Cleobella

Sustainability Impact + Goals

Now B Corp Ceritifed

We are excited to announce that Cleobella is now officially B Corp Certified, reflecting our ongoing commitment to high social and environmental performance standards. This certification is a major milestone for the brand and reinforces our dedication to responsible practices, from empowering global artisans to using eco-friendly materials. Join us on this journey as we continue to create conscious designs that inspire, all while making a positive impact on the world.

Plastics in Fashion

The Challenge: Synthetic fibers like polyester are made from fossil fuels and could take up to 500 years to decompose. It is estimated that 60% of all clothes today are made from synthetic materials.

Solution: 89% of Cleobella’s collection is made from plant-based, renewable fibers. 78% of all Cleobella’s products are made from 100% cotton (53% GOTS, 40% organic, 8% conventional).  Cleobella only uses synthetic fibers within our swimwear line which is currently made of all recycled materials. 

Goals: 60% of all cotton products to be GOTS certified by 2025 and 100% of all cotton products to be organic by 2030.

Values / Purpose-Driven Business

The Challenge: Only around 50% of companies identify as purpose-driven, actively integrating social and environmental goals into their business models beyond only profit-making objectives​.

Solution: As a values-based business, Cleobella has succeeded over the years by remaining dedicated to our core values and principles—staying ethical to the planet, people, and the processes that define our most important relationships.  These commitments keep us rooted and focused—especially in the hardest of times. Cleobella partners with Beam Impact for their commitment to working solely with organizations that are highly accredited and rated based on their traceability and transparency. We have chosen multiple organizations that align best with who we are as a brand and where we want to make a positive impact. During checkout you can choose out of the four we’ve selected that you want your money to go towards and the donation is made from us at no cost to you. 

  • Surfrider Foundation: 34,877 lbs of plastic removed from the ocean
  • One Tree Planted / Eco-Alliance: planting of 10,369 trees 
  • Girls Inc: 2 days of a pre-college program in science & tech for teen girls
  • Everfree 
  • Ibu Foundation: 42 sewing machines for female artisans in South Asia
  • Bloom Foundation: 21 young women accessed pre-college STEM courses in India
  • SeaTrees by Sustainable Surf: 26 fragments of coral planted in Bali, restoring degraded coral reefs
  • Foundation for the National Institutes of Health: 49 meals for children and their caregivers at a clinical research hospital

Goal: Double our giveback to nonprofits by 2030 and increase sourcing from women and minority artisan suppliers to make up over 10% of purchases.

Forced Labor and Exploitation

The Challenge: Fast fashion is underpinned by rampant exploitation of both people and the planet. Global demand for fast fashion has spurred exponential growth in the garment industry over the last two decades. Clothing production has almost doubled in the past 15 years alone and today G20 countries are collectively importing US$148 billion worth of apparel goods and US$13 billion worth of textiles at risk of being produced by forced labor every year.

Solution: Cleobella is committed to ethical labor practices and transparency within our supply chain. 85% of all our products were produced in SEDEX audited and GOTS certified factories whose standards include assessment of social and labor practices. We also conduct self-assessments and onsite auditing annually to review our progress with our partners. We are continuously evaluating our processes to eliminate any risk of forced labor. We have developed long-standing partnerships with our manufacturers and we support the welfare of the workers who produce our garments.

Goals: Become B Corp certified by Q4 2024. Implement a robust supplier audit system by 2026 that is also able to account for our artisan partners.

Textile Waste

The Challenge: The world produces 92 million tons of textile waste every year and the average US consumer throws away approximately 81.5 pounds of clothes annually, with only 1% of clothes recycled into new garments.

Solution: Unlike fast fashion, Cleobella believes in quality over quantity and creates products that can be cherished and worn for generations. We promote a circular fashion economy through our resale programs such as Poshmark, our rental partnerships with Nuuly, Rent the Runway and Fashion Pass. We also have our recycling program, Take Back Bags and utilize innovative design techniques to use recycled materials and deadstock in our collections to divert waste from landfill. In addition, we pride ourselves in counteracting the global textile waste by focusing on a cut to sew wholesale business, not overproducing products, and building a larger resale program. 

Goal: Increase the percentage of Cleobella customers engaging in recycling programs and resale programs by 30% by 2030.

Biodiversity Loss

Problem: The fashion industry has a significant impact on biodiversity loss through habitat loss, soil degradation and polluting water sources. The use of pesticides and chemicals in production    of crops, use of synthetic dyes and land use from monocropping all contribute to this negative impact.

Solution: At Cleobella, we are striving to implement more traceable and lower environmental impact materials in our garments. 57% of all products were made with GOTS certified cotton or other organic cotton certifications. This prevents the use of toxic chemicals in both growing and manufacturing. We also use FSC certified tree-based materials which protects forests and ensures sustainable harvesting. We are increasing our use of digital printing to minimize water extraction and pollution from dying processes.

Goal: 100% of all plant-based fibers to be certified and traceable by 2030.