ABOUT
THE IMPACT OF FASHION, AN OBSERVATION
LEFTOVERS was born from a simple observation: the fashion industry, driven by fast fashion and ultra-fast fashion, has a growing environmental impact and is becoming a leading cause of ongoing climate change. Indeed, the ready-to-wear sector is notably responsible for:
-> 92 million kg of solid waste per year, a large part of which comes from surplus fabrics and fabric scraps during the cutting process,
-> 20% of wastewater,
-> and around 8% of CO2 emissions, of which more than 90% comes from the manufacture of fabrics.
UPCYCLING, AN ANSWER
It is from this state of affairs that we imagined LEFTOVERS, a brand that offers clothing with a reduced environmental impact and which contributes to reducing textile waste thanks to the following principles:
-> Upcycling: by recovering the end of rolls and dormant stocks, we give a second life to fabrics that would otherwise have been thrown away. Rather than producing new materials, we choose to revalue existing ones to create new, durable and quality clothing. Requiring no production of new fabric, this technique allows a reduction of more than 90% of CO2 emissions, wastewater and chemicals necessary for the manufacture of fabrics (cotton cultivation: fertilizers & pesticides, spinning, weaving, dyeing).
-> Zero waste: By reusing discarded fabrics, our upcycling approach helps reduce textile waste. This zero waste approach challenges traditional manufacturing methods by seeking to eliminate material scraps and reintegrate residual waste into the production cycle.
-> sobriety: by reducing as much as possible the number of accessories (label, cord end, etc.) and plastic markings present on our products.
Thus, thanks to upcycling and the sustainability of our products, the environmental impact of our clothing is lower. For example, a LEFTOVERS hoodie has an environmental cost of 495 points and a carbon footprint of 2.29 kgCO₂e ( Impact Calculation -> ). By comparison, an equivalent fast-fashion product made in Bangladesh has a cost of 4,969 points and 30.29 kgCO₂e.
However, we are fully aware that this approach has its limitations. Upcycling is not universal and is only one response among others to the global problem of the impact of fashion.
TRANSPARENCY
-> The country of production of the upcycled fabrics, as well as the name of the manufacturing workshop are indicated in complete transparency in the descriptions of each product.
-> All our garments are made by a factory located in Istanbul, Turkey, which is audited annually and independently by Intertek . The audit carried out is the SMETA developed by Sedex. Recognized worldwide, this audit assesses labor, health and safety, environmental performance and ethical standards.