what does sustainability mean to us?
“Upon entering the fashion industry, I quickly became aware of the incredible harm the industry causes to our environment. I took it upon myself to research and become more knowledgeable with how the industry works and how things are produced and disposed of. Since then, I have made it a goal to be as sustainable as I can in my own personal life as well as within my brand.”
Natalia, CEO & founder
let’s talk about fabrics
These fabrics are usually leftovers from textile mill or designers. They are often disposed of due to being unwanted by the designer (“out of season”) or because the textile mill had a surplus of it. I primarily utilize deadstock for my designs and have gotten it directly from small brands or places like Fabscrap, Fabcycle, Mood, Ragfinders, etc.
deadstock
These fabrics are produced with natural fibers such as cotton, bamboo, or help. Because they’re made with natural fibers, if they were to be thrown out, these fabrics would naturally biodegrade. Additionally, these fabrics tend to be dyed with eco-friendly, non-toxic dyes. Utilizing these fabrics helps in reducing the usage of synthetic fabrics that shed micro- plastics into our environment. Though I don’t love using new fabrics when there’s already so many in the world, if I ever do, it’s always natural fiber. Places where I source these fabrics include Blackbird Fabrics and Nature’s Fabrics.
natural fiber
Similar to deadstock fabrics, thrifted fabrics are unwanted leftovers from different places. When I first started my business, I utilized a lot of second-hand fabrics that friends would give me. In addition, I’d buy remnants (usually a yard or less - the end of the bolt at a fabric store) at my local fabric store to make accessories. Now that my business has scaled a bit more, I don’t tend to take scraps from stores or friends as often (mostly because my fabric storage is overflowing) but it’s something that I have utilized and love to promote as well.
thrifted / remnant
NTA is proudly carbon neutral in collaboration with CarbonStar
Carbon Inventory
What we’re doing
How we’re doing it
Refrigerant Management Canada (RMC) collects surplus ODS from refrigeration and air conditioning sources in Canada.
Then it destroys them at either the swan Hills Treatment /centre (SHTC) in Swan Hills, Alberta or the Veolia Port Arthur Facility in Port Arthur, Texas.
Reducing Emissions
Though neutralizing emissions is great, it’s important to also look at reduction your emissions. Here at NTA, we recently moved our HQ to Los Angeles, CA so that we can cut our constant travels that we were previously making over here. This also aids in being able to source locally and avoid shipping across the country. Additionally, our current zero-waste policy also helps reduce direct emissions and we will continue on that trajectory as the company evolves.
Shipping
The poly mailers used to ship out orders are made from 100% recycled content, 50% post-consumer waste, and have a dual adhesive strip for reuse. The tissue paper in which products are wrapped in is made entirely from post-consumer and post-industrial content which makes it both recyclable and biodegradable. the stickers holding the tissue paper closed, as well as the “Thank you” card sent with each order, are made with 100% post-consumer paper.
All of our orders are shipped through “Sendle” - a platform that neutralizes the emissions of each package sent.
Sendle does not yet have carbon neutral shipping available for international orders, so for those, I am partnered with Cloverly, a company that focuses on calculating carbon footprints and matching them with an offset project. All international orders will be offset in this way.
Closed-Loop Business Model
In an effort to be as closed-loop as possible, I offer a buy-back program for any of my pieces you may have purchased. This means you can return any piece that you don’t want anymore and I will resell it on my shop as a “pre-loved original".” I will pay for the shipping and you will get in-store credit for my shop. Simply fill out the form below and I will contact you to get the details figured out. This applies for anything in my shop, from clothing to accessories.
Additionally, we are currently partnered with In The Loop and will also work to send some of the pre-loved pieces to them so you can rent them out.