Sustainability
Design made to last yet made with less.
We are truly committed to shaping a beautiful future for generations to come. That’s why, we create design made to last. Formed with much passion and care, in every seam and delicate detail. With caring comfort for the children who will wear it. Our timeless and nostalgic styles outlast trends and span the seasons. Nearly everything is made using materials with less environmental impact than conventional ones. Meaning that all cotton and wool is certified, and we use as much recycled materials as possible.
Our wish is for every Newbie garment to hold cherished memories of several children. Forever weaved into the seams. Garments to pass on like treasures, ready for new memories to be made by younger sisters and brothers. We aim to lessen our impact on the planet.
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The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is a worldwide textile processing standard for organic fibers that include both social and ecological criteria. A GOTS-certified garment is made of minimum 70% organic material. GOTS-certified products sold by Kappahl are labelled with the GOTS logo on the hangtag or packaging.
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The responsible production of TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers uses at least 50% less water and emits at least 50% less CO2 compared to generic lyocell fibers, according to Higg MSI, thereby saving precious resources for future generations. TENCEL™ Lyocell is known for its innovative closed loop production process. Wood pulp is transformed into cellulosic fibers, while more than 99.8% of the solvent are recovered and fed back into the loop, resulting in close-to-zero wastage. TENCEL™ is a trademark of Lenzing AG.
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The responsible production of TENCEL™ Modal fibers uses at least 50% less water and emits at least 50% less CO2 compared to generic lyocell fibers, according to Higg MSI, thereby saving precious resources for future generations. The TENCEL™ Modal production process is based on a highly resource-efficient technology with high recovery rates of chemicals. TENCEL™ is a trademark of Lenzing AG.
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The responsible production of LENZING™ ECOVERO™ fibers uses at least 50% less water and emits at least 50% less CO2 compared to generic viscose fibers, according to Higg MSI, thereby saving precious resources for future generations. The wood used as raw material for all LENZING™ ECOVERO™ fibers is sourced from controlled or certified origins meeting FSC® or PEFC standards. LENZING™ and ECOVERO™ are trademarks of Lenzing AG.
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A viscose quality made of Birla Cellulose fibers, which comes from certified responsible forestry. The material is produced in a closed system, where the water and solvents are reused, causing a reduced impact on the environment. Products containing this fiber are labelled with “Livaeco by Birla Cellulose™” on the hangtag/packaging.
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Recycled polyester is made from PET bottles and scraps and by-products from the manufacturing industry, as opposed to conventional polyester which is made from oil. Making recycled material is less resource-intensive than producing material from scratch, which is why it reduces pollution and energy consumption. It also reduces the volume of waste. Our Recycled Polyester-labelled garments contain at least 50 percent recycled material.
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Often, design comes first, and materials second. But with Rescued Fabrics we’re doing the exact opposite. What leftover fabrics might our suppliers have in their storage? How can we design garments or products to put those leftovers to use? By utilizing leftover materials from previous collections, we take care of valuable resources.
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The raw material source for recycled polyamide can be old fishing nets and carpets, and also waste from the manufacturing industry. Materials that would otherwise be scrapped are used, which saves the planet’s precious resources and contributes to reduced emissions. Our Recycled Polyamide-labelled garments contain at least 50 percent recycled material.
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All All of our denim is made with certified materials and production processes that use less chemicals, energy and water than conventional jeans production methods. The materials we use are Better Cotton, organic cotton, recycled cotton and recycled polyester. The prewash process for our denim products involves far fewer chemicals, about half as much water and almost 30 per cent less energy, as compared with conventional denim production.
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PU stands for polyurethane and is a coating used on artificial leather and rainwear. This coating does not contain any chemicals that have a proven negative impact on people or the environment.
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The Responsible Down Standard (RDS) describes and certifies animal welfare practices in down and feather production and tracks the certified materials from farm to final product.
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The Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) describes and certifies animal welfare and land management practices in wool production and tracks the certified material from farm to final product.
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The Responsible Mohair Standard (RMS) describes and certifies animal welfare and land management practices in mohair production and tracks the certified material from farm to final product.
