SUSTAINABILITY STANDARDS.
Outland Denim exists at the nexus of human rights, environmental rights and the economic necessity of creating sustainable livelihoods.
According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), there are links between the exploitation of people and ‘ecocide’ (i.e. the “destruction of the natural environment, especially when deliberate”).
Climate change acts to exacerbate inequalities, insofar as vulnerabilities to climate change coupled with global economic forces are more likely to send people into poverty.
In this way, sustainability is more than just environmental. Sustainability is social, environmental, and economic.
Good By Humanity. Good By Nature.
Our Standards.
Outland Denim recognises its role as a responsible member of the global community and in turning the tide against a dirty denim industry: to create one that is safe, fair and clean.
To this end, the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are embedded into Outland's operational framework. Our SDG alignment is reviewed each year as we move toward publishing our annual Impact Reports and setting our goals for the years to come.
As a certified B Corporation™, we are required to uphold the highest standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. Assessed across five categories – governance, workers, community, the environment, and customers – B Corporations must undergo a rigorous recertification process every three years. We are currently one of the highest ranked B Corporations globally.
Beyond the B Corporation standard, we only work with suppliers who are able to uphold our sustainability criteria, as outlined in our Supplier Code of Conduct. Our code has been set upon the foundations of The Ethical Trading Initiative Base Code (ETI Base Code) and the International Labor Organization’s Four Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.
Outland Denim is privileged to align with suppliers leading the industry in their conduct on social and environmental matters.
Our pursuit of GOTS certified organic denim has taken us to Turkey, where we have worked with our key denim mill and fabric supplier, Bossa, since our inception. Their dedication to their craft and sustainability principles means that we have been able to forge a strong partnership, which has enabled us to verify our full organic cotton denim supply chain from the cotton seed to the farm and mill. We achieved this milestone in 2021.
In 2020, we also instigated a supply chain communications program, known as Sag Salim, in partnership with Precisions Solutions Group (PSG), IN2 Communications, Bossa and Nudie Jeans Co. to communicate with workers at the cotton farm level in Turkey. You can read about the program here.
Beyond denim, which represents the lion's share of our overall material composition and consumption, we use industry leading suppliers who share our commitment to people, planet and creating shared prosperity. You can view our full supply chain here.
For its part, as a purchaser of goods impacting the supply chain, Outland Denim has also developed a Responsible Purchasing Policy and Strategy. This Policy outlines a minimum set of standards of ethical and responsible behaviour to be met by Outland Denim buyers, including anti-corruption and bribery principles. The Policy is based upon the Ethical Trading Initiative Guide to Buying Responsibly.
Each year, we publish a voluntary Modern Slavery Statement in accordance with the Australian Modern Slavery Act 2018 and in support of all organisations actively seeking and working to address issues of modern slavery in their supply chains. We also submit an annual progress report to the UN Global Compact.
Since 2020, Outland Denim has published an annual Impact Report detailing how we have progressed toward our sustainability goals and where we still have room to improve and grow. We believe this level of transparency with our customers, suppliers and investors is crucial to our social legitimacy as a business in a time of climate change and uncertainty globally.
View our annual Impact Reports
