Our CSR commitments
At Inkoo, we are committed to the environment and we want to make our ecological transition even more concrete.
Why are we doing this?
Because we are aware of our share of responsibility and the positive role we can play in the textile production chain on the Belgian and even the European market.
Moreover, the textile industry is currently one of the most polluting in the world, with 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions a year, and we're convinced that without a radical change in direction things won't get any better.
Raw materials and decorations
All the textiles we supply are GOTS, OCS, Oeko-Tex or GRS certified. They are made from organic cotton or recycled polyester. Organic cotton is grown without chemical fertilisers, pesticides or defoliants and uses 91% less water than conventional cotton.
We've replaced all our plastisol inks with GOTS-certified, chemical-free water-based inks (which, unlike solvent inks, don't require the use of chemicals to clean) and our yarns have the Oeko-Tex label, so you can be sure of 100% eco-friendly personalisation.
Our aim is to offer you top-quality products that will last. A quality product is stronger and will stand the test of time more easily. We are therefore in favour of "less but better" because we invest in the durability of our products.
Social commitments
At Inkoo, although we've been in business for over a decade, our teams have remained small and the atmosphere is family-oriented. That's why we attach great importance to the well-being of our staff. Here, everyone is involved, both in the decision-making processes and in the values and CSR initiatives. Teambuildings are a regular feature and lunch breaks are always very lively.
To make staff feel more at ease, we've introduced a trusted person within the company who they can turn to if they need help. We also offer interesting training courses for personal development, in partnership with cevora.
Our commitment to the environment is not enough; we also want to support other causes that we feel are just as important.
That's why we make donations to the WAPA association, which fights for the reintegration of child soldiers, and donate our surplus clothes to associations that help the homeless.
Internal approach
In today’s world, having a company in the center of Europe means that we have to do better in our corporate social responsibility.
Since everything is becoming digital, being attentive to the digital pollution that we generate seems essential to us. This is why our site is hosted by Infomaniak, an ecological host which offsets its CO2 emissions by financing projects around the world which absorb them. They measure absolutely everything and have a person dedicated to reduce their carbon footprint a little more each year, currently they pollute with their servers but manage to offset 200% of their emissions.
We obviously sort our emails and our cloud regularly in order to only keep what is necessary, we repair our electronic devices or recycle them if this is not possible.
We use Ecosia, a less energy-intensive search engine which uses its profits to plant trees, they claim to have planted more than 200,000 trees thanks to this community of users.
Like any good citizen, Inkoo sorts its waste, no longer uses plastic cups, and has replaced its cleaning products with ecological substitutes. Inkoo knows his eco-gestures and turns off the light when he leaves a room, orders local coffee while thinking about the circular economy. Inkoo cannot stand paper, so we print as little as possible and prefer digital formats.
In order to limit our energy consumption, we have switched to LED lighting absolutely everywhere. We also installed solar panels in May 2022 and a water filter to reuse wastewater, we use a rainwater tank and we replaced the boiler for a more efficient model.
Carbon footprint & transportation
We work with DPD for the logistics and they are promising deliveries that are completely carbon neutral.
They do this by measuring the carbon footprint per package, reducing it wherever possible, and offsetting remaining emissions through financing clean energy projects around the world. Result: 100% carbon neutral deliveries in Europe. At no additional cost to our customers.
Future challenges
To take our approach even further, we intend to relocate our suppliers - of textiles, decorations and goodies - to the European continent as well as establish a recycling cycle for our used textiles.
Internally, we are going to launch more CSR initiatives such as visiting a sorting center, organizing team-building around the recovery of materials intended to be thrown away for upcycling, organizing carpooling days, etc.
GOTS
The GOTS "Global Organic Textile Standard" label is awarded to companies that comply with strict environmental and social criteria. These cover all stages of textile processing and require the raw fibre to be organically grown.
OCS
Organic Content Standard (OCS) is a traceability standard that applies to all non-food products containing 95-100% organic materials. The percentage of organic materials present in the final product is analysed, as well as the percentage present in the raw materials throughout the supply chain. OCS covers the processing, manufacturing, packaging, labelling, marketing and distribution of any product containing at least 95% certified organic materials.
Oeko-Tex
The Oeko-Tex label has created certification criteria that is recognised worldwide. Each stage of the production chain is examined to ensure that regulatory working conditions are respected throughout.
It identifies raw, semi-finished or finished textile products that do not use harmful substances, so are safe for people and the planet. It also distinguishes textiles using eco-friendly chemicals and dyes.
GRS
Textile Exchange's GRS (Global Recycled Standard) label distinguishes finished or intermediate products made from at least 50% recycled materials. It guarantees recycled textiles that meet certain environmental and social criteria throughout the production chain.