LOW IMPACT PROJECT
At the core of our brand identity lies a deep commitment to our planet, with a mission to create high quality products with the lowest possible impact. From the first signet ring in 2013 to our seasonal ready-to-wear collections, every product is made with functionality and longevity in mind. At Tom Wood, progress is priority and we work hard to make smarter choices every day. Our low impact efforts are focused on the areas where we believe we can make the most impact, driving positive and enduring change across three pillars; people – product – planet.
Our sustainability practices encourage and challenge us to push for change and to do better every day. We believe in high quality products, fair working conditions, supply chain transparency and a reduced environmental footprint. We call this the Low Impact Project.
MILESTONES
Our low impact milestones track our efforts and developments as we strive to find ways to improve every day. As we continue to make progress we want to share some of our most recent and important milestones here.
• Established the Tom Wood Low Impact Framework (2021-2023)
• Achieved GOTS Trade & Retail Certification for Tom Wood AS in 2021.
• Revised Code of Conduct, signed by all suppliers
• Animal Welfare policy, child labour policy and chemical restrictions policy signed by all suppliers
• Launched 100% organic cotton certified cotton Low Impact Denim and Jersey collections
• Establish and implementing the first Low Impact Materials Index and first baseline material evaluation
• Climate compensating freight with DHL GoGreen on all B2C shipments
• Launch of the Tom Wood Lab with 3D printers and a laser engraving machine for a more efficient in-house product development process
• Implementing Low Impact Packaging in the jewellery category (100% Recycled PET + FSC paper)
• Implemented Low Impact Packaging in clothing category (100% Recycled plastic for poly bags and FSC paper for paper hang tags)
• Switched to 100% renewable energy at HQ and retail operation
• Sourced and utilised luxury deadstock fabrics in our SS21 and AW21 collections
• Completed Higg Brand & Retail Module
• Achieved Responsible Jewellery Council membership
PEOPLE
The Low Impact Project is not just about our environmental footprint, but also about our social responsibilities. Ensuring ethical business standards and healthy working conditions across the supply chain is our responsibility. Strong relationships with our suppliers are essential to successfully achieve our goals and maintain our standards, and we aim to establish long lasting relations with suppliers who share our values.
Commitments and certifications
Our international network of suppliers adhere to local labour laws and regulations, which varies between countries and continents. In order to ensure that all our suppliers comply with our norms and values, they are required to sign our Code of Conduct as part of their contract. A copy of our Code of Conduct and adjoining policies can be downloaded here.
| Global Organic Textile Standard certification The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) was developed by leading standard setters to define worldwide recognised requirements for organic textiles. Tom Wood has achieved the GOTS Scope Certificate (SC) for trading and retailing, thereby achieving traceability in the production process from seed to finished product. |
Responsible Jewellery Council certification The RJC Code of Practices is the only industry standard covering the entire jewellery and watch supply chain. It addresses a wide range of supply chain issues including business ethics, human rights, and social and environmental performance. All our main jewellery suppliers have either received their certificate or are in the process of becoming certified. |
PRODUCT
Making high quality products is at the heart of our business. At the same time we are aware that creating products leaves behind a considerable environmental footprint. Because of this, a large part of our low impact efforts is geared towards developing strategies to reduce and minimise the impact in the design and production phases. Different product groups require different low impact strategies, and our efforts are divided between the ready-to-wear and jewellery categories.
PLANET
When making design and business decisions, our true cost, including our environmental impact, is always kept in mind. We wish to have a holistic approach to sustainability, starting with us and our everyday choices. We put emphasis on low impact in everything we do – from recycling our waste to choosing renewable energy options for our HQ and stores. Moving forward we want to improve on tracking all our low impact efforts to gain a greater understanding of how we are succeeding in lowering our impact and where we need to improve. Our strategy is to focus on reducing our impact, only utilizing carbon offsetting to address unavoidable emissions.
Low Impact Packaging
In 2021 we launched our new packaging program, with special emphasis on low impact and high quality. We’ve partnered with packaging suppliers who share the same attitude and understanding that preserving our natural environment is a must. Throughout the entire production process our suppliers are committed to reducing greenhouse emissions or avoiding them all together. From the purchase of raw materials such as recycled PET plastic or FSC-certified paper to CO2-decreased production with water-based ink and the complete recycling of valuable waste materials such as paper and ink. All paper in the production of our packaging is FSC certified.
Plastic use is a well-known issue in our industry, but we are committed to finding better solutions. In 2020, we made the switch to recycled plastic poly bags on all our low impact denim. This will also be the case for all our ready to wear, starting from the AW22 collection. We have also reduced our plastic use in our logistics operation, replacing virgin plastic with responsible paper options. Phasing out virgin plastic and sourcing recycled options align with our long term goal of achieving 100% recycled, reusable or recyclable packaging by 2023.
Tom Wood Jewellery packaging using Social Plastic®
We are using 100% Recycled PET from Plastic Bank in all our jewellery packaging. Plastic Bank builds ethical recycling ecosystems in coastal communities, and reprocess the materials for reintroduction into the global manufacturing supply chain. Collectors receive a premium for the materials they collect to better help them provide basic family necessities such as groceries, school tuition, and health insurance. Collected material is reborn as Social Plastic® which is reintegrated into products and packaging. This creates a closed-loop supply chain while helping those who collect it.
Tom Wood Jewellery gift box using FSC MIX paper
We are using FSC MIX certified paper for our most exclusive jewellery gift box. We do not use any plastic in these gift boxes, so they can easily be recycled with other paper products. An FSC certification is an important certificate provided by Forest Stewardship Council, which is an international non-profit organization established in 1993. Being FSC certified shows that our business complies with the highest social and environmental standards on the market.
- Recycable shopping bag – FSC certified paper and handles
- Shipping boxes – FSC certified paper
- Low Impact jewellery pouches – made in organic cotton.
| Why FSC? FSC has earned a reputation as the most credible forest certification system. The forest management standards provided by FSC expand protection of water quality, prohibits harvest of rare old-growth forest, prevent loss of natural forest cover and prohibits hazardous chemicals. |
Low Impact Shipping
From 2019 to 2020 our e-commerce experienced a 179% growth. As our business expands, our footprint expands with it. To address the problem of elevated emission levels, we have decided to send all B2C shipments with DHL Go Green. GoGreen is a part of DHL’s green logistics mission, aiming for net zero by 2050. Through the Go Green program we support international certified climate protection projects, such as wind and hydropower projects. DHL also offers green optimization services such as optimized transport routes, alternative drive vehicles and energy efficient warehouses.
Our long term goal is to compensate for all of our shipments. According to our DHL Carbon Footprint report for 2020 we compensated for 47% of our total carbon footprint, 43,55 of 92,88 tonnes CO2. If broken down into the number of shipments, approximately 70% of our shipments were carbon compensated. Our goal is to have made the switch to GoGreen for all shipments by 2023.
