We won’t beat around the bush - we’re part of an industry that’s a huge contributor to environmental pollution. Because we make clothes, we have a responsibility to make every aspect of our business as sustainable as possible. We’ve committed to reducing our impact on the environment; read on for our current initiatives and future commitments.

REDUCING OUR CARBON FOOTPRINT WITH PLANET MARK

In 2021, we started our sustainability journey proper by committing to measure and reduce our carbon footprint with the help of Planet Mark - an internationally-recognised sustainability consultant and certification body.

Together, we set ourselves an ambitious target; to reduce our total organisational emissions by 5% year on year. Roll on 2023, and we’re proud to be certified by Planet Mark for a third year. We've retained our carbon neutral status by offsetting 100% of our organisational emissions through climate partner, Ecologi.

Our founder Nick Wheeler talks with the founder of Planet Mark, Steve Malkin, about how businesses can help beat climate change:

OUR CARBON NEUTRAL PROJECTS

Alongside our commitment to reduce our carbon footprint year on year, we also choose to offset 100% of our annual organisational emissions. We do this through our partnership with Ecologi – an environmental organisation focused on impactful climate solutions.

To date we've helped fund the first ever wind power project in Honduras. This project prevents the emission of 226,978 tonnes of carbon every year, by replacing energy from burning fossil fuels with wind power.

We've also funded a wind power project in Mexico, which will save 245,015 tonnes of carbon emissions every year with its clean energy. This project also educates kids about the importance and value of natural energy.

Alongside these clean energy projects, we know one of the most effective ways to aid the planet's recovery is to plant trees. Since our partnership began, we've planted over 26,500 trees across the UK, Argentina, Uganda, Kenya, Madagascar, Morocco and Mozambique - with big plans to grow our forest even further!

Find out more about the projects we're funding on our Ecologi profile here.

"We're a carbon neutral business, and have offset 100% of our carbon emissions."

Through Planet Mark we also do our bit to support Cool Earth - a charity working alongside rainforest communities to halt deforestation, preserve wildlife and support the local people. Every year, we contribute to saving an acre of endangered rainforest. Our pledge through Cool Earth directly aids the Asháninka people, indigenous to the rainforests of Peru.

To combat climate change, we know educating future generations is crucial. That's why we donate to the Eden Project - a charity that educates on what we can do to beat the planetary emergency, and how we can reach social equity through local and global projects.

Find out more about the great things Planet Mark, Cool Earth and the Eden Project are doing to stop climate change at planetmark.com, coolearth.org and edenproject.com.

"So far this year, we've planted over 26,500 trees across the UK, Argentina, Uganda, Kenya, Madagascar, Morocco and Mozambique - with big plans to grow our forest even further!"

REPURPOSING AND RECYCLING

Since our shirts are made to last, extending their useable lifespan is important to us - it really makes no sense to throw them away after a style refresh. That’s why we launched an in-store shirt recycling scheme with the British Heart Foundation, to make sure preloved shirts can be reused.

Bring in your old shirts and polos to any UK Tyrwhitt store - from any brand - and you'll get some money off a new shirt as a thank you.

Shirts in good nick will be resold in BHF shops, or they'll be recycled and repurposed.

Since our partnership began in 2021, we’ve raised over £1.2 million for The BHF through this scheme and the donation of other pre-loved items, saving over 100,000 items of clothing from landfill along the way! This year, with your help, we know we can do even better!

We have future plans to offer a similar recycling programme across our other products too - watch this space!

"Last year in the UK, we recycled over 60,000 shirts that were destined for landfill."

OUR PROPER PACKAGING

We've been busy behind the scenes making our packaging as green as it can be. We started with the big one - the bag our products are mailed in. They're now made from sugar cane oil and because this material is nice and light, they also save us 650 tonnes of carbon a year in shipping. Bonus!

We’ve eliminated all single use plastic from our shirt packaging, also taking care to remove unnecessary inserts and tissue paper. The inserts we have kept (to keep our shirt looking flawless) are made from FSC certified cardboard, along with our shoeboxes and swingtags. The remainder of our product packaging is made from recycled materials, including our polybags which are made from recycled plastic. We encourage our customers to recycle or reuse our packaging wherever they can.

The paper bags we use in-store are made from recycled material and are recyclable too, but if customers would prefer something they can use time and time again, you can now purchase our Bag for Life - made from recycled plastic bottles!

Our packaging experts remain focused on finding ways to be even greener, so keep your eyes peeled for more exciting sustainable packaging developments coming very soon!

"The main bags we mail our products in are made from sugar cane oil. This material is nice and light, so they save us 650 tonnes of carbon a year in shipping."

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