The Forest of FIBI

At FIBI we feel sustainable development is a journey brands embark on, not just a destination.

Therefore, we have created the Forest of FIBI, not only to encourage consumer understanding but also to champion transparency and innovation from our brands.

Each part of the Forest has a unique and dynamic set of underlying principles to represent the ever changing, technology, governance and research done in each area.The Forest of FIBI is a growing and evolving organism of principles guiding sustainable development we ask our brands to adhere to and strive for.

The Forest of FIBI community standards cover what we believe are some of the fundamentals of sustainable development: 

Where did it come from?

What is it made of?

How is it made?

So, what does this actually mean?

As part of our onboarding process we want to understand more about a brand’s supply chain asking them about the different steps in their process. We want to know the ins and outs, the ups and downs and we ask for clarity on as much as possible.

What is it made of?

We’re want to know the ins and outs of the makeup of your product. 

Why do we care? Fabric is one of the most important parts of creating great clothes (amongst a load of other things), and we really REALLY care about what you’re wearing. We believe activewear and swimwear has to be durable and long lasting, not just for two sessions at the gym perfect for living your best life. Some of the questions we ask

Is it based on recycled materials?

Are they using natural materials?

Are the fabrics themselves responsibly sourced?

WHERE DID IT COME FROM?

This includes where the fabric was created, and where it was assembled.

Each brand has their own story behind where they choose to source their garments from, this could be that they searched far and wide before building an amazing relationship with their supplier, or they used recommendations from their past experience to decide on where to source their products from.

How is it made?

It’s all well and good having great fabrics created close to home, but if it’s created using wasteful processes and no understanding of what the working conditions are like, we’re not really sure. We ask all our brands to ensure their labour standards are high through independent verification, with fair wages, and ethical treatment of their workers and working conditions as specified in our Supply Code of Conduct. 

Some of the things we look for include:

Renewable energy

Zero Waste

Family run manufacturers

Off cut usage

Pollution prevention

Fair wages and ethical working conditions

Water recycling system 

Biodiversity initiatives

OEKO tex certified - safe chemicals

The Forest of FIBI is an ongoing, evolving set of community principles we like to think will grow into something really special, so, if you have any questions, suggestions or recommendations, please do let us know.

Watch this space!