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SUSTAINABILITY
Sew Valley is proud to be a certified 513 Green Workplace by the Hamilton County Department of Environmental Services.
The 513 Green Workplace Certification is a sustainability certification that recognizes and promotes businesses in Hamilton County that voluntarily operate in an environmentally responsible manner through sustainable actions.
This Certification evaluates based on five categories: Sustainable Actions, Waste Diversion, Transportation and Air Quality, Waste Conservation, and Energy Conservation.
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One thing we all have in common is our shared effort to work towards a sustainable future for ourselves individually, our community, the brands we work with and the planet.
We tackle these issues first by starting small within our staff and facility.
Living wages
Low to no use of single-use paper/plastic packaged items
Recycling program with designated bins for each type of recyclable
Easy signage posted throughout the facility to encourage positive habits whether it’s related to recycling, waste or other material sourcing information
Compost bins and participation in our local community garden
Ordering supplies and raw materials on an as needed basis
Weighing and calculating our client projects waste for further analysis
Encouraging clients to minimize their packaging and plastic use for shipping
Education and introductions to resources for designers to source responsibly
Low water consumption use
SV SUSTAINABILITY GOAL:
Zero fabric waste by 2026. Reduce the amount of raw materials through recycling and reusing the remnants from projects. We aim to give each client a percentage of waste for their projects.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Sew Valley is committed to helping start-ups and existing businesses navigate the complexities of what sustainability means within the context of the fashion and apparel industry and how you can start implementing good business practices for your brand.
It doesn’t have to be a huge overhaul. You can start simple. By including these values into the foundation of your business, it will help make your business decisions easier and will likely broaden perspectives, and drive industry change as consumers continue to ask more about what their products are made of, who made them and how they impact our planet.
As a Business this means taking into consideration:
well-being of staff
waste reduction
water consumption
energy efficiency
ecological impact
transportation habits
green marketing
product line efficiency - closed loop system
RESOURCE LIST
Fabric resources we love
Fab scrap
Queen Of Raw
The New Denim Project
Helpsy
Ohio Materials Marketplace
Shaniko Wool Company
Podcasts
Business of Fashion
Conscience Chatter
Green Dreamer
How I Built This
Untangling Circularity
Wardrobe Crisis
Books/Publications
Elizabeth Cline - - Conscious Closet
Elizabeth Cline - - Over Dressed
Kate Black - - Magnifeco
Kate Fletcher - - Craft Of Use
Michael Braungart and William McDonough - - Cradle
to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things
Naomi Klein - - This Changes Everything
Stories of Fashion, Textiles and Place
Sustainability & The Fashion Industry - - Can Fashion Save the World?
Worn
Worn Out - - How Our Clothes Cover Up Fashion’s Sins
Sourcing Resources + Organizations + Info
Accelerating Circularity
Apparel Impact Institute
Center for Sustainable Fashion
Circular Textiles
Common Objective
Ellen McArthur Foundation
Ethix Merch
Fab Scrap
Fashion For Good
Fashion Impact Fund
Fashion Revolution
Fashion Takes Action
Fibershed
Garment Worker Center
Global Fashion Agenda
Greenpeace
Helpsy
Molte Volte
Remake
Rustbelt Fibershed
Sourcing Journal
Sustainable Fashion Coalition
Sustain Your Style
SFI Cincinnati
Textile Exchange
The OR Foundation
United Nations Conscious Fashion + Lifestyle Network
Zero Waste Daniel
Recycling Resources
Earth 911
EPA
Hamilton County R3source
Hamilton County Recycle & Reuse Hub
Homeboy Threads
Miller Waste Mills
Sortile
Terra Cycle
Tersus Solutions
The Again Go
What and How To Recycle: Plastics, Bottles, Cardboard and More!
Tools to Start + Build a Sustainable Brand
Fashion Takes Action - - The Sustainable Fashion Toolkit
Guide to Sustainable Strategies by The CFDA
Sustainable Strategies Toolkit by The CFDA
Sustainable Fashion Starts with Ethics and Design by Barbara Gongini
CFDA - - Create Your Brand Sustainability Manifesto
CFDA - - Guide to Sustainable Strategies
CFDA - - Sustainable Strategies Toolkit
Circular Transition Indicators
Common Objective - - 5 Steps to Creating A Sustainability Manifesto