SUSTAINABILITY
WE ARE NOT PERFECT
Our boxershorts are handmade with love in Portugal. Before we started working together Simon visited the factory, learned how the mesh is fabricated and got to know those, who actually assemble the shorts and built a good relationship to the company.
Why boxershorts? Our family and friends keep asking us this question. It was not only because Simon needed new shorts back in 2020, but also because this is one of the only items you cannot or won’t buy second hand.
For our boxershorts we use 95% Lyocell and 5% Elastane. Lyocell is one of the most sustainable jerseys which exist. Get more information down below.
Due to the fact we’re working with a small family business with only 14 employees, the factory is not yet GOTS certified. However, this certification is, according to the owners, just a matter of the audit, which they would need to do. As they’re such a small business they’re not able to pay for such certification yet. Still they want to get this certification within the near future.
As Portugal is growing to one of the most importing textile manufacturing country in Europe, it also enables us to reduce transport emissions from the factory to our storage. It also gives us the chance to visit the factory on a regular basis, as we’re usually travelling to Portugal to go surfing.
Here's a more detailed description.
PRODUCTION
Our products are produced in Portugal, near Porto. Before we started the production, we first visited different factories there and had a look at the situation on site and talked to different employees. Even though our supplier does not have an audited label or certifications yet, we were able to convince ourselves that the working conditions on site enjoy (almost) the same standard. Our producer in Portugal has been run by the same family for generations and has not, like many others, changed owners or names more often to hide certain things. For certification, our local partner lacks small things - such as yellow safety markings on the floor. But much more crucial is that such a certification costs many thousands of Euros, which our partner in Portugal with about 15 employees cannot afford at the moment. The close cooperation over more than 1 year up to the finished product shows us that long-term partnerships are aimed at, so that we can develop together. In addition, our partner in Portugal obtains electricity from renewable energy sources, which was a major concern for us in the cooperation. Thus, we can already greatly reduce a major emission factor in production.
MATERIALS
Our boxer shorts are made of 95% lyocell and 5% elastane. Lyocell is derived from tree fiber from eucalyptus or birch trees, for example, and has a very low footprint on nature. Lyocell is antibacterial, durable, breathable, making it perfect for underwear.
PACKAGING
Our packaging is made of 100% (look it up) recycled paper, making it reusable and recyclable. Even when our boxers are shipped from Portugal to Germany, they are all shipped in one common box with only one plastic bag per size. We have further processed this plastic bag as a garbage bag. Thus we come with 500 boxer shorts just times on a total of 12 plastic bags. In addition, we try to seal the packaging with the shipping label, so that we do not need any further adhesive tape. Unfortunately this does not always work (check if it works). We also decided to just stamp the packaging, rather than having individual boxes made. This may look less high quality, but it allows us to offer the boxers at a lower price, because we save more money and the boxes can be produced in larger quantities.
STORAGE
Our warehouse also gets electricity from renewable sources (photovoltaic system), which means our Scope 2 emissions are considered carbon neutral. Our warehouse shelving is made of oak from the hardware store and has not had any extensive processing behind it. We would have liked to buy this 2nd hand - unfortunately could not find anything on relevant portals for several weeks.
SHIPPING
Our products are shipped with the GoGreen label of DHL. Although the shipping costs us a little more, but we gladly take over this and is only a small thing that we can make a difference in the shipping.
CO2 REPORT
In the coming months we will publish our first CO2 report, which balances Scope 1-3 emissions according to the GHG Protocol.
COMPENSATION
All emissions that we have been able to determine and evaluate so far, we have already compensated with our partner, Planted from Cologne. With our partner from Munich, Code Gaia, we are working together on how we can further optimize our processes and reduce even more CO2.
RESPONSIBILITY
We see it as our responsibility to determine our CO2 footprint but also social or governance aspects in the supply chain as accurately as possible and to make it "as sustainable as possible". As a manufacturing company, we feel responsible for our emissions and impact on the environment.
DISCOUNT
Our mission is to offer sustainable, affordable and comfortable boxer shorts for every day. We want to make sure that they are durable and that you still like them after 200x wear and that they don't end up in the closet after a few times. If we as oseas would only exist for 1-2 years, we would even pay on each boxer shorts without even paying us a cent. That's why we can't offer discounts, but with your support we can offer a product that will be the first thing you wear in the morning for years to come. You can find more information on the price here:
Cotton vs. Lyocell
https://mandala-fashion.com/blogs/eco-blog/tencel-vs-bio-baumwolle-was-ist-besser
