Ethical & Sustainability Policy
Our Clothing
At Emily and Fin we believe in slow fashion, not fast fashion. We make gorgeous clothing designed to last and be loved for years to come
Emily and Fin are committed to reducing the synthetic and artificial fibres in our clothing. The majority of our clothing is made from naturally sourced fibres, with a small amount of elastane in some fabrics to help retain the shape, and some metallic lurex fibre for shine. The majority of our knitwear is made with naturally sourced materials as the main fibre, with some acrylic or nylon in some pieces to help the knitwear hold its shape and last longer.
Our aim is to use only naturally sourced fibres in our clothing - mainly cotton, wool, linen, and viscose. Viscose is a soft, cellulosic fabric that’s most commonly made from wood pulp. It feels silky smooth, drapes beautifully and is light and versatile. Cotton is a natural fibre which is long lasting and hardwearing, washes well and is easy to wear. Linen, a natural fibre made from the flax plant, is extremely strong and long lasting, and looks better and better the more it’s worn. Wool is a warm and durable natural fibre with wicking and anti-microbial properties. It’s also an excellent insulator, keeping you warm, dry and comfortable, whatever the weather. Naturally sourced fibres are biodegradable and compostable, and do not contain micro-plastics which could be lost during washing.
We adore the thriving network of Emily and Fin fans who swap, sell and pass on pre-loved items to extend the life of each piece we have created. We never ever send last season stock to incineration or landfill - anything left over from our incredibly popular sample sales is sent to partner organisations so that every single piece is as loved as possible.
Our People
Emily and Fin is a female lead company and we pride ourselves in paying the Real Living Wage as our minimum starting salary. We have never used unpaid interns as we believe that real work deserves real pay.
We enjoy long standing relationships with the factories we use in India and China, and work closely with them to establish that our standards are being upheld.
We visit regularly and do all due diligence to ensure that they comply with local labour laws, including:
- Statutory pay and working hours
- Staff have the right to organise and bargain collectively
- Child labour is never used
- A ban on discrimination
- A ban on forced labour
- There is health and safety in the workplace
- Local environmental legislation is complied with
Our Office
Emily and Fin use only recycled paper in our office, staff avoid printing unless necessary, and we have recycling points for paper, card, glass, plastics and metal.
In our office kitchen we provide non dairy milk for our team, along with a water filter for refilling reusable water bottles. Our bathrooms are stocked with plastic free sanitary products for all of our team to use, as well as recycled toilet paper and animal-friendly and non-toxic hand soap.
Our mailing bags are now made from responsibly sourced paper, and we are researching sustainable alternatives to improve on other packaging that we use. As many alternatives actually have a higher carbon footprint than our current packaging, we are taking the time to get this right.
Emily and Fin provide well made, thoughtfully designed pieces to last and be loved, without sacrificing the wellbeing of our team, or our environment. We know we’re not perfect but we are fully committed to the process of continuously learning, and working to do better.