Chieftain Fabrics Path to Sustainability
Over a decade of environmental commitment
New Recycled Packaging Introduced
Chieftain Packaging is replaced with recycled and FSC approved packaging.
Earthly Woven Fabric Range Launched
Our 100% recycled and dye-free woven fabric makes its first appearance.
Vegan Certification Achieved.
Chieftain Fabrics is officially awarded the vegan label.
Carousel Woven Fabric Range Launched
Our new fabric with 58% recycled content and PFA free is launched.
Phthalates Removed from all Products
The Chieftain Formula became phthalate free and more eco friendly plasticizers were used instead.
In 2012, Chieftain Fabrics achieved EU REACH certification. REACH is not a certification in the traditional sense, but rather a European Union regulation for the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, and Restriction of Chemicals. It requires companies to register chemical substances they manufacture or import into the EU, evaluate their risks, and provide safety information to downstream users. The goal is to protect human health and the environment by ensuring the safe use of chemicals in products and processes within the EU market.
Key aspects of REACH
- Registration: Companies must register chemical substances with the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) if they are manufactured or imported in quantities over one tonne per year.
- Evaluation: ECHA and EU member states evaluate certain substances to clarify any initial concerns about potential risks to human health or the environment.
- Authorisation: Specific substances, particularly those of very high concern (SVHCs), require a formal authorization process before they can be used or imported into the EU.
- Restriction: REACH places limits on the use of certain chemicals, sometimes leading to a ban on their use in products sold on the EU market.
- Applicability: The regulation applies to manufacturers, importers, and downstream users of chemicals, and affects a wide range of products, including those found in everyday life such as cleaning products, clothing, and electrical appliances.
- Compliance: Compliance is mandatory for placing chemical substances and articles on the EU market, and failure to comply can result in product bans.
We test our fabrics routinely and can supply current certification upon request.
To continue to improve our fabrics and make them more sustainable, we decided to remove phthalates from our recipe in 2015. This process was a couple of years in the making. Phthalates are plasticizers, responsible for the pliability and softness of vinyl fabric. They also help prevent cracking.
Unfortunately, they are considered hazardous to human health, and it is for this reason that we eliminated them from our formulation. We replaced phthalates with a gentler alternative, making our fabrics safer and more sustainable.
We tested our bestselling Just Colour range to ensure that it would tolerate extremes of
temperature and humidity. This provided peace of mind for customers who need to transport
furniture upholstered in our fabric internationally.
The Tropical Test, known in the industry as the Jungle Test mimics intense weather
conditions by testing the fabric at 70 degrees Celsius and a relative humidity of 95% for a
period of five weeks. One week in the climate chamber is the equivalent of one year in real
time.
All oil-based solvents in our formulation were replaced with water-based alternatives. We did
this primarily for health and environmental reasons, as water-based products have lower
VOCs (volatile organic compounds), are less toxic, and are non-flammable. They are also
more user-friendly, with less odour, quicker drying times, and easier cleanup with just water.
Environmental and health benefits
- Lower VOCs: Water-based solvents have lower volatile organic compound (VOC)
emissions, which are harmful to both the environment and human health. - Non-toxic: They are less toxic and less flammable than many oil-based solvents,
making them safer to use in confined spaces and for storage. - Easier disposal: Cleanup is simpler, as tools and spills can be cleaned with water,
avoiding the need for harsh and hazardous solvents that require special disposal.
With the advent of the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020, Chieftain Fabrics wanted to ensure that the antimicrobial ingredients in our vinyl fabric was effective at preventing the spread of SARS-CoV-1. We tested our Just Colour range against a feline strain of the Coronavirus under laboratory conditions.
As a result, it emerged that all strains of the Coronavirus would perish within an hour once they came into contact with Chieftain Fabrics. This was reassuring for our customers who found that there was a high demand for resilient, easy to clean fabrics such as vinyl throughout the pandemic.
We introduced our most sustainable fabric yet with the launch of Carousel fabric in 2022. This fabric has a 58% recycled content. It is also stain resistant and this is without the use of PFCs.
PFCs (perfluorinated chemicals) are a group of chemicals whose unique chemical structure makes them resistant to heat, water and oil. They are commonly used to provide stain resistance and are considered to be harmful to human health. Thanks to its unusual weave, almost all stains can be removed from Carousel fabric with just water. This also reduces the need for harsh chemicals and adding to this fabric’s sustainable credentials.
We do not and never have used animal products in the manufacture of our fabrics. In 2022, we decided to make it official and received international vegan certification for our brand.
Earthly was our most sustainable fabric to date. Woven for Chieftain Fabrics in Northern Italy, this fabric is made from 100% recycled cotton and polyester sourced from reclaimed
waste textiles such as used clothes.
They are then carefully selected according to colour and quality. As these textiles are already coloured, the final nuances are obtained by mixing all the available colours resulting in the correct percentages.
No additional dyes are added during this process. Nor are chemical or non-natural products used in the finishing phase, which is why Earthly complies with the most stringent ecological requirements.
Thanks to this method, all the yarns used for Earthly are GRS (Global Recycled Standard) certified, which guarantees traceability and control of the entire production chain.
In order to retain as many sustainable credentials as possible for this fabric, we have only made one post-production treatment, a Crib 5 backing cloth.
In 2023, it was time to change our packaging, we decided to go with as sustainable a
solutions as possible, using all FSC certified recycled paper. We eliminated all plastics from
our in-house packaging and use our office waste in an imaginative way when sending larger
items.