Yes. In spring 2023, Tekla became B Corp certified and joined a global movement of people using business as a force for good by creating benefits for all stakeholders, not just shareholders. This certification means Tekla has met B Lab’s high standards for social and environmental impact, transparency and accountability.

Yes, organic cotton makes up over 82% of the fibre used in all our product categories. 

We use organic cotton because it gives the highest quality while mitigating some environmental and social impacts. Organic farming is founded on the four principles of health, ecology, fairness and care. Although specific organic farming practices may vary from place to place, all organic cotton is grown without any synthetic chemicals, pesticides or genetically modified (GMO) seeds. 

For more information, please see our responsibility report.

Currently, we do not use recycled cotton. Recycled cotton is thought to have a lower carbon footprint than virgin cotton, and incorporating more recycled fibres into our materials mix helps with supporting the transition to a more circular economy. However, due to our focus on quality and longevity, recycled cotton is currently unable to meet our requirements for fibres of a certain length and strength. This is something we will continue to review as more options for recycled cotton become available.

For more information, please see our responsibility report.

Like most brands, we do not own our . However, we recognise the importance of visibility when it comes to ensuring high social and environmental standards, so have focused on traceability and in our 2023 goals.

We do have a huge influence over product development and take full ownership of this by working closely with our skilled in Portugal – many of whom we’ve worked with since launching in 2017 – to achieve the highest possible quality. 

For more information, please see our responsibility report.

Products are very rarely produced in just one place, or one country, as there are many complex steps involved in even the simplest textile product. 

The vast majority of our production is done in Europe, specifically Portugal, Lithuania and Denmark, but some of the early stages of production, such as growing organic cotton or linen, are done in other countries and facilities like India and France. 

For more information, please see our responsibility report.

We do not source our raw materials directly. These are instead purchased by our suppliers and, due to the complexities of , we do not always know the names of their suppliers. However, we have traced all fibres back to – the country of origin – which includes France, India and Turkey.

For more information, please see our responsibility report.

We do not publicly share the names of our suppliers. This is because we have worked with the same ones since 2017, creating a strong relationship and intellectual property. We are open to divulging this information to relevant parties, but to protect our intellectual property, we have chosen not to make this specific information public. We will continue to review this decision.

Tekla doesn’t have a significant amount of , something that is achieved in a few ways.

• – We produce a high-quality, core collection, which doesn’t lose value after a season. This core-replenishment model means our products can be sold year over year, across seasons. 

• – While we do also create seasonal and collaborative collections, these are produced in limited numbers to reduce the risk of contributing to deadstock.

• – We have a compact and slow distribution which helps reduce excessive production. 

• – We sell any occasional surplus stock through archive and sample events, ensuring all commercial activities are exhausted. 

• – We make an annual stock donation to charity, working in close dialogue to ensure we give exactly what is needed. 

As the company grows, we continue to monitor deadstock levels and are exploring future circular initiatives to keep products in use and help further reduce waste.

In many places, including the US and countries in the EU and UK, Tekla packaging can be recycled, although we recognise this can be challenging due to varying recycling systems. We’re taking steps to improve this by using widely recyclable and adding recycling instructions to all packaging. 

While we work towards this goal, you can find instructions for recycling our current packaging here.

Dust bags: Our dust bags are made from 100% cotton and can be recycled with textiles – check with your local authorities for proper recycling facilities. However, we recommend keeping and reusing our dust bag to store products like bedding, as this can help keep your Tekla pieces in good condition. 

Bedding boxes: Our bedding boxes are made from FSC-certified card and can be recycled with card.

Hang tags : Our hang tags are made from FSC-certified paper and can be recycled with paper.

Shipping bags: Our shipping bags are made from recycled polyethylene and can be recycled with soft plastics.

Poly bags: Our poly bags are made from biodegradable plastic and can be recycled in a home compost bin depending on local recycling conditions – check with your local recycling provider if your home compost is taken to an industrial composting facility. If it isn’t or you are unsure, dispose of these poly bags with general waste. Do not recycle with conventional plastic. 

For more information, please see our responsibility report.

As a majority of Tekla products are , they can be recycled in many places, including the US and countries in the EU and UK. However, we encourage reuse, repair and resale over recycling as much as possible to keep materials in circulation for longer. If your Tekla product has reached the very end of its life, meaning it can no longer be reused or repaired, check with your local recycling provider for the appropriate services.

Find out more about how to take care of your Tekla piece and extend its life span.

We have the following practices at Tekla HQ: 

We work to reduce our waste in the following ways:

• – Catering is delivered in reusable packaging.

• – Recycling of food, card, glass, paper and batteries is fully implemented at Tekla head office, with ambitions to expand what we can recycle even further. 

• – is collected for donation to the homeless.

• – Recyclable containers for leftovers are provided for employees to reduce food waste.

We use the following responsible office products: 

• – Non-toxic cleaning products are used, alongside recycled toilet paper.

• – We use FSC-certified notebooks and office paper supplies.

Our head office is also powered by renewable energy.

In 2022, we performed our first responsibility report using 2021 as a benchmark. Full details of this can be found on our report page, which we will update on an annual basis in line with our goals. 

We have also started to work with the to make sure we are performing in a way that creates environmental, social and financial benefits for the communities in which we operate. Following an in-depth and robust application process that scores a business’s social and environmental performance across five key stakeholder groups – the environment, workers, community, customers and – we aim to be certified in 2023.

Yes, all our suppliers source fibres that are cruelty-free; we ban mulesed wool and our down follows strict standards of traceability and no animal cruelty. No animal cruelty is also stipulated in our code of conduct which current and new suppliers must adhere to. 

To further guarantee our fibres are cruelty-free, we have set goals to switch to certified materials for wool and down, with a preference for recycled fibres. 

For more information, please see our responsibility report.

Tekla is not currently carbon neutral, but there are aspects of the business that are. For example, all our employee business travel and accommodation is carbon neutral. We have set a goal to reduce our emissions by 45% by 2025, and are in the process of creating a plan to tackle emissions.

For more information, please see our responsibility report.

All our products comply with the strict Oeko-Tex Standard 100 criteria, with a majority of our products certified to this standard. The Oeko-Tex Standard 100 label ensures that every component used in a product – dyed fabric, a button, any thread – has been tested for harmful substances and is therefore safe for human use. Testing is done by Oeko-Tex’s independent partner institutes and is annually reviewed to allow for new scientific knowledge or statutory requirements. Often, the lowest value limit for Oeko-Tex is more conservative than national compliance standards such as the EU REACH.