Sustainability

From Our T- shirt Manufacturers

Water Reduction

We dye all of our fabric in Los Angeles and abide by some of the strictest EPA regulations in the world. The dyes we use are environmentally friendly and Blue Sign approved. By using ultra-efficient dye machines, we use 7x less water than the average clothing manufacturer, saving 24 million gallons a week. Any water we do use goes through a filtration system that ensures no chemicals or dyes end up in our natural water systems.

Energy Reduction

We are a green company through and through - taking every opportunity we can to reduce our co2 emissions. If you take a quick tour around our headquarters you'll find we use motion-sensor LED lighting and skylights throughout each building, and electric car charging stations to encourage employees to go green.

Virtually Zero Waste

Our manufacturing facilities and LA Headquarters produce almost no landfill because we recycle pretty much everything that can't be turned into a tee. We've optimized our cutting to reduce plastic use, and excess fabric is recycled into a number of things like baby bibs or stuffing for upholstery. Let nothing go to waste! In 2021 or early in 2022 we will be building multi megawatt solar farms in Nicaragua and Honduras, helping these countries move from dirty fossil fuels to renewable energy.

Commitment to Workplace Standards

At BELLA+CANVAS, we proudly announced when, in October 2019, our company joined the Fair Labor Association (FLA), a collaborative organization of socially responsible companies, universities, and civil society organizations, dedicated to protecting workers' rights around the world. This was a big step for all of us together, both at BELLA+CANVAS and among all our business partners. Joining the FLA means that we commit to upholding its workplace standards and implementing its principles of responsible purchasing and production as we work toward attaining FLA accreditation, a recognition of companies which demonstrate that best practices are critical to their business success.

To get there, we have been rolling out new policies and procedures, strengthening our management systems, hiring experienced social compliance professionals, conducting trainings internally and for manufacturing partners, and submitting ourselves and our suppliers to social compliance audits that ensure we are maintaining highest standards for social responsibility throughout our operations. As a first step in this process, we adopted a new Workplace Code of Conduct in our owned facilities and required the same at any factory manufacturing BELLA+CANVAS products. To help our own factory staff and our partners adopt and implement the new Code, we developed a Social Compliance Manual, which clearly explains our expectations and processes.

Since our founding over 25 years ago, BELLA+CANVAS has always embraced social responsibility in how we conduct our business. Starting in 2017, our facilities have been WRAP-certified, and we have sourced only from WRAP-certified factories. Our FLA affiliation is testament to our ongoing priority for respecting human rights and maintaining high labor standards throughout our supply chain. To further this commitment, upon joining FLA, we hired a Social Compliance team to implement these programs. In order to ensure we prioritize the most pressing issues at hand, the team regularly engages subject matter experts, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders to discuss and obtain guidance and feedback on our initiatives. Such civil society organizations include those involved in the Americas Group, and those participating directly with the Fair Labor Association.

Quality

Apparel made with superior quality materials and good construction are better for the environment and stand the test of time. We only partner with high quality brands dedicated to sustainably manufacturing long lasting apparel. Screen printing is by far the highest quality and most durable method for printing custom apparel. Our prints will last the life of the garment and only get better with age.

Ink

Our inks do not contain ozone-depleting chemicals such as CFCs, HCFCs, aromatic hydrocarbons or volatile solvents. They are also free of lead, heavy metals and toxic chemicals. Our inks passed the Oeko-Tex® Standard 100 Class 1 and are safe to use on underwear and baby clothes (infants under 2 years). Print Natural inks were also granted Approval by the Soil Association in the UK, having successfully met the requirements of the Global Organic Textiles Standards (GOTS) for use in organic textile processing. The ink ingredients are not sourced from animals and our inks are not tested on animals. Ingredients that are sourced from plants are certified GMO free!

Water

We understand water is a precious resource and do everything we can to use it with care and respect. We filter all outgoing water down to 20 microns which is about the size of a white blood cell. Dip tanks are used for developing and reclaiming screens dramatically cutting down our water usage. The water in our dip tanks is reused for at least 6 months before it is filtered and replaced.