Becksöndergaard

Becksöndergaard does not own any factories, however it is their top priority to build long term business relationships with their suppliers to improve and promote compliance with the brand’s corporate responsibility policies on decent working conditions. They make the effort to communicate the importance and value of working with Human and Labour rights. That being said, they have not stated their corporate responsibility policies on the website.
This brand’s suppliers’ production facilities are based in China, India, Turkey, and Italy, which considering that the main office is located in Denmark, must be difficult to regularly check on the working conditions of these facilities personally.

Becksöndergaard works with many natural fibres such as cotton, silk, and wool, including alpaca wool. They have many 100% cotton products, and some even 100% organic cotton products, although certifications are not stated. They also work with different types of leather such as goat suede, lamb leather, eelskin, and cow leather.

They also work with many synthetic materials such as mainly polyester, and polyurethane, many of these products being monomaterial; and other products of synthetic blends using viscose, nylon, elastane, and polyamide. They have a few products containing recycled polyester and polyurethane as well. While the monomaterial nature of the products is good for recyclability, the vast percentage of synthetic material use is harmful to the environment in terms of microplastic release and non-biodegradability.

The percentage of the use of sustainable alternative materials in their collection is not mentioned, however a quick browse shows that there are very few garments that make use of organic or recycled materials.

They have a few products that are supposedly Oeko-Tex certified, which ensures that the textile of those garments is chemically safe and doesn’t cause harm to the producers or users. However, the certification proof is not provided. While there are only a few of these products on the website, they claim to work as a whole with a list of prohibited chemicals that all the suppliers must sign and comply with. This list is based on the EU’s chemical regulation REACH, and their work is validated with tests made by external third parties (the names of which are not mentioned).

This brand contains many monomaterial products, especially using cotton, polyester, and polyurethane. This makes the products easier to recycle at the end of use. However, many products also contain high percentages of synthetic fibre blends, which makes them harder to recycle later.

Becksöndergaard’s suppliers’ production facilities are based in China, India, Turkey and Italy, their office is based in Denmark, and they ship their products worldwide. Nothing is stated regarding product transport, however the length of the chain communicates the distance of transport and its potential high carbon emissions.

The length of the chain also makes it difficult for the brand to keep track of the ethics and sustainability of the production.

The brand, together with the suppliers, promotes animal welfare and traceability. They don’t accept mulesing wool, angora wool, the use of animals on endangered species lists, and only use eelskins that are byproducts from the food industry. While this is specified, nothing is said regarding the other types of animal products they use in their garments, neither are any certifications stated, or sources of the products listed.

Becksöndergaard creates unique and long lasting products using silk and wool, which are durable fibres. Their designs are timeless, considering accessories can be used seasonless. The brand however, does not provide any care tips, or any means of repair or recycling for any of their garments. 

Becksöndergaard provides a little transparency through storytelling, however they have a long way to go in that regard. They mention sustainability and traceability often, however don’t provide any certifications or true traceability for their materials or activities. 

They have a page dedicated to sustainability, however it is difficult to locate on the website for consumers and must be searched for with a separate google search, and once found is still lacking a lot of information.