Sustainability

Leave nothing but footprints…

Striving to do better by our planet and all that call it home

This is not fast fashion, this is clothing with a conscience. We stand for slow, responsible style that’s crafted around a commitment both to ethical, Fair Trade and to sustainability in its widest sense. 

In our endeavour to do better by the planet and those we share it with, we’re always thinking about our impact on the environment, the global community and all living things, taking steps to minimise it at every opportunity.

From the eco-friendly dyes we use in our garments to the family-run businesses we help to grow sustainably, and the natural-fibre fabrics we source locally in India, our sustainable approach to business reaches far and wide. 

Because feeling good in what we wear is about more than how it looks.

Our products

Quality not quantity

We’re inspired by trends but we’re not tied to them. Instead, we design and make beautiful quality clothes in contemporary styles that will stand the test of time. Our capsule collections are built to be mixed, matched and layered, creating fresh looks without the need to constantly buy new.

By thinking outside the fast fashion cycle, we aim to inspire more considered buying habits and show that it’s entirely possible to live a stylish and sustainable life. 

Choosing the best natural fibres

You won’t find anything synthetic around here. 100% of the fabrics we use are made from the best quality pure natural fibres like organic cotton and sustainable viscose, which are not only biodegradable but stay cleaner for longer thanks to their natural antibacterial and breathable qualities. So you’ll be able to go more days between washes, reducing the amount of water and energy it takes to care for your Nomads Clothing. And because they’re naturally biodegradable and plastic free, they won’t pollute our oceans with microplastics.

While the development of synthetic fibres has allowed people to create and purchase clothing faster and more cheaply, it has inevitably come at a cost to the planet. We choose to use authentic, natural fibre fabrics like BCI cotton and GOTS-certified organic cotton because they’re kinder to skin, producers and the environment. 

Eco-friendly printing & dyeing 

We don’t use the kind of harmful chemicals or abrasive treatments that are commonly used in the fast fashion industry – things like formaldehyde, azo dyes or bleaching. Instead, our suppliers use environmentally approved non-azo dyes that are also free from animal products and never tested on animals.

Our producers

Who made your clothes?

We make it our business to know where all of our products are made, and have built lifelong relationships with our producers by keeping in regular, close contact. We only work with suppliers who continually meet our expected standards for working conditions and fair wages as part of our Fair Trade policy.

We ask all of our suppliers to sign up to our Code of Conduct and work with them to ensure transparency throughout the production process. All (except the very smallest) of our producers are members of Sedex, a global supply network that aims to make more socially and environmentally sustainable businesses and supply chains. We and a number of our producers are also GOTS certified, which means all steps in the processing, manufacturing and trading of organic textiles meet their strict ecological and social criteria.

We’re proud supporters of the Fashion Revolution campaign, and encourage consumers to ask: Who made your clothes?

Sustainable by design

Celebrating heritage skills and artisan methods is not only at the heart of our design philosophy; it’s a core element of our sustainable business ethos. 

By incorporating traditional methods like hand tie-dye, embroidery and handloom ikat into our clothing, we’re helping to keep these ancient skills alive while also providing an income for smaller artisan producers.

Not only that, but producing fabrics using a traditional handloom helps save one tonne of CO2 a year that’s created by using a mechanical loom – making it kinder for the planet too.

Supporting long-term growth

Producing and manufacturing cotton into textiles has played an important role in India’s historical and cultural development since prehistoric times. It’s often referred to as “white gold” and continues to be the main textile produced in India today, where the government are working hard to secure the industry’s stability and sustainability for the future. 

Cotton has always been our first choice of fabric, and we’re proud to have grown the Nomads brand around it while also helping to grow the economy in India. All the cotton used in the Nomads collection is grown in India and produced in accordance with our Fair Trade policy to ensure fair treatment and wages for workers, and minimal environmental impact.  

Working with trusted partners in India means we’re able to empower economically-disadvantaged communities, family-owned businesses and skilled craftspeople through regular employment and opportunities, to work towards a more positive future for themselves and their families. Our use of traditional crafts like tie-dye, Ikat and handloom weaving also provides income to smaller Fair Trade groups, many in rural communities, and helps keep these specialist skills alive for future generations. 

As our orders increase with each supplier, we stay in regular contact to help them manage their business growth and work through any challenges that may arise with increased production. We also help our valued small producers access new customers and markets by passing on their details to other Fair Trade businesses and showing their work at trade shows.

One planet

Doing our best for our only home

We are always looking for new ways to minimise our impact on the environment, and work closely with everyone involved in our journey to do the same – from our UK head office to our production partners in India, and our worldwide retailers in between.

In India, we source our fabrics and trims as locally to our Fair Trade suppliers as possible to minimise the carbon footprint of every garment. Water gets recycled at our production plants, and all factory discharges are kept within legal limits to ensure they have minimal impact on the environment or people. And, apart from the rare occasion when a supplier has faced delays and we’ve had to air freight garments, all our goods are transported by sea.

We recycle paper, glass, plastic and all other recyclable waste from our offices, and on occasions when it’s necessary to travel for business, we choose the method of transport that has the least environmental impact.

To save perfectly usable items from landfill, we donate product samples and rejects to charity and repurpose remnant fabrics.

Sustainable down to the packaging 

Our product packaging is plastic free and fully biodegradable.

We send online orders out to our customers in Nomads-branded, brown paper packages, made from FSC sustainable sources. Our individual garment packaging is made from non-GMO cornstarch which is fully compostable and can be safely disposed of in your food waste or regular household bin.

Exterior packaging is cardboard and either reused or recycled. Our swing tags and biannual catalogues are all printed on uncoated FSC-certified materials using vegetable-based inks, which means they’ll biodegrade without leaching harmful substances into the environment.

The Earth belongs to us all

Along with humankind, it’s important to us that we do everything in our power to protect our precious biodiversity, fragile ecosystems and the wellbeing of every living thing.

That’s why we make sure the farming and harvesting of the fibres we use to make our clothing do not contribute to habitat loss or destruction. It’s also the reason we never use wool, silk, exotic skins, fur or feathers anywhere in our collections. And no animal testing or products are used in the making of our dyes. 

In fact, the only animal-derived materials we use in our collections are LWG-certified suede and responsibly sourced mother-of-pearl, both of which are made from food by-products and naturally biodegrade.

All other garments are fully vegan, meaning they contain no animal products or animal-tested materials as well as being ethically made without the exploitation of animals. 

You’ll find all our fabric and trimmings content clearly listed in each individual product description if you’d like more information.

Our projects

Supporting NEWLIFE

We donate our product samples and rejected items to Newlife, a charity that supports the families of children with disabilities or terminal illnesses. They sell them in their shops, not only helping the charity raise funds to buy much-needed equipment, but also saving the items from going to landfill.

Backing sustainable retail

We’re proud members of a number of collectives that are championing ethical fashion and Fair Trade, including BAFTS Fairtrade Network (British Association of Fairtrade Shops and Suppliers), Common Objective, an innovative online platform taking sustainable fashion from niche to norm, and the Fashion Revolution campaign which encourages consumers to ask: Who made your clothes?

In our continual endeavour to do the best for both people and the planet, it’s important to us to step off the beaten track and make a positive difference beyond the world of Nomads.

“Take nothing but memories, leave nothing but footprints.”