Sustainable Commitment

Dream Tomorrow

We picture ourselves in the future

A future where fashion is truly more responsible and Maje is one of the actors of this change.
It is a transition that motivates all of our teams: our shared objective is to gradually reduce, each season, the environmental impact of the clothes we design.
We picture the future by looking ahead and around us.
It’s a matter of rethinking the materials we use, the ways we create and spoiling you. Changing our transport and logistics practices. Managing to reduce our impact throughout a product’s entire life cycle.
A long process which also implies changing the mindset of our partners and suppliers, drawing inspiration from those people who are changing our world and helping them.
It is an approach that we are gradually developing and that we wanted to share with you from the outset, season after season.
In 2018, we launched a major systemic review of our carbon footprint. It was important to specifically identify our carbon emissions and how we could reduce them in each area.

In Product, Planet and People, you will find the concrete progress we're making in 2021 in all of these areas. 3 Ps, 3 pillars for fashion that is more respectful of people and the environment.

Now more than ever, Dream Tomorrow.

The Maje team.

PRODUCT

What does eco-friendly mean?

What exactly does it mean to be eco-friendly? Natural, organic, biodegradable, recycled or upcycled materials, manufacturing conditions which produce less pollution, the limitation or elimination of toxic products, reduction of the carbon footprint, local production, zero waste design, or products made to last...

These are all areas in which we try to make improvements each season.

We should point out that, today, an item of clothing can be considered eco-friendly even if its composition includes very few certified eco-friendly elements.

We have decided to go even further. At Maje, an item of clothing is only considered eco-friendly if at least 30% of its composition is actually certified eco-friendly.

The progress of the Summer 2021 collection

So, how are we doing?

Today, our efforts are focussed on the four most-used materials in ready-to-wear: denim, viscose, polyester and cotton. Each of these materials have their own eco-friendly certifications, depending on the environmental challenges they create.

For the Summer 2021 collection, 38% of our ready-to-wear collection meets our eco-friendly criteria. Last season, we were at 30%. Our goal is to reach 40% by winter 2021 and be above 60% in 2025.

For Summer 2021, we have developed a new capsule that is 100% made of GOTS-certified organic materials. In addition, as from two seasons ago all of our denim is eco-wash certified.

As of 2020, all of our labels are now made from recycled polyester. For linings and fusible components that we occasionally use, we have achieved our goal of using 80% eco-friendly materials. We want to reach 100% in the years to come.

Denim 100% is eco-wash certified (IEM score below 50)

Denim 100% is eco-wash (IEM score below 50)

For SS21 and AW21, 100% of our denim is eco-wash certified.

Leather 100% are made from LWG Gold certified leather

For our leather products, we prioritise LWG Gold certified tanneries.

In the Winter 2020 collection, 69% of our leather products were made of leather from an LWG Gold-rated tannery.

Cotton 52% were made of organic materials (GOTS or OCS) or recycled

Our alternative to cotton is recycled cotton or organic cotton. Whenever possible, we prioritise these 2 options.

We went from using 12% organic cotton in Summer 2020 to 59% organic or recycled cotton in Winter 2020.

Viscose 49% is FSC-certified

In the Winter 2020 collection, 32% of our viscose met FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) standards and came from sustainably managed forests.

Polyester 18% of our polyester is recycled and GRS or RCS-certified

Our alternative to polyester is recycled polyester.

For Winter 2020, 13% of our polyester was recycled.

Next season, our efforts will also focus on recycled wool. And in the future, we hope that all of our materials will significantly reduce their impact on the environment.

And our manufactures?

The challenge here is to accelerate change by all of our partners. We work with them each season to develop their eco-friendly textile approach, to go over and above legal standards. Some are a few steps ahead, others not so much. We work together, completely transparently, on areas where they need to make progress.

We make the most of the experience acquired by our most-advanced partners to develop good practices, in the tailoring and weaving workshops. The goal is to bring everyone together to focus on our effort to respect all of the strictest environmental standards in this regard: ISO 14001*, Bluesign*, OeKo Tex Step*.

