Sustainability & Ethics

The process of launching Love & Lee took almost 2 years. The reason for this, is because we wanted to tick ALL the boxes. Not just for ourselves but also for you and your family. Like you; we really care about our environmental and social impact on the world and it forms part of everything we do and every decision we make.

When you receive your Love & Lee product you may notice all those little details which have gone into it, or you may not - and that's ok too. We will always strive to bring you the very best quality products whilst taking the greatest care of our planet and the safety of your babies.

Ok - warning: this page is going to be long. Why? Because we have spent a lot of time getting the details right, and there are a lot of details.

Jodi and the team x

PLASTIC FREE

  1. The care labels we use for all our products are made from cotton not polyester. (FYI - polyester is made from nasty petrochemicals) You wouldn't believe it took us 3 weeks of negotiation to get that approved with our manufacturing partner, why? Because natural fibres are more expensive, however, we are glad we persisted and can proudly say we use no polyester. Yeah!
  2. Our packaging is made from card and is also designed with our unique and innovative (c) Love & Lee design. Click here to see what our packaging turns into.
  3. We post in cardboard boxes and compostable corn starch satchels.
    Our postage boxes are cardboard and our satchels are made from 100% compostable corn starch, even our packing tape is made from paper based tape or biodegradable materials.
  4. We refuse to use polyesters - why? Because polyesters are made from fossil fuel petrochemicals and it's 1) not good for your baby and 2) not good for the environment.
  5. On the very odd occasion someone sends us something wrapped in plastic (out of our control) we recycle this with the RedCycle system at Coles. The total amount of plastic that has been sent to us in the past 12 months would fill up less than 1 bucket.

ORGANIC

  1. 100% organic cotton swaddles and playmats are made from 100% GOTS certified organic cotton which comes from India from a manufacturer which is ethically compliant (Sedex compliant). GOTS certified is best for your babies as it is the purest cotton possible, meaning no pesticides or man made fertilisers are used, keeping your baby safe. Farming organic cotton promotes soil regeneration, locks in carbon and does not endanger animal or human health.
  2. The bamboo yarn for our bamboo blankets and bamboo washcloths is certified to STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®, tested for harmful substances.

TESTED FOR HARMFUL SUBSTANCES

  1. Our bamboo yarn is OEKO-TEX® certified, meaning the bamboo yarn for our bamboo washcloths and bamboo blankets is tested for harmful substances such as azo dyes, formaldehyde, pentachlorophenol, cadmium and nickel. This matters because these substances are sometimes found in conventional, non-certified textiles.
  2. Our cotton yarn is GOTS certified meaning no pesticides or man made fertilisers are used; keeping your baby safe.

REUSE / REDUCE / REPURPOSE
Our Love & Lee packaging is uniquely (c) designed to be repurposed into cute little toys. For 2 reasons:
  1. So the older sibling doesn't feel left out when the baby gets all the presents at the baby shower. They then also have a special activity to do with mum or dad.
  2. So that our packaging is reusable and can be repurposed. We truly believe that ALL product packaging should be designed to be repurposed. It is sheer madness to just throw packaging in the recycling when with some clever design it can actually be turned into something else.

SUSTAINABILITY

  1. Our business cards are made using off cuts of cotton t-shirts, so we are not cutting down any more trees.
  2. Our 100% organic cotton swaddles contain no plastics or polyesters. Not only that but they are made from the finest 120GSM Indian cotton and are absolutely divine! We know you will absolutely LOVE them.
  3. We only use organic cotton or bamboo fabrics, and we do not mix them with polyester. This is best for sustainability, best for our earth and creates the best products, we won't compromise on it.
  4. We even use Who Gives a Crap toilet paper because that brand is doing amazing things and we love to support them.

ETHICAL MANUFACTURING

It is incredibly important to us that everyone in the supply chain is looked after and paid fairly. Our manufacturing partners are Sedex compliant which means they pay fairly, look after the health and safety of their staff and DO NOT use child or slave labour.

Every aspect of our supply chain is incredibly important to us and we work on a win/win/win philosophy where everybody in our supply chain is benefiting. Yes, this means that our products cost more than the big brands, but you can be assured that people are looked after and you are receiving products for your babies which are certified, safe and ethically made.

ABOUT ORGANIC COTTON

We use only the finest GOTS certified cotton because we know it is best for you and best for our planet. Love & Lee 100% GOTS certified organic cotton swaddles and playmats are sourced from the finest Indian cotton manufacturers who support fair trade and create local employment opportunities to support local farmers to switch to organic practices. GOTS certification ensures strict social & environmental criteria are met along the supply chain. You can feel confident with GOTS certified cotton because you are assured the cotton does not have harmful and hormone disrupting chemicals in it, which can harm your baby as well as disrupt the ecological environment and biodiversity.

That's why we love it. Click here to read more about organic cotton.

ABOUT OUR BAMBOO

Love & Lee bamboo yarn is incredibly soft on sensitive and delicate skin. It is also certified to STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®, giving you assurance it has successfully passed the tests for harmful substances such as azo dyes, formaldehyde, pentachlorophenol, cadmium, nickel, and many more.

The safety of your baby is our highest priority, which is why our bamboo yarn is certified to OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 and tested for harmful substances.

Also - did you know that some species of bamboo can grow up to 91cm in a single day? It holds the Guinness World Record for the world's fastest-growing plant. Click here to read more about bamboo.