Responsibly Joules: Our Journey So Far
Joules is a company that’s always been conscious of our impact on the environment from the very first day we set up shop with nothing more than a painter’s table and tent to the Joules you know and love today.
We’ve interviewed Joules’ Corporate Social Responsibility Manager Lydia Brearley to shed some light on all the big leaps and little hops we’re making as Responsibly Joules, and what we can look forward to in the future.
Q: What is Responsibly Joules?
“Responsibly Joules represents our commitment and all the steps we are taking to create a positive impact on the world and the people we share it with. It’s a chance to reflect on our story and recognise the importance of our roots and brand heritage in order to look forward to our future.
This is just the beginning of our journey, but we’re already making great headway.”
Q: What does your role as Corporate Social Responsibility Manager entail?
“My job is to work with various departments across the business, from the product teams, to the packaging teams, to our suppliers and our partners, to make sure that sustainability is embedded into everything we do.
I’ve worked for Joules for seven years, and my background is in buying, which has really helped me in my role as CSR Manager, to understand the process of sourcing materials and how the industry is moving forward.”
Q: What has Responsibly Joules done so far to improve sustainability?
“We’re really proud of our Green PE Mail bags. Made from sustainably grown sugarcane, they are recyclable, renewable, carbon negative and printed in the UK. It’s the world’s first plastic made from a plant, which is exciting.
Since Autumn/Winter 2019, both the woven and care labels in our garments have been made from 100% recycled polyester. Recycled polyester gives a second life to a material that’s not biodegradable and would otherwise end up in landfill or the ocean, it also takes a lot less energy to create.
Plus, last year, we introduced our jute shopper, which so far has saved over 4 million plastic bags from going to landfill.”
Q: What are Responsibly Joules’ plans for the future?
“We’re working hard to increase the number of products which are made from sustainable or recyclable materials, and we look forward to sharing more soon.
For example, this means using either certified organic cotton, or cotton grown through the Better Cotton Initiative. We are committed to ensuring 100% of our cotton is sustainable cotton by 2022. We’re also focusing our efforts on sourcing all our leather through Leather Working Group certified tanneries.
We know it’s not just about how we make our products, but what happens when you’re finished with them. We’re working with two recycling partners and are proud to say that from February, every one of our stores will have a recycling drop box, so customers can drop off their unwanted clothes and shoes.”
We know our customers care as much as we do and are always keen to know more, so make sure you check our dedicated Responsibly Joules page for updates.
Laura Leach
23.04.2020 at 17:09Your environmental efforts are critical for our future and this commitment resonates. My children, 17 and 21 are not confident of their future on this earth and are committed to Veganism, reduce, reuse, recycle — they have influenced my practices with plastics, food and buying. Neither will work for or purchase fast fashion. Eventually and hopefully sooner than later, more people will catch on. Less is more and equals less waste. I’ve always said “I’d rather have fewer items that are of high quality and made well (sustainability) than a home/closet brimming with things”.
Thankyou for your vision, we all can learn and do better.
Jeannine Brumley
30.04.2020 at 17:34What a positive influence you are showing. I am from US in Oregon. Met you at the Chelsey Garden show and fell in love with your great thought out designs. Glad you are using this time to ” recharge.”