10 ecological gestures that make a difference within our company!

Every day, our commitment to being responsible, ecological and doing good inspires us to find innovative ways of doing business. As a company that markets ecological clothing for women, it is clear that our philosophy must be reflected in our practices.

Honestly, it is not always easy, because in addition to being socially responsible, we must also remain competitive and profitable.

Message Factory wants to bring quality, sustainability and humanity to the fashion industry. As an ethical Quebec fashion brand, we integrate sustainable practices into everything we do, from the supply of ecological or recycled fabrics, to the “over-recycling” of some of our products.

Here are 10 of the things we do that make a difference to the environmental impact of our business.

1. To reduce greenhouse gases; we manufacture locally and make sure to be as close as possible to the end consumer.

2. We do screen printing with water-based ink. Our messages are printed locally in Montreal using water-based inks that have been tested and formulated to be Non-Phthalates (inks or compounds that do not contain PVC resins or phthalate-based plasticizers) . These inks also comply with Oeko-Tex 100 and do not contain any chemicals that may cause cancer or be harmful to reproduction.

3. By social responsibility, the organic and ecological fabrics that we use to make our Quebec clothing are grown without pesticides or herbicides and are certified organic according to the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). Ecological and biological fabrics decompose naturally over time, while synthetic fibers become only permanent waste, in addition to releasing toxic gases into the air when they decompose. Most of our ecological fabrics are knitted and dyed here, using a process (Oeko-tex Standard 100) harmless for health and the environment.

4. For some of our products like women's leggings, we use recycled materials such as polyester which is made from plastic water bottles. This material is ultra absorbent, it wicks away moisture to keep it dry and is durable and resistant to abrasion.

5. We make unique products, underwear and fashion accessories in Quebec from raw materials that come from fabric scraps or from your good old Message Factory clothes. Click here if you would like to learn more about our Upcycling program and how you can donate clothing or buy to support local causes.

6 .When purchasing clothing from our online store , we use reusable shipping material for subsequent use. The envelopes we use are made from 100% recycled materials. They have two self-adhesive strips for multiple uses and are finally recyclable. Same thing for the boxes that we use for the shipment of our largest packages to our network of retailers , they come from a company distributing recycled boxes, they are used several times and then they are recycled.

7. For our new collections , we print our catalogs on Enviro100 paper which contains 100% post-consumer recycled material. We make sure to keep the quantity to a minimum and use electronic files as much as possible. Our marketing tools are produced to be as durable and reusable as possible. Our invoices are all electronic.

8. We use biodegradable cleaning products in bulk for the maintenance of the premises and our clothing store located in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu

9. Our employees adhere to our philosophy! Every day, we sort the waste, we recycle paper and cardboard. Our employees have dishes, utensils and cups available for their meals. We encourage the use of reusable or recyclable containers for our corporate events.

10. Finally in this era of "fast fashion", we NEVER throw clothes away. We do liquidation sales, sample sales and we maintain an online sales section and a sales section at our store to liquidate our surplus inventory. Subsequently, our unsold or defective products are donated to social causes to help people in need.