CUSTOMER SERVICE
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E-mail: info@thecomarche.com
About Forét
Forét was founded back in 2014 by the two childhood friends, Jeppe and Jesper. The two had the ambition to create a brand that inspires consumers to slow down, go offline & explore nature.
The result was Forét, a clothing and lifestyle brand whose name is inspired by the French word for forest. Today, the Copenhagen based brand creates pieces from quality fabrics and responsible materials that are equally good for the office and for the urban outdoors. The brand’s styles are simplistic in design yet carry a careful attention to detail.
Forét has had an impressive growth since its start in 2014. However, the brand has never lost sight of their vision even when demand increased and the brand’s sustainable journey was challenged. Forét’s vision is to be respectful to the environment and contribute to making a change for a better and more responsible future. To live up to this vision, Forét has always been grounded in transparency and honesty. As they say themselves, they are not the best but they are doing their best. Forét is aware of the part they play in the fashion industry, and the brand takes pride in the effort they take towards sustainable fashion and responsible production.
Brand Ethos
At the core of Forét lies a passion for the outdoors, nature and for our planet. This is visible throughout the entire value chain with a strong focus on transparency more than anything else. Bravo!
Brand sustainability
Forét is an advocate for a more sustainable future where consumers are guided by buying less and buying right instead of living in the fast fashion bubble of today. The brand is driven by their desire to create clothing and lifestyle items that are durable, timeless and seasonless. On the journey to fulfill this desire, Forét has outlined some clear guidelines which they follow. These guidelines are based on three pillars:
1) Design & Development
2) Fabrics
3) Production.
Firstly, Forét wanted their brand and its sustainable initiatives to start all the way at the initial drawing table. Every item at Forét is designed to function outside of the traditional seasonal fashion agenda. The brand’s pieces are seasonless and long-lasting. It is a holistic approach that prioritizes durability, quality and the right materials. In the design and development phase of a Forét piece, the amount of samples and prototypes is also minimized. At Forét, old styles are built on old silhouettes and the brand receives only six sets of sales samples when designing their timeless items.
Second, Forét looked closely into the fabrics they use for their styles. Forét realizes that one of the biggest sinners in terms of environmental impact is fabrics. Therefore, Forét are particular about choosing materials that extend the lifetime of an item and can be recycled when discarded. 90% of Forét’s garments are made from mono fabrics since it increases the possibility of recycling immensely. The majority of Forét’s fabrics are also certified by third-party standards. Primarily, Forét uses GOTS certified cotton as well as recycled materials that live up to GRS, the Global Recycled Standard. Likewise, Forét are also transparent about which fabrics they use in production, both responsible and conventional. The responsible fabrics the brand uses are GOTS-certified organic cotton, GRS-standard Recycled Polyester and GRS-standard Recycled Wool. The conventional fabrics the brand uses are regular cotton, polyester and wool. As The Comarché does not accept products made from conventional cotton and polyester, these will not be included in the Forét portfolio here.
Thirdly, Forét pays close attention to their production methods. Energy consumption, water & chemical use, carbon emissions, and the hardworking employees behind each garment – Forét does their part to ensure that they use the most environmentally friendly and sustainable methods for each of these processes. First and foremost, Forét prioritizes suppliers and manufacturers from inside the EU. 95% of Forét’s production is located in Portugal where quality requirements are ensured through collaborations with third party offices. Forét also looks at the amount of items produced and minimize their waste by producing only what is strictly necessary.
Lastly, Forét uses recycled materials for their packaging. A small yet important step. All Forét’s hang tags are made from recycled paper, their poly bags for transportation of garments are made from recycled plastic, and their poly mailers for shipping are also made from recycled plastic. As Forét says themselves, recycled is good, but in the future the brand aims to reduce all plastic being used.
The Comarché Notes
We love that Forét manages to combine contemporary styles with a transparent approach to sustainability. As there is a continued focus to improve, we cannot wait to see which important steps Forét will take next.
Certifications, councils and pacts
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Brands receive this certification either on brand level or in relation to the Product Life Cycle as depicted in the Comarché Framework. GOTS is a global standard for organic fibers. It covers the processing, manufacturing, packaging, labeling, trading, and distribution of all textiles made from at least 70% certified organic natural fibers. The textiles must meet a certain set of environmental standards (toxicity, wastewater, etc.) as well as social criteria in accordance with the International Labor Organization. There are a number of different certifying bodies that can actually award certification, but all of them use the same standards.
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Brands receive this certification either on brand level or in relation to the Product Life Cycle as depicted in the Comarché Framework. A track and trace system that verifies the number of recycled parts or materials in a given product. The GRS is intended to meet the needs of companies looking to verify the recycled content of their products (both finished and intermediate) and to verify responsible social, environmental and chemical practices in their production. The objectives of the GRS are to define requirements to ensure accurate content claims and good working conditions, and that harmful environmental and chemical impacts are minimised. This includes companies in ginning, spinning, weaving and knitting, dyeing and printing and stitching in more than 50 countries.
UN’s Sustainable Development Goals
The Brand does not work actively with the Sustainable Development Goals yet.
See all Sustainable Development Goals from the United Nations here.
See all Sustainable Development Goals from the United Nations here.
Sustainable highlights on brand level
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This indicates that the brand in a developed country operates with fair prices given to the producers of the product in developing countries.
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This indicates that the brand has taken an active stand in relation to labour relations between workers and employers.
Product Lifecycle
Design
The Design Phase is a crucial part of determining a product’s sustainable capabilities. We’ve chosen to highlight a few genius steps that enable a sustainable product right from the beginning.
Material & Material Extraction
The materials used for a certain product and how these materials come to life are of crucial importance to the sustainable capabilities we seek in products.
Transportation of Materials
This step relates to the transportation of the raw materials from when they are first obtained (harvested etc.) to the production site. Obviously, the closer to the production site, the better.
Production
Obviously, the production of a certain product has an impact on the overall level of sustainability. Luckily, many manufacturers have now taken steps towards more sustainable production methods.
Packaging
How a brand chooses to package its products will have a significant influence of the carbon impact from packaging and transportation.
Distribution
This step relates to the distribution of products when they have been produced. Obviously, the closer to the brand’s warehouse, the better.
Usage
How you choose to use and take care of a product has a bigger impact than you think. Just think about how much longer a shirt lasts if it has been washed in the right way.
End of life
At this step, there is no way out and we have to find some way of discarding our product. How we discard a product will significantly influence the opportunity of reusing materials used.