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The Responsible Alpaca Standard (RAS) describes and certifies animal welfare and land management practices in alpaca fiber production and tracks the certified material from farm to final product.
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The EUROPEAN FLAX™ is a standard and certification that aims to secure and guarantee the origin and traceability of the flax fiber grown in Western Europe (France, Belgium & The Netherlands). The EUROPEAN FLAX™ fiber is a natural, GMO free fiber grown without irrigation (except in exceptional circumstances). Read more about EUROPEAN FLAX™ here.
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Recycled cotton is made from used garments or other cotton textiles that are torn up and re-woven to make new fabric. We save a lot of natural resources by using cotton that has already gone through production.
Newbie is part of the Kappahl Group. Here, you can read about our joint Sustainability Commitment.We are keen to work with responsible suppliers and require that they comply with our Sustainability Commitment (previously Code of Conduct) for suppliers, which includes areas such as freedom of association and organisation, wages and working hours, workplace safety, and environmental impact. And not least our zero tolerance for forced labour and child labour. Read more about our Sustainability Commitment (previously Code of Conduct) for suppliers.We have our own staff who visit and review the factories regularly. If we discover shortcomings at our revisions, our starting point is to bring about change instead of ending the cooperation. In these cases, the factory should create a corrective action plan. If the supplier factory does not implement the committed improvements, we limit or stop the placing of orders.All factories new to us are reviewed before order placement. If a new factory meets our requirements at the first revision it is graded Temporarily Approved. To ensure that the factory meets our requirements, follow-up visits are made and then a new review takes place within 12 months. Only then can the factory be graded Approved.
Strict Chemical Requirements
Chemicals are necessary in clothing production, such as for dyeing fabrics or printing designs. We place strict demands on chemical use from both environmental and health perspectives, collaborating only with suppliers who meet these standards.
Our requirements are based on EU chemical legislation (including REACH and the Biocidal Products Regulation) as well as the strictest standards in all countries where we operate. To ensure compliance, we conduct random tests through authorized independent laboratories.
You can rest assured that our products are free from harmful substances like biocides and PFAS (previously used to make garments water-repellent). Many of our items are made with GOTS-certified cotton, guaranteeing that only the safest chemicals on the market have been used.
As research on chemicals evolves, we remain up-to-date by participating in the Chemical Group run by RISE. This group aims to share the latest knowledge on chemicals and environmental issues.
Download our Chemical Restrictions List (PDF) for more details on the standards all our suppliers are required to follow.
Thoroughly Tested Children's Products
Our children's clothing is safe to wear and always undergoes a thorough risk assessment. From design to production, we comply with the Product Safety Act, including extra checks on buttons, chemicals, and material choices.
Each children's product is tested to ensure there are no potential or hidden hazards, such as loose or sharp small parts, cords, or drawstrings. For example, the hoods on our children's outerwear are always detachable to reduce the risk of entanglement.
Questions About Our Products
Do you have a question about a product you purchased from us? Contact us—through our Customer Care team.
Did you know that more than 80 per cent of a garment’s impact on the environment is actually decided at the drawing board? With wise choices all the way from fibre choice to finished garment, we can use less resources.
One of the fashion industry’s biggest challenges is achieving the transition to a circular economy, which basically means closing the material loop so that the materials that circulate are safe for people and the environment, and so that the amount of waste generated is kept down.
Newbie is a part of the Kappahl group and at the headquarters in Mölndal, Sweden, all designers, buyers and pattern-makers are busy producing about 8,000 unique items annually. Looking to a circular future, the aim is for the environmental footprint of each product to be as small as possible.
Five sustainability criteria that guide our efforts
To ensure that every step in the process is as sustainable as possible, we make use of our Sustainable Product Scorecard. This is based on five criteria, which guide us in making sustainable decisions at every stage of the design process through to a sale-ready product.
- Choice of material. The materials we choose are crucial from a sustainability perspective. By using organically grown cotton, recycled polyester or Tencel™, for example, we reduce our use of water, energy and chemicals, as compared with conventionally manufactured materials.
- Circular fashion. Will the material and the details in the garment be recyclable at the end of its wearable life? If we can answer “yes” to that question, we will be contributing to circular fashion consumption.
