Natural and organic
We use Teemill because each product we make with them is designed to be sent back when worn out, and we make new products from the material that’s recovered.
That starts at a materials level, by choosing natural organic fibres. Organic cotton is better for the producers and the ecosystem in which it is produced. Instead of more toxic pesticides, fertilisers or plastic, organic farming encourages biodiversity and leads to the extra soft feel of our products. This leads to higher earnings for farmers with better soil quality and water security, with food crops grown on the same soil in the dry season. Less inputs also means less water, but even organic cotton is still a thirsty crop. So where you grow it matters. The fields that grow the organic cotton for Teemill products are in the North of India, where the monsoons fill reservoirs that supply almost all the water needed.
Modern production
Teemill develops technology at its factory to improve all aspects of t-shirt printing. This includes working on lower impact inks, software, machinery and automation technologies.
It enables Teemill to make products in real time. At the factory, products are only made after they have been ordered – there is no waste. From this integrated and digitised supply chain, efficiencies are created and the cost savings can be reinvested in the facilities, working conditions and team.
Consequently the Teemill factories on the Isle of Wight, in India and in Europe, the environment is clean, light, modern and positive as would be expected from any 21st century manufacturer. Production centres are audited for a wide range of social and sustainability criteria and powered by renewable energy.
Plastic-free packaging
By 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. This is bad. Instead of plastic packaging, Teemill uses a rip and splash-proof mailer bag made out of paper. Big orders come in cardboard boxes, with paper-based tape.
Plants, not plastic
Reuse the packaging or colour it in
Recycled material stickers
Made to last
We use Teemill because their products are made to last and we encourage you to care for them properly and use them for as long as possible. T-shirts are printed to order in the UK using water based inks one at a time and in real time, so there’s no waste from over-stocked designs and sizes. What is made is only what people need, when they need it. When products are no longer wearable, each is designed to be sent back to the manufacturer and the material reprocessed, respun and made into new products. You can find instructions on how to do this inside every product on the washcare label. Scan the code, and get Freepost code (if you’re in the UK) to send the item back and get store credit in return.
Sustainability FAQs
Instead of mass produced plastic-based screenprinting, Teemill’s products are printed digitally using water based inks that conform to the Global Organic Textiles Standard, and OEKO-TEX standards on hazardous chemicals. By printing one at a time to order, and using technology where the ink is mixed as it is put down onto the t-shirt, there’s no waste or overproduction – only the ink that is needed is used. And curing prints using renewable energy powered dryers, Teemill can create products that are full of colour yet free from harmful substances. The printing systems used to produce these products is part of what makes these products Vegan. They contain no animal derived products and are not tested on animals. All the ink ingredients are tested to OEKO-TEX® Standard 100, which means they are free from harmful chemicals.
Yes, the products, packaging and print contain no animal derived products and are not tested on animals.
Because orders are printed the same day to order, this means we only make what people need when they need it. This means there is no unsold stock and so there is no unsold stock to dispose of.
No, T-shirts are printed to order in the UK using water based inks one at a time and in real time, so there’s no waste from over-stocked designs and sizes. What is made is only what people need, when they need it.
The products are designed to come back and be remade into new items when they are worn out. Teemill is recognised internationally for having built a working circular supply chain. This means that instead of creating waste, new products are made from it. Each item has a QR code inside on the washcare label. You can scan this or go to the URL on the product to get instructions for return postage, which is free in the UK, and to claim store credit in return for the recovered material. Learn more about this initiative here.
No, there’s no single use plastic packaging, instead orders are packaged in a rip proof, splash proof kraft paper mailer that is fully recyclable.
Yes, these products are manufactured and printed by Teemill on the Isle of Wight, and the company has a Soil Association issued, Global Organic Textile Standard certification which is based on in person audits of the entire supply chain from seed to shop. As well as verifying the raw material is grown organically, which includes establishing the chain of custody and visiting farms and taking soil samples, the GOTS certification process includes a detailed audit of a wide range of social and sustainability criteria that includes other inputs and working conditions. You can read the standard here.
Where the fabrics are dyed, the water is recovered, cleaned and recirculated then used again. It’s a closed-loop process. At the end, the water coming out of the filters and going back round to be reused again is crystal clear, literally clean enough to drink; which we show in the video above. Teemill’s organic cotton is grown in the North of India where monsoon rains provide the water needed to grow the crop. Organic farms also have the advantage of maintaining a soil quality high enough to grow other crops, including food, in the dry season which reduces pressure on the water table when it is traditionally most stressed.
Teemill prints to order, meaning that there is no waste of overstocked products, and less demand for the materials and the natural resources used to make them, including water. In the wet processing factory, a closed-loop water system is used in the washing, dyeing and finishing processes, where the used water is purified and reused again and again, minimising water use.
Organic cotton offcuts are collected and mixed with rainwater, then pressed and dried in the Sun. The mulch is used to fertilise Soy plants, which are then used as a pigment. These ingredients are used to create organic cotton notebooks and paper products available via Teemill.
Workers’ conditions at every stage in the process are covered by the (GOTS) VERSION 6.0 social standards required to meet organic status. These standards are the minimum level required and include fair wages, fair working hours, rights to join trade unions, health and safety, no child workers, no discrimination, bullying or harassment. Employees are paid in line with the living wage as defined by the Global Living Wage Coalition, as standard.
Join the movement with Global AMP
Don’t limit yourself to a single channel, complement your portfolio with marketplace platforms worldwide.
