I’m so glad you asked! Our base fabrics are sourced from a mill in Rhode Island; our outer fabrics are either from New York or North Carolina. 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.
Our product packaging is 100% recycled poly mailers, recyclable with plastic bags. 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 re-fitting process, we keep the non-fitting garment, launder it, and stock it for event and 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 like Point of Pride.
In our six years in business, we have thrown away a total of three binders, and only because they were soiled beyond recovery.
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 a single dumpster with our neighbors, and the majority of our landfill trash is un-recyclable packaging from inbound shipments.
As we all make our way into the mid-21st century, we at Shapeshifters firmly believe waste reduction is an extremely high priority for our continued collective survival. To that end, we’re dedicated to working with suppliers to develop 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!