- Design and useful life. How can we extend the useful life of the garment? This may mean timeless design and using quality materials that last a long time. But also features such as reinforced knees, or intentionally designing garments with high second-hand value.
- Materials consumption. With careful thought about how we design, construct and lay out patterns, we can minimise how much fabric we use and reduce fabric wastage.
- Processes such as printing, dyeing and various industrial pre-washes may cause serious environmental impact. Here we need to take care to reduce the volume of water and chemicals used by opting for more sustainable techniques.
The Sustainable Product Scorecard and the five criteria allow us to rate the sustainability of products before they go into production. They also serve to guide our product development, allowing us to manage and rate the effect of our sustainability efforts at product level.
- Product Policy
Our Newbie brand is associated with affordable fashion, design and quality. It also stands for responsibility, consideration and assurance. Sustainability is part of everything we do and our goals are set very high. We conduct our business with a long-term view and do our utmost to work proactively in all areas with a focus on quality, the environment, safety, working conditions and social issues.
From a product perspective, this means that our customers should feel satisfied and confident with Newbie products and their progress though the entire production process. We comply with current laws and work actively to develop and improve our products. We make decisions every day, choosing solutions to ensure that our products maintain high ethical and moral standards.
- Ethics and morals
Newbie strives to ensure that our products are the best that they can be, whilst also demonstrating a responsible and mindful attitude, without causing offence.
Ideas about what can be considered to be offensive vary from time to time as well as between people and cultures. Our intention is to use hindsight first and to listen to public opinion.
- For example, we exclude products and prints that are associated with racism, sexism, drugs, occult symbols and/or politics.
- We don't sell children's clothing that could be seen as provocative, or for example which have references to sex.
Newbie communicates with our customers in a variety of ways about how and where we work. This includes on our website and on our products, which are labelled with their country of origin.
- Health and safety
Newbie’s products must not entail any risks to our customers or to those involved in the production process. We participate actively in research and development to ensure that products and processes are safe.
- All of Newbie’s garments meet stringent requirements on the use of chemicals.
- Sandblasting, which is used in the manufacturing of denim, is not permitted in our production process.
- Our work with child safety complies with the Swedish Product Safety Act. This includes extra inspections, for example, of buttons, chemicals and choice of materials.
- The products in our collections undergo thorough tests, both in our own laboratories and in external laboratories.
- Animal welfare
Our commitment to protecting the rights of people affected by our business also extends to animal rights protection. We work actively to ensure that products containing leather, feathers, wool or other animal materials do not come from animals that are mistreated or under threat of extinction.
This means that:
- None of our products contain angora, mohair or real fur.
- We do not accept mulesing, which is a practice in wool production where an area around the sheep’s tail is cut away to prevent flystrike. Nor do we accept the clips that are used as an alternative to mulesing.
- All items made from animal hide are by-products of the meat industry and come from cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats and pigs. No animal is killed solely for its hide.
- We never use down plucked from live birds. Instead, we buy down and feathers that are by-products of meat production.
- We do not permit animal testing.
Take care of your clothes.
This is how the garments last longer:
- Treat stains immediately so they don't set into the fabric.
- Wash only when absolutely necessary. Air them out outdoors instead.
- Wash with a gentle cycle at a low temperature.
- Use a laundry bag to protect delicate materials.
- Wash the garments inside out.
- Use environmentally friendly detergent and avoid fabric softener.
- Dry outdoors in the shade or indoors.
- Store the garments properly.
- Learn how to repair small holes.
Sustainability Report
Newbie is a part of the Kappahl Group. Do you like to know more about our sustainability journey? Our latest sustainability report presents information about our sustainability programme, commitments and progress.
Rescued Fabrics Collection
When we manufacture garments, we always have a bit of margin to ensure there's enough fabric. Often, there are a few meters left over. Beautiful but surplus Newbie fabrics ready to be loved again when we rescue them to create new garments. These become small limited collections that we call Rescued Fabrics, released a couple of times a year. In other words, garments made from leftover materials, contributing to reducing our environmental impact. Sustainability is and has always been at the heart of Newbie