Responsible entrepreneurship
Besides making you happy with our retro collections, it’s
also important to us that our collections are produced in a sustainable and
socially responsible way. Of course, it’s an ongoing process (there is still a
long way to go 
) but it’s definitely
something that we focus on in our day-to-day work!
A gift
for the environment
In 2021 we will continue our efforts to work more sustainably. Therefore we
have made a decision to stop including special TopVintage goodies in our
parcels. Even though these have always been a fun little treat that came with
your new purchase, the production and the materials used (like plastic) place
an unnecessary burden on the environment, among other things. In any case, we
hope that we can still make you happy with the collection itself. We will
still occasionally surprise you by adding a fun goodie to your parcel for
special occasions. But goodies will no longer be included with every order. And
that makes it even more special. 
100% recycled plastic
Our smaller parcels (such as our
letterbox-compatible ones) will be shipped in our fabulous new mailing bags.
The most appropriate size of packaging will be determined for each order.
This way no space will be wasted and more
parcels can be included in each delivery. Did you know that these mailing bags
are also made from recycled plastic? This packaging also weighs less than
cardboard boxes which helps to reduce CO2-emissions. Of course, we hope
that you are completely satisfied with your purchase! In case you’re not, the
mailing bag features a handy adhesive strip so it can also be used to return
your order. If you don’t need the bag anymore, you can throw it out with the
plastic waste so it can be recycled.
FSC-Certified TopVintage
boxes
Yay! It’s a lovely feeling when the delivery guy or
girl brings your favourite parcel to your door. But did you know that your
favourite items are delivered in a parcel made from responsibly sourced materials? Our cardboard boxes are
made from paper products that originate from an FSC-certified forest. You can tell by the FSC label
on the box.
Looking after our forests and managing them in a
responsible way, ensures that we can continue using wood and paper forever and
of course we are happy to support this.
What is the FSC and what does
it do?
The Forest Stewardship Council
(FSC) is an international organisation that promotes the conservation and
sustainable management of forests worldwide. According to the FSC sustainable
forest management means environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and
economically viable management of the world’s forests.
The FSC sets transparent
standards, which is one of the reasons why the FSC is supported by all the
major environmental and development organisations. The FSC uses independent
certifiers for the certification of companies.
If demand for FSC-certified products increases, so will the hectares of forest
worldwide that will be managed according to FSC standards. This will also
benefit an ever-growing number of forest-dependent people and animals!
Sustainability is key
We mainly sell collections that are manufactured by or
for other brands. This means that we don’t have direct insight into (and this
also means no direct influence on) their (production) chain.
However, we do believe that as a retro boutique we can
have a positive impact on improving the sustainability of our collections. By increasingly working with brands that improve sustainability, we help our
customers make better informed choices.
How is this reflected in our collections?
Shopping is always fun. But it’s even more fun if the products you buy are
manufactured with care for people and our planet. This means that the material used
in the process also matters. To make things easier for you, all the sustainable
items in our collection feature a Sustainable Fashion tag. Want to know more about a specific item’s material or
certification? You can find all the information in the item’s description under
the heading ‘care and product details’.
Materials
The materials covered by our Sustainable Fashion tag are:
Tencel or lyocell
Tencel is a brand name for a
type of lyocell produced by the Austrian company that first marketed lyocell. It’s
made from wood chips and considered one of the most eco-friendly materials.
This material has the luxurious look of silk, is just as strong as polyester and
is even more absorbent than cotton.
Vegan
Vegans will also find
something to their liking in our collection; an ever-growing number of items is
completely vegan, which means that they are made without any animal ingredients
or byproducts.
Organic cotton
Organic cotton is very similar
to regular cotton. The difference? Organic cotton is grown without agricultural
chemicals like pesticides.
Recycled polyester
Recycled
polyester is made from non-biodegradable material and diverts (plastic) waste
from landfills and oceans. The quality is very similar to new polyester, but its
production uses 59% less energy.
Animal-friendly
wool
The wool used in these items comes from sheep and is mulesing-free. Mulesing is
a painful procedure that involves the cutting of strips of skin from around the
breech of a sheep. The new skin is smoother with less folds and crevices where
urine and faeces can settle, this keeps the wool cleaner but it’s an extremely
cruel practise. It’s
important to us that any wool used is mulesing-free because we love it when
sheep are treated well.
CertificationsPETA
PETA works on the
establishment and protection of animal rights. This animal rights organisation
is focused on animal welfare and animal protection and therefore opposes animal
experiments, livestock industry, the consumption of animals and animal-derived
ingredients, hunting as well as the use of animal products in clothing.
Fair Wear
The
mission of the Fair Wear Foundation is to improve the working conditions of
people who work in the garment industry. A brand or store can become a member
of the Fair Wear Foundation and this means that they have to strive to improve
the working conditions in the factories where they manufacture or buy their
clothes. To help them achieve these goals, the FWF has a Code of Labour
Practises. This code lists the rules that factories and companies need to abide
by as well as the consequences of non-compliance.
OEKO-TEX
Standard 100 by OEKO-TEX is one of the world’s
best-known labels for textiles. It means that every thread, button and other
accessories are tested for harmful substances.
GOTS
certification
GOTS is short for Global Organic Textile Standard and it is the best-known
internationally recognized organic clothing and textile standard. This
encompasses the organic status of raw materials as well as environmentally and
socially responsible manufacturing.