Making sustainable clothing is a challenge, let alone when you’re responsible for 2.5 million pieces of children’s clothing a year. The Jolo Fashion Group is moving forward and building a sustainable, social and successful company. Inge Dommerholt and Meauraine van Gorp implement the group’s sustainable policy.
“Due to the forthcoming changes in legislation and regulations ‘Extended Producer Responsibility (UPV)’, which will come into force on January 1, 2023, steps must be taken,” begins Dommerholt. Compliance with the law is the bare minimum. According to Dommerholt, the fashion industry is under the magnifying glass and will have to develop sustainably under considerable pressure. FashionUnited asked Jolo’s sustainability experts how the group is already doing this on a large scale.
What steps should you take if you want to become more sustainable as a producer?
“As a group of children’s clothing brands, Jolo is committed to the future of our children. We work with all of our brands and partners to make our operations more sustainable and fair. This long-term commitment only works with strong pillars for a socially and ecologically sustainable chain. We not only value the perfect picture, but also the overall picture. That is why we have set up three sustainability pillars with which we challenge ourselves to become more sustainable: a social and sustainable chain, sustainable materials and shared learning.”
How do you work on a sustainable chain?
“Transparency in our supply chain is a prerequisite for making the right decisions. In 2019 we audited our 17 largest production sites. Based on the data, we have created conditions that our partners and suppliers must meet. We work with them to ensure compliance and actively improve their performance through CAPs and Supplier Summits – meetings where we educate and educate our suppliers to stay future-ready together.
In April 2022, we started a new phase of our “chain transparency” project with our 12 largest suppliers, in which we try to map the production chain via online blockchain technology. The insights we gain from this are extremely valuable and we will use them in the further rollout of our sustainability strategy.
Finally, Jolo wants to minimize its own carbon footprint – with its physical role in sales, warehousing, showrooms and office space. In 2019 our offices in Weesp and Amstelveen moved to a new climate neutral office in Amsterdam (energy label A++++) and solar panels were installed on the roof of our existing location in Made. It is planned to merge the offices and sales in Made and Breda in a new building to be built. This will make us climate-neutral.”
How does Jolo feel about sustainable materials?
“We use the Good Better Best purchasing policy for our material selection, which sets minimum good that our materials must meet while challenging you to find the best materials.
For the summer season 2023 +/- 50% of our polyester jackets were made from recycled material and for the winter collection it will be 75%. Currently +/- 70% of our cotton products contain a sustainable component such as CmiA cotton, organic cotton, OCS or GOTS certified cotton and in 2024 this will apply to all our cotton. We do not use animal materials such as fur, down, angora and wool. Our polybags are made from 100% recycled polyester. All of our suppliers have followed our Restricted Substance List (RSL) since 2017. The goal of the RSL is to prevent the use of hazardous substances in the manufacture of our clothing.”
This year we received the GOTS Scope certificate and we are proud of that. When we work with GOTS-certified suppliers, they can now label our products with a GOTS seal. The GOTS label guarantees environmentally and socially responsible production
How can you learn together with your parties?
“Jolo has longstanding relationships with partners, suppliers and customers. We learn, innovate and create together. A special focus is on the development of our community in the field of sustainability.
In cooperation with an external consultant, we enable our employees and suppliers to learn about sustainability in workshops and summits. In this way, they will be informed and inspired to take on our challenges together. Twice a year we give practical cases to designers and brand managers. Since 2020 we have also been offering team coaching for all brands within our organization to discuss their sustainability goals and directions.
In 2022, we launched Happy Team Meetings with colleagues from different functions and locations to put internal sustainable employability at Jolo on the map. These meetings lead to fun action points that contribute to employee happiness, health and sustainable initiatives.”
How do you measure your sustainable progress?
In line with our pillars, we have set ourselves goals. First of all, we want more transparency on the chain: we want to know where our products are made and we are working on the transparency on the chain with an online blockchain technology. We also have the social goal of producing fairly & safely. Of our 6 main suppliers, 17 production sites were assessed against our minimum requirements. They actively improve their performance based on CAPs, corrective action plans that we help them define. We will continue to expand this in the coming years, with the aim of having all our suppliers evaluated by 2025.
About Jolo Fashion Group
The Dutch Jolo Fashion Group was founded in 1976 as a producer of children’s fashion – from babies to teenagers. More than 100 experienced professionals in Europe make Jolo a real specialist in the design and production of children’s clothing. In addition to own brands and existing brands of large retailers, the group also supplies own brands. The 18 brands share Jolo’s back office, but each has its own DNA and operates autonomously. Together they form an international brand portfolio. The Jolo Fashion Group as a whole is a vibrant, creative company that is constantly growing and innovating.