Our base fabrics are sourced from a mill in Rhode Island; our outer fabrics are sourced domestically. Because we prioritize environmental impact, labor ethics, and supply chain accountability, we do not source fabrics overseas, and we try to find sources as close to us as possible. The exception to this is our source in Portland, Oregon, who supply us with recycled poly spandex for our solid black and solid white binders! The fibers are made from plastic bottles. It’s pretty neat.
Our product packaging is 100% recycled poly mailers, recyclable with plastic bags, and tissue paper and stickers both made with recycled and recyclable materials. We pack using EcoEnclose products, and highly recommend them.
Our small fabric scraps go to a local pickup bin for an international charity, which puts them through a fabric shredder to make mattress stuffing. We give our larger scraps away to our local circus college, theatrical efforts, and other crafters; when there’s a buildup, we ship grab bags of large scraps to crafters and makers all over the world. We also make our own accessories!
If we make a mistake in manufacturing, or need to replace your garment with a larger one during the alterations process, we keep the non-fitting garment, launder it, and stock it for events and Off-the-Rack sales. If we don’t sell it off the rack, we’ll donate it to an LGBT center, shelter, student group, or binder redistribution group.
Our office paper comes from a local paper mill, and we do not shop at Amazon for any supplies or furniture. If we can’t freecycle, we buy used, or employ local craftspeople to make what we need.
We’re fortunate to live in a small Vermont town that has both recycling and compost pickup! We share our campus dumpster, and the majority of our landfill trash is un-recyclable packaging from inbound shipments.
We at Shapeshifters firmly believe waste reduction is an extremely high priority for our continued collective survival. To that end, we’re dedicated to buying more environmentally-friendly materials, refining our production process to reduce fabric waste, and keeping our various supply chains as local as possible. If you have suggestions or ideas, please let us know!