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Sustainability

The future is green.

Well, not Kermit the frog green.

Instead, we like to think it is more of an emerald shade, that deep and dazzling Wizard of Oz city hue, a colour you would walk miles along a yellow brick road (in fantastic shoes) to see.

And we know we are a little late to be considering our sustainability in a real and conscious way, but we’re very aware that becoming a truly emerald Green company is a journey that you have to commit to every day so we’re still proud to be starting now.

At the beginning of 2020 we decided to be conscious about our impact on the environment.

Here are the small steps we have taken so far:


STEP ONE:
START WITH A GREEN SOLE

With credit to Becky Giles

Sustainable sourcing materials and components

We can now confidently say that all hides used in Fairfax & Favor products are a by-product of the meat and dairy industry that would otherwise go to waste.

We know this, because we have asked all of our suede and leather providers to prove that they are fully certified and accountable, and that every one of their materials is traceable from start to finish.

Our suede and leather providers now also undergo highly detailed environmental audits which cover their water usage, air and noise emissions, use of restricted substances, energy consumption, effluent treatment, traceability and production processes.

Our Tannery has recently been granted Silver Status at their most recent leather working group audit,

Energy consumption is one of the biggest environmental drawbacks of the fashion industry, but our tannery now sources the majority of their energy from a Solar power system on the roof of their own building, and the remaining energy from certified sustainable energy suppliers.

The tannery is also working towards fully carbon neutral production!

As for our hardware, at our request our suppliers have recently joined Sedex (who you will hear more about shortly) which means that by the end of the year we will have a full and comprehensive audit on their sustainability levels.

So watch this space.


STEP Two:
Green stitches Only

Sustainable Manufacturing

To understand this step, you need to know a little more about a brilliant organisation called...
According to their website,

‘Sedex is one of the world’s leading ethical trade membership organisations, working with businesses to improve working conditions in global supply chains. We provide an online platform, tools and services to help businesses operate responsibly and sustainably, protect workers and source ethically.’

And now Sedex is helping Fairfax and Favor have total transparency with our manufacturers.

So far 75% of our suppliers are Sedex approved but the other 25% are working towards this. All factories will be audited on a regular basis, and we aim to have every supplier with up to date audits by the summer of 2022.

What does this mean?

By the summer of 2022 Fairfax and Favor will know about the working practices, working environment, and staff wellbeing at each of our suppliers. Which means that we can ensure that we are only working with companies who take their responsibility – to their teams, communities, and environment – as seriously as we do.

It also means that we are learning all sorts of brilliant things about what the companies we work with are already doing for their teams on the ground, from transport support to nutritious meals to empowering young mothers. Because sustainability isn’t just about materials, it is also about people. And we want our customers to know that every pair of hands that has touched their boots before they slip onto your feet has been happy to be a part of our Fairfax and Favor process.


STEP Three:
Leave Green wherever you go

Incoming and Outgoing Packaging

Packaging is always a tricky one. Waste is certainly to be avoided in a truly sustainable world… and yet nobody wants their gorgeous Regina boots unprotected through rainy England on their way to you, and there’s nothing quite like opening a distinctive Fairfax and Favor Blue Box from a loved one without knowing quite what is inside…


So let us tell you some fun facts about the Fairfax and Favor packaging to ease your mind when your next magical Fairfax and Favor treat arrives:


  • All deliveries to our warehouse are in recyclable and recycled cartons (that’s an endless recycling cycle right there).
  • We have a cardboard skip in partnership with Veolia where these empty cartons are collected each week.

In 2020 Fairfax and Favor recycled 39 tonnes of cardboard this way, and

In 2021 Fairfax and Favor recycled 54 tonnes of cardboard

  • Our team also upcycle the pallets, giving them some truly funky second lives such as pallets which were recreated as a fence and pony shelter.
  • Our cloth dustbags are made to be bags for life and they, too can have some marvellous second lives, especially with the incredible imaginations of our customers.

    • From cushions to doggie fashion to door stoppers, our dustbags are ready…

    With credit to Alex Morgan, Eden Harrhy, Harriet Cousins, Hayley Tanset, Joanna Xavier, Louise Lambert, Rebecca Vick, Stef Flanagan, and Rebecca Thompson


  • Whilst our blue boxes are not recyclable, they are made of already recycled materials and are designed to be durable and kept as boxes for life in order to protect your boots and shoes and lengthen their life span.
  • All of our other outgoing packaging is 100% recyclable, even the tape (but be sure to remove it and recycle separately).
  • Our eco packaging peanuts can be disposed of by simply running them under hot water.
  • Even our bubble wrap can be recycled at local recycling centres… but watch this space for our future corrugated paper void filler which will be one step better.

STEP Four:
Hands on Green

Responsible business

As much as we know that our main environmental impacts come from outside of our stables (office), and we have therefore addressed our materials, manufacturing, and packaging first… it is just as important to keep the green energy up in house. This is where we will come up with new ideas, hold ourselves accountable, and get excited about a more sustainable future for our company, after all.

So here are just a few of our hands-on initiatives:

  • Our office is heated with a wood chip burner with wood sourced from the estate itself. Sometimes this has been cleared for a specific purpose, at other times it has been storm damaged etc. So far this reduced our carbon dioxide output by up to 9.5 tonnes per year.
  • We operate a cycle to work scheme.

  • We encourage recycling onsite with different bins for different materials.
  • When upgrading our IT or tech equipment, we recycle old items by donating them to charity or onward selling.
  • Our shoes are designed to be slow fashion: they should last for years if treated correctly.
  • We avoid putting odd or sample shoes in landfills by donating to Jo’s Odd Shoes (check out our full blog on this here), and we all donate our seconds on depop/ ebay/ sample sales.
  • Our customers follow suit, with many remarkable second-hand selling groups being set up online (just one of these groups has over 34,000 members).

And this is all because our team is particularly passionate about this new step in the Fairfax and Favor story:

Jo's Odd Shoes

As the world evolves it is important that we as a company and team are doing our bit to support the move to a cleaner greener planet. Small changes and decisions by each team member and department can all add up to Fairfax and Favor being a better greener business.

— Rob Cooper, Head of Operations

“When taking on my role as wholesale accounts manager it was crucial that as a company we looked at our carbon footprint and decided that by having a hybrid vehicle we helped play our part in reducing emissions. The Mercedes A250E, being a plug in hybrid car means it emits much lower emissions than regular cars, with 44 miles of emission free driving.”

— Charlie Ravenhill, B2B Area Manager

We don’t want to say that Fairfax & Favor is Green. We are trying to be Green. It’s an important difference. If you aren’t always trying, then you aren’t pushing to be better. We are only at the beginning of this process now but we know that our customers will help us on this important journey.

— Felix Parker, Founding Director


The Last Step:
You!
Our fabulous customers

We cannot do this without you, and this is why we would love your help and advice.

Any ideas on how we could become more sustainable? Are you proud of the steps we have taken so far?

How do you think Fairfax & Favor could be more sustainable?

The ideas we got from friends and family at the beginning of this year have been an immeasurable help, and we’re sure our unbeatable customers will have even better ideas. So please get in touch with your suggestions. We would love to hear from you.

Let us know. Contact Us Here

And meanwhile watch this space for a series of exciting blogs to keep you up to date on all of the little steps that make a giant leap for Fairfax & Favor towards being truly sustainable.