The Journey Towards Sustainability

A study released in 2018 documented that the ubiquitous plastic shopping bag was found at 36,000 feet depth in the ocean. In 2019, Victor Vescovo found a plastic bag at the bottom of the MarianaTrench (~36,000 ft deep) during his dive.

Reading about these moved something in me; it was the wake-up call we all needed. “Be the change you wish to see in the world – and with these words, we embark upon our Sustainability journey. I use the word “journey” now, but back then I just didn’t want us to move the needle on being Sustainable but rather attain it in its entirety, almost immediately.  But as we started researching and understanding the depth and magnitude of this wondrous phenomenon, we understood that this can be achieved one smart practice at a time and a culmination of that is what we as a company can strive to achieve.

First and foremost, we wanted to minimise the use of polyester fabrics as every time a polyester garment is washed, millions of microfibres are released in the ocean. These microfibers are nothing but tiny strands of plastic that are consumed by aquatic life. Crafting eco-conscious collections which are polyester-free and synthetic-free henceforth seemed like taking a wise stance. Although, a part of us even wanted to obliterate the old poly fabrics and finished garments we had on our shelves but, after hours of debate we all decided that it was not the best decision from an economic standpoint. Further, it would rather defeat the purpose of being sustainable in the first place as discarding it would inevitably reach the landfill. Thus, we would not have been true to our mission.

So what is our mission? Well, we aspire to be a truly sustainable work-appropriate clothing brand. We don’t have all the answers, but we now know to ask questions and then find answers. Most often, we will find the answers within ourselves. Our rich culture was full of sustainable practices, we just need to look inwards. Right from drinking water in steel glasses from central earthen pots to replacing pens with recycled paper pencils, there are endless ways to be eco-friendly; we just need to get started. While on this path like us, you too will encounter a lot of questions like – Is glass sustainable (only 45% is recycled in India)? Is paper sustainable (cutting trees)? What about Bamboo (it’s a grass)? Well,  keep searching for the answers, keep seeking. All in all, we need to buy less, buy well, re-use, re-cycle and make stuff last.

Our new collections – ‘The Work-from-Home Edit’ and ‘The White Linens’ are a step in this direction. Linen is natural, breathable and sustainable. We’re happy to be able to provide timeless designs without hurting the planet.

The August Co. has started this journey towards Sustainability. Have you?

-Vidhi Singhal