Baby Steps to more planet friendly parenting...
Hi Friends.
Thank you
It's not often we show our faces, but we wanted to send a rare message about our sustainable journey as a brand.
We launched Tiba + Marl in 2015 with the vision to introduce a cooler way to carry family essentials. We both worked in fashion and then had babies and knew that we didn't want to suddenly lug around big ol ugly bags just because we were now parents!;) The world has changed a lot in the last 8 years but our brand DNA has always been about adaptation, innovation and looking for inspiration from modern culture and the wider world we live in.
With that in mind the last few years we have taken a quiet, but thoughtful behind-the-scenes journey to see how we can make our brand become a planet-friendlier, more eco-sensitive label.
We knew we wanted to evolve the brand to leave a lighter footprint, and our first step was to work with a carbon off-setting initiative back in 2018, where we donated a portion of our profits to various worldwide projects to reduce CO2 emissions. We also began an overhaul of our packaging to ensure everything is Compostable and biodegradable - in addition to this we are in the process of currently transitioning from our oxi-biodegradable poly mailers, to paper 100% recycled, biodegradable and carbon neutral water-repellent mailing bags.
In 2020 we introduced our first T+M styles using 100% rPET recycled lining, and outer material exclusively for Selfridges 'Planet Earth' project - we were so happy to be named in The Independent as 'Indy Changing Bag Best Buy 2020' for this style.
This was the beginning of our journey towards sourcing eco materials for the entire range and we gave ourselves the challenge that by 2023 every T+M bag would be crafted from recycled materials.
Early last year we swapped to 100% recycled (but still water resistant, and durable) rPET lining for every T+M style. We also transitioned all our T+M printed styles to be crafted from 100% rPET (certified by the Global Recycled Standard) polyester - made from post consumer plastic waste and recycled yarn.
The hunt for recycled faux leather was more challenging - but we finally managed to source a 58% recycled vegan leather that is as durable, tactile and as aesthetically pleasing as our previous iteration. Since September 2022 all our vegan leather production has been created using this innovative and planet friendlier material - reducing the production of virgin raw materials and the consumption of water, energy and natural resources that could otherwise be destined for landfill or incineration.
You can be assured now that every T+M style has been crafted with the most sustainable material we can source - whilst retaining all technical features - we have also finally managed to find an amazing quality of recycled Scuba , which was the last of our signature materials that we were trying to sustainably source.
Last year we announced the introduction of our 'Repair Service' where we have our own in-house atelier - created to extend and restore the life of your Tiba + Marl bag.
As we have said above - it's baby steps - as a company we want to stay as transparent as possible - and it's important for us not to green wash. We still have a journey ahead, for example currently some of our trims are not recycled, for example our chosen zip tape and zip pulls aren't yet recycled - but we will keep developing and researching all elements of production with mindful practice and continue to work behind the scenes to improve Tiba + Marl's footprint on the planet.
For more information please visit the 'Sustainability' section of our site.
Thank you
Anna + Lydia