*SA8000: SA8000 standard is an international certification standard which encourages organisations to develop, maintain and adopt socially-acceptable practices in the workplace

*ISO 14001: ISO 14001 standard applies to any body that wishes to implement a system which respects the environment. Said body will be required to update its environmental policy in order to improve its performance in this regard and ensure compliance with the standard.

*Bluesign: an international label for textiles. It guarantees that no toxic substance has been used during production and fixes restrictive criteria regarding energy and water consumption.

*OeKo Tex Step: this certification is awarded to players in the textile industry who implement environmentally-friendly manufacturing processes and safe and socially-responsible working conditions.

And what if we took things even further?

It’s not just a matter of the materials in our collections. There is also the packaging, transport, design and management of our collections. An entire ecosystem to rethink to make our clothes more eco-friendly. All of our progress is detailed here: Maje Planet.

PLANET

Together is better

Making collections more eco-friendly is not enough. We need to consider the entire design and production process for an item of clothing and take action in every area that progress can be made in order to really reduce our impact. Each season, Maje strives to do so by involving its teams in the drive for change. Here, everyone feels concerned. This commitment and collaboration drives us to go even further.

Progress in summer 2021

We made a lot of progress in accelerating change in the summer 2021 season.
We made progress with the collections but also everything surrounding the product, how it is shipped, how it is designed, the store environment. There are also new ways of contemplating the life cycle of a piece of clothing.

To finally eliminate single-use plastic

We have finally managed it! Starting from this season, the polybag packaging (the plastic which protects the clothes) is made from 100% recycled plastic. It was one of our commitments for the season, and we managed it thanks to the efforts of our logistics teams.

For our hangers, there is still work to be done. Those in our stores are made from wood from eco-certified forests. As for the plastic hangers in our warehouses, we are looking for better alternatives and hope to have good news to share for next season. The e-shop packaging is also an issue. We are assessing new collections, contacting new partners to make quicker progress in achieving more eco-friendly packaging.

Fewer planes each season

In order to have a better understanding, you need to know that, on average, 600 grams of CO2 are emitted per tonne and per kilometre travelled. Trains only emit 22 grams and boats 33 grams.
The challenge, each season, is therefore to reduce the proportion of transport by plane in the era of fast fashion.

So, what are we doing? It is up to us to develop the correct answers, to find a sustainable balance between fashion whims and environmental priorities. Each season, we have to optimise the timing of our deliveries, better anticipate our needs, in order to gradually reduce our dependence on planes.

In one season, we increased imports by boat from 25% to 59%, and by train from 1% to 11%.

There is no need for wastage, everything can be transformed. Let’s get frugal!

This was the objective of our Paloma project: avoid creating clothes that are never actually worn. This season, we have developed our model, by making it a priority to anticipate the amount of fabric required and be responsive regarding manufactures in an effort to give you exactly what you want without wasting.

If certain already-created materials turn out not to be as popular as we had hoped, we either gift them to charities and fashion schools, or turn them into goodies and small, practical accessories. A way to give materials we don’t use a second life.

Spaces and stores: we are making progress here too

Redesigned stores

A lot of effort went into developing our store concepts while focussing on standards and environmentally-friendly, certified, recycled and locally-sourced materials. This transformation of sales spaces is gradual. In this approach, we have recently inaugurated a new flagship store on rue Saint Honoré in Paris where we have chosen to manufacture less furniture and favor vintage furniture to encourage more responsible consumption.

In all of our stores, we opt for LED lighting which consumes much less energy. We are also replacing all of our air-conditioning systems so that they no longer use water running to waste and we are establishing partnerships so that the our carbon emissions can be reprocessed effectively. All of our cleaning products are also eco-certified.

We are also reviewing the conditions in which our employees work in order to offer them workspaces adapted to new requirements.

