Reduce - Reuse - Recycle

Let’s talk sustainability.  For Taffy Tots Clothing, I see it as a responsibility to move away from fast fashion and back to hard wearing, lasting clothing for children that can be used time and time again.  Personally, I want to make decisions that aren’t necessarily focussed on the easiest or quickest option, but the one that will have the smallest impact.

Many customers so far have commented on how hard wearing the clothes are that I produce.  This delights me as it was one of my top goals when starting out.  I have 3 boys who, like me, are really hard on their clothes.  As they have grown, I have found myself opting for slightly more expensive clothing rather than what I can find in the supermarkets or bigger brand shops because I know that it will still look good after dozens of washes.  In many cases, all 3 boys have had wear out of the same outfits. Kids do grow at a ridiculous rate, but that doesn’t mean that their clothes should only last that short period before the next growth spurt.  By making clothes for your children that wash well and stand up to all of life’s adventures, I know that once your tot has outgrown their favourite pair of leggings, or romper, that another tot can get just as much use out of it afterwards.

I am also conscious of how lucky my family and I have been to have a comfortable lifestyle.  As a small business owner, I am keen to give back as much as I can to my community.  For this reason, any items of clothing that have been used for displays or have been left unsold are packaged up and donated to AberNecessities. This fantastic local charity provides clothing and other essential items to families who are in need in the Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire areas.  You can find out more about their work here.

But what about all the waste?  The fashion industry has taken a lot of battering over wastefulness and I am very aware of how much I contribute to that.  I aim to use every last piece of fabric that I possibly can when making my clothes and accessories.  There is always going to be leftover scraps of fabric, but instead of sending these to landfill, I bag them up and donate them to anyone that wants them:  playgroups, nurseries, schools, childminders, crafting groups and many more.  If I can minimise what goes in the bin, I feel I have done something to improve the my impact.

That’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?  Making those small changes that can result in a bigger impact.

What does sustainability mean to you?  Are there small changes that you’ve been making to improve your impact on our planet?