Nowadays we do as much as we can to protect our environment and behave a little more conscientiously in our shopping and lifestyle choices. Whilst some of these changes seem harder to apply to our lives, others are a little easier and certainly more accessible. Let’s not kid ourselves that we will make an impactful change overnight, but slowly and surely...we can but try.
Beautifully located Swiss mill and firm Budd favourite, Alumo is known for its luxury, high-grade cloth production. Their cloths offer lustre and sophistication and are a reflection of the precision and quality that one expects from such a refined Swiss set up. We were therefore fully confident that we would find exactly what we were looking for when we turned to them for the cloth for our organic shirts. There is a lot of noise out there today about organic and sustainable clothing and we wanted to ensure that our own message and sourcing was 100% genuine.
Alumo offers over 18 cloths in its Organic collection. Woven to a 2 fold 100 quality and in a mix of sky blue or white options, they have a luxurious and soft handle. This is thanks in part to their meticulous approach to weaving, but enhanced by the long staple of the cotton itself. Organic cotton relies on hand picking. This gentle approach means that the crop is protected during harvesting, ensuring that the fibres remain unbroken. The benefit of this is smoother, stronger and finer cloth.
Whilst offering the full collection of Alumo organics to our bespoke and made to measure customers, we are also delighted to introduce to beautiful and classic organic shirts in our Ready to Wear collection. Each is available in a choice of tailored or classic fits, and comes complete with our Budd forward collar and double cuffs. Each shirt is finished with ethically sourced and sustainable mother of pearl buttons. We enhance the sustainable story still further, with the inclusion of an additional set of collar and cuffs with each shirt, guaranteeing its longevity. Customers may choose between classic white poplin or sky blue pinpoint. All of our organic shirts are made at our English workrooms in Andover, Hampshire.
Organic cotton tends to have an elevated price point. However, delve into its background and the work and integrity involved in its production and you soon see why. This is a labour of love for the environment, the farmers, the workers, and the end consumer.
All of the organic cotton that we offer is grown and produced in compliance with the strict guidelines of both GOTS and STeP. GOTS is the Global Organic Textile Standard for the processing of organic fibres for textile use. It dictates both an ecological and social criteria for agricultural and production processes, backed up by independent certification of the entire textile supply chain. It defines globally recognised requirements that ensure organic status of textiles, from harvesting of the raw materials, through environmentally and socially responsible manufacturing u to provide a credible assurance of quality and integrity to the end consumer.
STeP by OEKO-TEX® stands for Sustainable Textile & Leather Production and is a modular certification system for production facilities within the textile and leather industry. Their focus is on the implementation of environmentally friendly production processes, conceived to improve the health and safety of workers. Each stage of cotton production must guarantee socially responsible working conditions and ensure fair practices and wages throughout.
There is a lot to take on board when looking at organic cotton and its benefits. We have picked some of the stand-out factors that really resonate with the Budd team and its choice to use Alumo’s organic range:
- Organic cotton production uses 88-91% less water than ordinary cotton production.
- The organic cotton industry uses 66% less energy.
- Organic cotton is hand picked as opposed to being mechanically harvested. This is labour intensive, however, also results in higher employment numbers in local communities. Farm owners must ensure that employees work to STeP standards and have a holistic approach to their care and working conditions.
- Organic cotton seeds are untreated and natural. They are non GMO.
- No pesticides or insecticides are used in organic cotton production. Farmers instead introduce bugs to eat and destroy any pests, leaving the eco-cycle unharmed. The conventional cotton industry accounts for 16% of the world’s insecticides and 7% of pesticide consumption.
- The growth cycle for organic cotton is 5-6 months. This includes the first bloom at 60-70 days and the appearance of the crucial cotton boll 50-70 days later.
- Organic cotton farmers tend to rely on rainfall as opposed to intensive irrigation. The organic content of soil also means that it is able to retain 30% more water than chemically treated soil.
- The Feel Good Factor - organic cotton has a wonderful softness to it. This is due to the care that is taken during the handpicking process. The gentle approach ensures that the purity of the cotton is preserved and fibres remain unbroken and undamaged. This results in longer staples, which ultimately results in a smoother cotton, one that can be more finely spun and double twisted.
Adding to the Sustainable Story
Buy Well. Buy Once.
Keep your shirt looking its best for years to come and embrace its sustainable credentials by taking advantage of our collar and cuff sets and button service.
Collars and Cuffs
In order to increase the lifespan of your shirts, Budd is able to offer a collar and cuff replacement service with its shirts. A set is already included with our Ready to Wear Organic shirts, but it is something we would also encourage our bespoke and made to measure customers to consider at the time or ordering. We will change them for free, however, we do recommend that customers register this interest at the time of ordering so that we may ensure that your future collar and cuffs are cut from the same piece of cloth as your original shirt, ensuring continuity in colour.
Button Replacement
Our shirt buttons are made from sustainable Mother of Pearl. They are carefully attached so as to hold them firmly in place. However, with time or haphazard dry cleaners, they may come loose from time to time. We happily replace and repair the buttons on your Budd shirt, ensuring that they are worn to their full potential for as long as possible.