SUSTAINABILITY

Today, an estimated 40.3 million people are trapped in slavery worldwide, more than at any time in living history 24.9 million of these are in forced labour,  exploited in the private sector through domestic work, construction, agriculture or manufacturing; and 4.8 million persons are in forced sexual exploitation. 

We don’t believe the fashion industry should exploit people or create poverty; we believe the opposite, that it can be a force for good and an active solution to some of the great social injustices of our world. Today, Beulah works with different types of vulnerable communities across the globe, from women who have been rescued from the illegal sex trade, to those widowed during civil wars and women who are victims of domestic abuse.

Providing these vulnerable and trafficked women with sustainable employment opportunities enables them to break the cycle of poverty and re-exploitation.

We know that when women are empowered to earn an income, they reinvest 90 percent of that income back Into health, education, food, children and their communities, compared to 30 percent for their male counterparts. This means that in turn, women  empowered through sustainable employment are able to lift their families and entire communities out of poverty. 

 We have sought out Impact Partners across the world that share our same vision.

 We work with NGO’s, social enterprises and fair trade co-operatives and small specialist manufacturers who employ vulnerable communities to use regional artisanal techniques such as hand-embroidery, block printing and hand spinning in the production of our garments. 

Our intention is to celebrate the profound and timeless skills of these craftspeople by providing a platform through which they can share their craft and gain economic independence.

The early years of Beulah were spent developing our proof-of-concept, identifying and building relationships with our Impact Partners and refining our Freedom Model.  Once we were happy, we set out to understand the tangible impact of our work on the lives of vulnerable 

women and their communities. Since 2017, along with the customers who buy Beulah, we have provided 28,032 hours of employment for women in India, Nepal and Bangladesh through the commission of hand block printing, embroidery and sewing of our products. 

We are now working closely with our Impact partners to help them build capacity and skills so that they are able to take

 on a larger percentage of our total production and in turn provide greater levels of employment, empowering even more women.

The fashion industry is accountable for millions of people working in unsafe conditions and not being fairly

 paid for the work they do. We aim to show it can be done differently by operating with transparency, accountability and demanding fair and safe working conditions from each of our partners. Our aim is to prove that fashion can be a restorative industry that empowers the people who bring our collections to life.  

From the weavers of the fabric to the manufacturers who create our garments, we are proud to be

 contributing to our global Beulah community and providing work to small, often family owned businesses. 

We have close relationships with each of our partners to ensure that human conditions are fair and safe. 

We visit our suppliers regularly and support their efforts to reach our high standards. 

Every garment we make is carefully crafted from the finest materials and with ethical and environmental 

consideration, so that each piece is valued for its quality and integrity. We are dedicated to keeping environmental degradation to a minimum and we are working on continuously improving the transparency of our supply chain.

Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for our customers to understand the supply chain of our garments so therefore we have created our sustainability icons. You will find these on each product web pages, giving you more detail on the story behind the garment. 

From the raw materials we use to our alterations and repairs service in our boutique,we continually assess

how we operate to minimise our environmental impact. Read on to learn more

We work closely with our suppliers to source fabrics that are as conscientious as they are luxurious. All

 of our materials are chosen with intention and care; we use certified organic cotton along with staple fibers 

such as linen, which require very little water or fertiliser to grow.

 We focus on natural fibres which biodegrade

 much more quickly than man made materials and when washed pollute our waters far less than 

synthetic fabrics. Our design team are continually investigating new fabric options in order to

 keep pace with the best environmental practises.

CASHMERE & WOOL 

We use a small amount of cashmere which is sourced from Mongolia before being spun and women 

using traditional methods by a social enterprise in Nepal.For wool we partner with an Italian mill who produce 

specialist yarns using strict and conscientious environmental processes. The wool comes from sheep that 

have been treated with respect, bred on sustainable farms and not been subjected to mulesing. Mulesing 

is a cruel and painful process to remove a sheep's skin often incurred in traditional wool production. 

This type of breeding also minimises CO2 emissions, with the equivalent to ca. 3,370 t of carbon

 saved per year - equivalent to 1,000 return flights from London to Auckland! The yarn is 

dyed with carefully selected dyes and on the principles of Cradle to Cradle® Gold Standard 

certification and the factory is powered by renewable energy.

ORGANIC COTTON

A large percentage of our cotton garments are made using organic cotton. Organic cotton is grown

 from non-genetically modified seeds and without the use of synthetic chemicals, fertilisers or pesticides.

 Organic cotton uses significantly less water (71% less) and less energy (62% less) than traditional cotton, 

as well as being pesticide free. Prioritising the use of organic cotton in our collections is important to 

us as it reduces the impact on people, animals, ecosystems and the environment. We use GOTS for the

 majority of our organic cotton so we know all the steps in the process are properly checked. We’re 

committed to ensuring all cotton products are created using GOTS certified cotton by the end of 2022.

DIGITAL PRINTING

Where possible, we choose digital fabric printing which reduces water waste by 90% compared to traditional methods because the fabric doesn’t need as many rinse cycles. This method also significantly reduces the quantity of chemicals used and fabric wasted because we can adjust a print to fit our garment pieces.

SUSTAINABLE FORESTING

In 2020, we have introduced bio-viscose in to our collections. Viscose is made from trees. 70 million 

trees are being deforested for fabric production every year, with tragically over 70% of the tree being wasted

 during the production process. We use an FSC certified bio-viscose as an alternative. This is the hallmark for

 sustainable forest management, meaning we can rest assured the wood we are using is renewable

 and come from forests that are managed responsibly

We are committed to transparency and traceability in our supply chain. We have great relationships

 with our makers, visiting them on a regular basis to understand the journey our products have been

 on, from where the finished fabric was sourced to how and where the garment was constructed.

We minimise the number of countries each garment travels to during the production process,

 with the vast majority of our products only travelling to 2 countries during their construction. We still manufacture many of our designs directly in the UK, in London and beyond.

We minimise our contribution to landfill by repurposing fabric offcuts to create accessories 

such as our sleep-masks and beauty bags. 

In 2020, all of our paper, cardboard and tissue packaging will be made from FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) 

approved sources and is 100% recyclable. We have also introduced dust bags made entirely from recycled materials.

We repair, restore and alter customers’ much loved Beulah garments to extend their lifespan. 

We also contribute to the fashion circular economy by offering a drop-off point in our 

store where customers can bring preloved clothes to be donated - via Dress for Success - to a woman experiencing disadvantage.

Check out our store opening times and services for more details.