Funky Buddha is highly focused on making clothes in a responsible, sustainable way, that limits the impact on the environment. This is an on-going procedure and the right thing to do, both morally and commercially, and it is an approach that we’re committed to.
Our Company’s goals and targets for the future are
built on the United Nations (UN) Global Compact principles: a series of
strategic environmental plans; aligning itself with the development and use of
responsibly and sustainably produced fabrics like sustainable cotton, linen, Tencel
etc., sourcing them from all over the world and focusing on choosing more
sustainable options when possible, transforming its physical stores and
facilities so they’re eco-efficient, recycling and using green alternatives for
its packing materials and launching eco-conscious and eco-friendly capsule collections
which will account for more than 20% of Funky Buddha’s product offerings by the
end of 2025.
By 2020, the company committed itself to training all of its designers in the cruciality of circularity and sustainable product design procedures, producing in a mindful way and not using fibers from endangered forests. By 2023, it aims at zero-use of single-use plastics, and adoption of green-only packaging. Before the end of 2025, the collections will make the highest possible use of sustainable fabrics and the company will try to achieve maximum renewable energy use for its HQ and stores. The supply chain is striving to minimize its carbon footprint by manufacturing in close proximity to the actual material sources - whenever possible.
According to Nikos Alexiou, CEO of ALTEX S.A,
the holding company of Funky Buddha and Fifty-Five GARAGE, the company has
always been sustainability conscious. The production is absolutely adjusted to
sales, thus minimizing excess stocks, and by extension, waste.
“To me, the beating heart of our Brands is our
customer. I am sure that they are fully engaged and interested in making
authentic, environmentally conscious decisions in every aspect of their lives. Our
approach to fashion is always customer centric. At the end of the day, they are
the ones who decide, and our obligation is to meet their expectations, in a
sustainable way. The clients identify more with the brands that are embracing
change and evolving in terms of sustainability and they increasingly share our
sensitivity towards sustainability.
The sense of promoting longevity is also at the
top of our minds. We are obsessed with producing pieces that are infused with
the qualities of timelessness and durability. We are striving to offer garments
that will form the basis of the consumer’s wardrobe.
We continue working on the quality of our
clothes, as we’ve always done, creating new sustainable ways of working,
designing, producing and distributing, as a new way of approaching fashion.
I am certain that all our teams are very
conscious, but we are positively surprised to also see the same sensitivity on
our suppliers side. However, we are aware that we have still a long way to go.
Today, after several eco-friendly capsule collections and a lot of hard work,
we have learned a very important lesson: in order to advance you must combine design
and sustainability. The challenge is to become totally sustainable.
We need to start with the small things in order
to achieve something great. Imagine what we can achieve by implementing this
approach not only to our work environment but also to our daily lives and at
home, where we must also raise awareness. It’s up to all of us.”