Chieftain Fabrics Sustainability Statement

In order to consider ourselves a truly sustainable company, our long-term interests need to be aligned with the good of our planet and its inhabitants. We plan to bring our sustainability strategy to life through our fabrics which, over the next five years, will increasingly reflect our vision for the future. We have invested in product development, as well as systems and processes to make it easier to incorporate sustainability into our ranges, our company and our business decisions.

Ultimately, we intend for all our ranges to be Cradle to Cradle certified, in line with Goal 12 of the United Nations Goal for Responsible Consumption and Production.  We believe that this is the only way forward.

If we are to continue to produce fabrics for the contract market, then they must be fabrics that are manufactured with care and consideration for our planet and its dwindling natural resources. These are audacious targets. However, by making them known to our customers, it is incumbent upon us to communicate our progress and motivate our employees to deliver them.

 

 

Our five-year total sustainability plan began in 2022 when Chieftain Fabrics launched three new ranges specifically chosen for their sustainability attributes. Each new range is something we are incredibly proud of. However, these new ranges were only the beginning of what we hope will be a company known for its integrity and legitimacy.

Changing for the Better

In 2015 we eliminated phthalates from our formulation. We have looked at every aspect of our manufacturing process since then and changed it for the better where possible.

  • Wastewater treatments were installed in both our manufacturing facilities in 2016
  • Our solvent-based lacquers were replaced by water-based lacquers in 2017
  • All flame retardants were replaced with greener alternatives in 2017
  • In 2017 we started using only organic cotton fibre in our backing cloth
  • All our dyes are organic
  • Where possible, our waste fabric is recycled through Recovinyl™
  • All our packaging is recycled.

As our changes are made, we will ensure to communicate our progress with our customers, our supporters and the world at large.

Aligning our Values with Others

We also want our employees to engage with us on each step of our journey to total sustainability.

Our sustainability programme will be incorporated into the day-to-day work at Chieftain Fabrics. This will mean that our employees will be able to connect their personal values to the sustainability objectives in the workplace. We are already proud of our workforce, and we want to make them proud of us, our goals and our intentions to bring positive change to the world.

Dr. Ciara Kinsella
10.09.2021