Our Logo

In 2020 the South West England Fibreshed member community spent several months thinking about what our logo should stand for when carried on an item of clothing or textile product.

We agreed that to bear the logo, a product must meet the following two criteria to uphold the core values of the Fibershed soil-to-soil model for local, regenerative textile production:

1. All fibres, dyes and haberdashery (including threads and fixtures) are 100% natural and biodegradable.*
2. Fibres are grown within the South West, and all processing and manufacturing must take place in the UK where not possible** within the South West. Likewise, natural dyes must be grown in the UK although dye stuffs with South West provenance should be prioritised where possible.

In addition to these two criteria, a product must also meet at least one of the following three criteria:

1. The provenance of every material used in the product is known, as well as every processor and node in the product’s supply chain.
2. The fibres and dyes used are sourced from growers / farms who implement agricultural or horticultural practices that are beneficial and nourishing to the ecosystem and biosphere as a whole. This includes growers who follow permaculture or regenerative farming principles and/or adhere to, or are certified under organic standards or biodynamic standards.
3. The product label carries clear information on fibre and dye composition, provenance and guidance on how to return the product to the soil at the end of its lifecycle.

We expect to review and amend these criteria on an ongoing basis as the landscape of our South West and nationwide fibre economy evolves.

Next review date: September 2022.

Exceptions

*This means prioritising designs that do not require plastic or metal fixtures and closures. However, in some instances (e.g. jeans, outerwear) this may not always be practical. In these instances non-biodegradable fixtures or closures may be used providing:

• • They do not make up more than 5% of the total product weight;
  • They are removable at the end of the product’s lifecycle so that it can be returned safely to soil;
  • Every effort is made to source them as locally and ethically as possible;
  • All of the above is made clear and transparent on the product label .

**This may be due to availability, accessibility (high minimum volumes, for example) or quality of service. For example, the South West only has one scouring facility and no finishers for woollen cloth.