SOCIAL ENTERPRISE

Kalopsia became a Social Enterprise in 2016, after years of striving for social change and improving environmental impact.

At present, there are no official, quantifiable standards for what constitutes ‘ethical’ or ‘sustainable’ within textiles and apparel manufacturing. The Kalopsia team, however, decided that they wanted to officially adhere to a higher standard of working, that could be measured and certified by an external body and the choice was made to become a Social Enterprise.

As a Social Enterprise Kalopsia's primary purpose is our social and environmental mission. Maximising the amount of social good they create while balancing this against our financial goals. Through reinvesting the money they make in the business and the Textiles community as a whole, Kalopsia is able to ensure increased responsible growth in the sector.

So when a Social Enterprise profits society profits.
By sharing new and existing knowledge, in an accessible and transparent way, it is their hope that their platform can become a source of inspiration for any individual, company or organisation working in the field.

Kalopsia Collective is also a proud fellow of the School for Social Entrepreneurs!

 

SUSTAINABILITY 

THE ASSEMBLE CIRCULAR BUSINESS MODEL


Kalopsia Collective has developed the innovative ‘Assemble’ manufacturing model with sustainable circular business in mind. By retaining the maximum amount of textile surplus and knowledge in this closed-loop production system, Kalopsia has drastically improved the environmental, social and economic impact of their manufacturing and that of their clients. Kalopsia's aim is to reclaim the human, economic, and natural resources that otherwise get lost in today’s linear production system. Kalopsia believes that it is by fostering internal and external business ecosystems such as this, that they will as an industry, continue to excel commercially without over-producing and damaging resources.

Kalopsia Collective's circular manufacturing model

WASTE MANAGEMENT

Kalopsia strives to minimise the environmental impact of business and manufacturing operations and is very aware of the social and aesthetic impacts of design and production. Kalopsia carefully considers everything and everyone who is affected by their manufacturing.

We have been developing resource-efficient manufacturing techniques that are less wasteful. To reduce waste, we work closely with designers to make products as environmentally conscious as possible. Kalopsia also recycles all possible fabric cuttings and encourages closed-loop production systems.

WE CAN TURN YOUR SURPLUS, END-OF-ROLL OR SAMPLES INTO PRODUCTS

When textiles are wasted so are the resources, both natural and labour, which were invested and embedded into the fabric. By utilising textile surplus, you can prolong the textile’s lifecycle, slow down unnecessary textile production and reduce the reliance on natural resources. Re-purpose your fabric surplus from as little as 18 cm squares. In addition, by up-cycling unused and redundant textile surplus materials, you can give these materials additional value as products of higher quality. This prevents them from being down-cycled or discarded.

SAY NO TO ‘GREENWASHING’

Say no to greenwashing - Kalopsia Collective

Greenwashing is the practice of making an unsubstantiated or misleading claim about the environmental benefits of a product, service, technology or company practice. Greenwashing can make a company appear to be more environmentally friendly than it really is.

Terms to do with ethics and sustainability have been appearing a lot recently from many brands and platforms and although a lot of businesses are doing some amazing work within this field (some that you would be very surprised by) it’s becoming very hard to tell the difference between a true claim and false one.

Kalopsia is dedicated to producing ethical and sustainable products and everything we do has this in mind. We do however know that we are all on a journey towards sustainability and Kalopsia like all businesses has a long way to go in becoming completely sustainable. Kalopsia is constantly trialling ideas and practices. Every decision we make is to move us closer to this goal. If you would ever like to find out more about why a decision was made by the team or how an idea will work in practice get in contact with the team on social media or email and they would be more than happy to discuss!

ENVIRONMENTAL DECISIONS

Kalopsia has also made the following decisions:

  • Machines: All our machines are fitted with energy-efficient servo motors. This improves the energy usage and reduces environmental impact. It also lowers the impact on the health of our staff (reducing hearing damage and allowing staff to easily spot a fault with the machine).

  • Zips: We only use YKK zips all sourced through UK suppliers. For us, the YKK zips are the most hardwearing and long-lasting zips suitable for our production requirements.

  • Lining fabric: Kalopsia uses a poly-cotton lining fabric for all of its bags, this fabric was chosen as the best compromise of strength, durability and environmental impact. Kalopsia is still trailing pure cotton and pure polyester linings but none so far have been able to meet the performance standards set.

  • Packaging: When Kalopsia sends out products to our clients we use recycled plastic bags. These bags are hardwearing and durable, ensuring that products do not get damaged during transit. All standard parcel bags used by Kalopsia are recyclable through the same recycling systems as plastic supermarket bags.

Harris tweed bag in surplus material

Kalopsia Collective, is also a proud fellow of the School for Social Entrepreneurs!

school for social enterpreneurs