Ethics & Sustainability

OVERVIEW:

Cadenshae is 100% owned and operated in New Zealand, and is headquartered near Whangarei in the country’s north. We’re delighted to share what we’re currently doing to help the environment, and also how we’re becoming more socially responsible through a number of exciting initiatives.

At Cadenshae, we focus on creating and manufacturing clothes in a way that cares for people and communities the world over, whilst minimising the impact on our planet.

THE TEAM AT CADENSHAE:

Ethical fashion focuses on the fair treatment of people at every stage along the supply chain. Cadenshae ensures individuals are paid fairly for their skills, work in safe environments, and are always treated with respect and understanding. Most of our staff work out of the Cadenshae headquarters, but we do have some staff who work remotely.

OUR WORKSPACE:

We’re tidy Kiwis in our office and we believe every little bit helps! We have eliminated the use of paper and plastic coffee cups, and have invested in a ‘café style’ coffee machine so our workers aren’t tempted to buy takeaway coffees.

Early on in the piece we bought a quality stove top so our staff would be more likely to make their own lunch, or had the ability to reheat leftovers from home. We found by doing this, (just like the coffee) our employees were less likely to buy takeaways. This reduces rubbish, but it also reduces food waste too! A double win!

Since our inception, we’ve had a large recycling bin in our kitchen, and we discourage the use of plastic water bottles. Our employees are encouraged to have a reusable water bottle which they can refill with delicious Northland filtered water at work. We steer clear from printing if it’s not deemed absolutely necessary and we re-use office paper and boxes where we can. 

SUPPLIERS:

Since 2014, Cadenshae has worked in partnership with the same suppliers and factories in China to develop a sound Ethical Code of Practice. This pertains to fair living wages, child labour, overtime, safety at work, best environmental practices etc. and is aligned with industry standards. We nurture our relationship with our growing suppliers and factory workers to ensure quality control, consistency and reliability of orders. Because of this, we’re able to quickly resolve any issues that may arise throughout the production process and work towards a mutually beneficial solution.

Fabric is also sourced from China, and our Production Manager has personally visited our partners to not only solidify relationships, but to share information and ensure standards for the working environment are truly being met. These visits also help us to support our suppliers in any change we introduce. 

In the near future, Cadenshae plans to develop an exchange with our suppliers so we can host them in New Zealand and show them a bit of Kiwi!

CLOTHING:

At Cadenshae we’re focused on making smaller runs of high-quality apparel which is made to last. We go against the fashion industry model of bringing out a new range each season and keep our stock levels consistent with customer demand. This means we don’t need to have major reductions and sales at the end of each season. We order what we need, and that’s it.

Our clothing is not only designed to go the distance, but it’s also very versatile, meaning consumers don’t need to buy excessive amounts of our clothing as it can be worn for many different occasions. Our clothing can easily be dressed up or down and serves a number of purposes. We’ve got you covered! To this end, we also focus on classic styles that can be worn for working out in or just casually to your best mate’s BBQ! We don’t focus on ‘trends’ that generally work for one season and are then neglected. Having classic pieces that don’t ‘date,’ means people can wear these pieces over several seasons with confidence.

Another awesome aspect is that we keep our best sellers year after year. Our Fit2Feed and Everyday Bras have been around since we first launched and continue to be absolute favourites. By doing this, it means we have very little fabric waste as we are able to use any leftover materials again for the next run.

Furthermore, we have developed a range called ‘Shine Bright,’ where the material is made up of 80% recycled plastic bottles. A quality material made to last and reduce landfill waste. A double win yet again! And finally, we do not waste any of our clothing or materials. Seconds or samples are sold at a discounted cost, or given away to charity and not-for-profit groups. We are proud to share the love and give back where we can.  Everything we make, we use.

PACKAGING:

Currently, we’re actively researching alternatives to our plastic garment bags, and this will be implemented by 2022. Our current bags are zip lock style, so are reusable. We aim to have bags that will be both re-usable and compostable in the near future.

CHARITIES:

Becoming more socially responsible was something Cadenshae really focused on in 2018. The business was at a point where it could give back and do more. We’re working with the below charities that hugely benefit our customers, and we have offered financial support to all of them.

PLUNKET:

Plunket is a household name in New Zealand, but for those of you who don’t know, Plunket is New Zealand's largest provider of support services for the development, health and wellbeing of children under five. Plunket works together with Kiwi families and communities, to ensure the best start for every child. 

STARSHIP FOUNDATION:

In New Zealand we have a world class children’s hospital called Starship. Starship is the base for child health, empowering care providers across the country to ensure our children get the best care possible.

Cadenshae are official ‘Campaign Supporters’ of The Starship Foundation - a charity that raises funds for the hospital. It’s our goal at Cadenshae, to help bring in more money for Starship, ultimately helping to provide our children with better health and brighter futures.

MOTHERS HELPERS:

Mothers Helpers is another New Zealand based operation, set up to help prevent postnatal depression in mums who are at-risk, and to work towards wellness for mothers with existing postnatal depression. As a company dealing with pregnant and new mums on the daily, supporting an initiative like Mother’s Helpers was a no brainer. As well as providing financial backing to the campaign, we at Cadenshae are dedicated to spreading awareness about this phenomenal resource to help keep our mums happy and healthy. We truly believe a happy mum = a happy child, and there’s nothing more important than that!

LE LECHE LEAGUE - USA

Le Leche League (LLL) is an international organisation that helps parents, families, and communities to breastfeed, chest-feed, and human milk feed their babies through parent-to-parent support. LLL encourages, informs, educates, supports, and promotes the use of human milk and the intimate relationship and development that comes from nursing a child for as long as mutually desired. Many countries throughout the world have their own LLL set up to best help the new mothers and families of their region. Cadenshae are massive advocates of LLLs internationally, but we have set up a special relationship with LLL USA, as we want to help promote breastfeeding in a country where maternity leave is severely limited, thus effecting a mother’s likelihood to nurse for a pro-longed period of time. Many women have to go back to work six weeks postpartum, once their paid maternity leave has ended.  We have sponsored a number of events throughout the USA, and will continue to show our support when needed.

LE LECHE LEAGUE – Canada

Le Leche League Canada provides mother-to-mother/parent-to-parent/peer support for pregnant women, new parents and beyond. In person, by phone, online, and in informal group meetings, Canadian LLL Leaders assist new mothers by providing evidence-based information on breastfeeding and human milk. LLL Canada aims to help parents raise happy, healthy children in every province and territory.  In the same way we are aligned with LLL USA, we also campaign LLL Canada and adore what they do for the women and families of Canada, at no cost. We will provide sponsorship to this organisation when needed, to ensure they keep up their fantastic work.

OWN SOCIAL INITIATIVE - SISTER SUPPORT:

Aside from supporting charities close to our heart, we have created ‘Sister Support,’ which is an on-going campaign whereby women throughout the world donate their old bras to a local charity, then receive 20% off their next Cadenshae purchase. Not only does this program help women who’re in need, but it also aims to reduce waste by recycling these preloved bras.

SUMMARY:

We believe ethical and sustainable practices are always a work in progress and we’re continually working to be the best we can be in all facets of the business.  Resources are being put into researching and implementing best practice and we will continue to make innovative, positive changes within our community, supply chain and environment. 

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