turkish cotton so that it does not come too far.

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

Damaged clothing is repaired and sold in our stores that we organize about twice a year. Fabric scraps are used to make smaller items, such as goodies for salons, or clothes for collaborations with brands of dolls or stuffed animals.

Updated: The fabric cutouts are optimized to leave only tiny scraps. They themselves valued to become traditional Portuguese rugs. They are collected under the machines, all equipped with compressed air dustbin.

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

The packaging is now all in potato starch. 100% recyclable, biodegradable, and even compostable!

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

Again the main problem is to keep products clean and dry. And for now the solution is recycled and recyclable plastic. But it is an issue that we take very seriously and we do our utmost to find more environmentally sustainable solutions.

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

Yes all the papers used, whether for prints (which we reduce in an office waste reduction program) for labels, or for lookbooks is still recycled and recyclable paper.

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

Ecology is strongly rooted in our personal habits, whether for food, transport. It is for this reason that Manon decided to create Poudre Organic. To continue to promote ecology through children's fashion.