In the heart of Paris, in the heart of Maje

Our new Parisian headquarters have been granted the HQE (High Quality Environment Standard) label, having been awarded level 3 for “Excellent”. The design as well as the management of the renovation of the historical building in which we set up shop are all part of a sustainable development approach and effort to offer our employees improved comfort.

At Maje, in the heart of Paris, where our studio, workshops and artistic director Judith Milgrom design the fashion for future seasons, we are gradually changing our practices. This season, we decided to replace all plastic tumblers with ceramic mugs. Once again, the aim is to gradually make progress in order to ensure everyone takes responsibility.

Let’s take things even further

Once you get a taste for commitment, you always want to do more. In 21 years of existence, Maje has played a major role in promoting causes close to its heart, along with the men and women fighting for them. This human commitment is continuing and being developed this season. New collaborations and new ways of contemplating the future are driving us to take action. All of our progress is detailed here: Maje People.

PEOPLE

And now?

Due to the coronavirus situation, the protection of our teams also remains a priority. And as is the case for everything right now, things are going to change.

We are already applying, internally and to our partners, strict specifications to ensure hygiene, safety, environmental and labour law regulations are respected. We will have to be even more ambitious to respond to the challenges in the years to come.

As always, we will follow and apply all rules and recommendations country by country, to continue to dream together, while staying safe. We will, of course, keep you up to date with these evolutions in the coming weeks.

An entire community

It is in our nature to get involved in causes that affect us. Sometimes far removed from the fashion world, in contact with several associations like Le Mécénat pour la chirurgie cardiaque, Women for Women International, The Red Cross and Amnesty International. Because they are relentlessly working for causes that we deem to be essential, we have been following and supporting them for several years.

In recent seasons, we have established multiple collaborations combining fashion and commitment with Jump, Absolution, 24Bottles, Vestiaire Collective. Various and varied projects, all related to our desire to go even further with our eco-friendly actions. These partnerships help us to rethink our habits, and sometimes more, as was the case in 2020.

Dealing with Covid-19

In the emergency situation, it was necessary to take action quickly. To find out how to help, on various levels, by leaning on our network and the people we have encountered.

We have increased our donations of clothing to the Red Cross, who have been our partners for many years, and to other international associations working in particular to promote the reintegration of women in the workplace and provide accommodation and support to abused women. We contacted the association “un cadeau pour la vie” to continue our work with them and distribute, with their help, games and toys to hospitalised children, particularly isolated during lockdown.

We also wanted to help healthcare workers. We supplied them with comfortable clothes and 23,000 mob caps made using our fabric stocks. We also joined forces with Lainière Santé, specialised in the manufacture of technical textiles, in order to produce 30,000 washable UNS1 masks for our sales teams and to be sold in our stores, with 100% of the profits going to charity.
As of January 2021, we have already donated nearly 80,000 euros of profits to two projects supported by Doctors Without Borders (MSF):

• A paediatric unit in Zahlé, Lebanon, where MSF is providing free emergency treatment and surgical care to children aged 28 days to 15 years, of any nationality.
• An oncology programme in Mali designed to improve access to care for women suffering from cervical and breast cancer.

Oncology programme in Mali
Paediatric programme in Lebanon

After the manufacture of 12,000 FFP1 masks for care homes and other structures, we joined the “Masque solidaire” initiative and donated fabric for the manufacture of 15,000 masks intended for distribution free of charge at the tills in large supermarkets. We also had our teams manufacture 400 UFN masks internally for the “L’Elan Retrouvé” foundation’s psychiatric day hospital, which welcomes adults and children with psychiatric problems from difficult social backgrounds.

Our discussions with our friends “Un cadeau pour la vie” helped us understand that the hands and faces of our healthcare workers were suffering from irritation related to use of masks and hydroalcoholic gel. We naturally though about Absolution, a French organic cosmetics brand with whom we had already collaborated at the start of the year, to offer healthcare workers natural and high-quality skincare products.