Sustainable production
Sustainable clothing manufacturer. Without the green talk.
As a sustainable clothing manufacturer, we can produce with certified fabrics and factories, on request and per item. For each production, you get the documentation that backs up your claims.
- Certificates per item, with number
- On request
- Minimum and surcharge, known upfront
- Per fabric
- Sample of your own style, after payment
- At least 5 to 6 weeks
No sticker. A certificate number.
We confirm upfront what is feasible for your production, with the validity date.
GOTS
Global Organic Textile Standard
Organic cotton and the whole chain, from fibre to garment.
GRS
Global Recycled Standard
Recycled polyester and nylon, including verification of origin.
OEKO-TEX Standard 100
Chemical safety
Tests whether the materials used are free of harmful chemicals.
BSCI and Sedex
Social audits
Fair terms of employment and safe, verifiable working conditions in the factory.
Sustainable fabrics. Feel first, then choose.
We request them from our fabric suppliers. Not sure? Start with a sample of your own style, from €150.
- Organic cotton
- Recycled cotton
- Recycled polyester (rPET)
- Tencel (lyocell)
- Hemp and linen
Guide
Sustainable clothing manufacturer
2 min read
How much does sustainable clothing production cost?
Sustainable fabric costs more than conventional fabric, and how much more depends on the fabric, the certification and your quantity. A certified fabric is a different fabric from our base fabric, so we confirm the minimum and the surcharge per fabric, upfront.
That difference can usually be worked into your retail price, especially if you can back up the story behind it. Otherwise, the process runs as it does for regular custom clothing production: first a sample of your own style, then the bulk after your approval.
Where is your sustainable clothing made?
We produce in Turkey, Italy, Portugal and China, with no agents or traders in between: most productions in our own workshop in Turkey, the other countries on request. For a sustainable collection, we look for the factory that fits your requirements for each production; socially audited partners (for example to BSCI or Sedex) are available on request, mainly in Portugal and Turkey.
We agree upfront which audit or certification applies to your production. We share audit reports on request, precisely because you need to be able to back up your claims.
Can you put 'organic' or 'sustainable' on your hangtag?
Only what you can prove. A GOTS certificate from your fabric supplier does not yet make your garment GOTS-certified: for that, the entire chain up to and including the finished garment has to be certified.
For each production, we share the documentation that exists: certificate numbers and validity dates of the fabrics and factories used, the origin per fabric, the factory location and available audit reports. In your communication, only repeat what it says. That way you communicate honestly with your customers, and we claim nothing we can't prove.
That applies outside your own collection too. If you want custom merchandise or corporate uniforms made with certified fabrics, there too you get the documentation that backs up your claim for each production.
How do you make print and packaging more sustainable?
An organic cotton tee with a plastisol print and a regular polybag is only half sustainable. That's why we look at the whole chain.
- Water-based screen printsWithout plastisol: softer, breathable and with fewer chemicals.
- EmbroideryNo chemicals and good-looking for decades: the most sustainable form of branding.
- Garment dyeing with reactive dyesA more environmentally friendly dyeing process with a characteristic washed look.
- Packaging made from recycled materialYour own packaging from 5,000 pieces, for example polybags made from recycled plastic (rPE) or compostable mailers.
- Hangtags made from FSC paperCertified paper from responsibly managed forests, from 500 hangtags.
Sustainable production: the questions we get most often
Are you GOTS or OEKO-TEX certified yourselves?
We don't carry a certification of our own. We request GOTS, GRS, OEKO-TEX, BSCI and Sedex per item and per production, and we confirm upfront what is feasible for your order, with certificate number and validity date. That is deliberate: a certificate belongs to a specific fabric, factory and period, not to a logo on a website.
What is the difference between GOTS, GRS, OEKO-TEX and BSCI?
They measure different things. GOTS follows organic cotton through the whole chain, from fibre to finished garment, and GRS does the same for recycled polyester and nylon, including the origin of the material. OEKO-TEX Standard 100 is only about chemical safety and says nothing about organic farming or working conditions. BSCI and Sedex are social audits of the factory, not of the fabric. So they don't replace each other.
From how many pieces can I have a sustainable collection made?
You make a sustainable collection in a certified fabric, such as GOTS cotton or recycled polyester. That is a different fabric from our base fabric, so the minimum depends on the fabric batch at the supplier; we confirm it per fabric, upfront, so you don't run into a surprise halfway. Our fixed minimums, such as 10 pieces on our base style, apply to our base fabric.
More about producing with MakeaLabel
Your brand. Honestly backed up.
Tell us your idea and your sustainability requirements. We draw up a production plan and show which certifications are feasible for your item.