Dedicated

Because the brand is committed to helping people, it works together with 6 solid GOTS-certified fabrics and clothing producers in China and India. This means that, in addition to the farmers, the textile workers and sewers also work under good conditions and receive a fair wage. With that money, they can support their families and send the children to school.

And in addition to working with GOTS-certified fabrics, Dedicated also works with Fairtrade cotton. The Fairtrade standard protects the income, health and safety of cotton farmers and bans genetically modified cotton seeds. Fairtrade also invests in schools, infrastructure and other social improvements.

The GRS (Global Recycled Standard) which the recycled fabrics comply with has also set social requirements. So when you buy a garment from Dedicated, you can be sure it has been produced under ethical working conditions.

There is also a kind of umbrella certificate that Dedicated has acquired. The SA8000® Standard encourages organizations to develop and implement socially acceptable practices in the workplace. The standard draws on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the conventions of the International Labor Organization (ILO).

Some factories are also certified by WRAP, a non-profit organization that ensures and monitors ethical and safe production. This label, like the SA8000® Standard, bases its principles on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the conventions of the International Labor Organization (ILO).

Dedicated started with Organic and Fairtrade cotton back in 2006. This was their way to support farmers from extreme poverty and encourage a more durable agricultural system. Later, the brand grew to a full clothing range that they wanted to be made sustainably. That meant new types of garments, made of new fabrics.

They make their clothing only from natural or recycled fibers. Most of its clothing like t‑shirts and sweaters are made from natural fabrics such as FairTrade and GOTS-certified organic cotton and Tencel. In the production process of Fair Trade organic cotton, no pesticides and fertilizers are involved. Therefore, the brand is considered an Organic Label. COSH! is a fan of natural materials because they are biodegradable.

For more performant and durable winter garments, they added recycled wool to their fabric mix. They always want new fibers to add value to our garments, this is also why they started working with hemp to make more durable t‑shirts with a neater structure. 

Also, all the polyester they use is 100% recycled so that you don’t have to worry about adding to the planet’s plastic problem. Recycled PET bottles are usually used for jackets and swimwear from Dedicated. This recycled polyester material is also GRS certified, so you can be sure that your swimsuit is actually made from recycled material!

At Dedicated, most of their collections are made of organic cotton. At COSH! we are fans of organic cotton, especially when the garments are made from a single material. In this way, the garments are easily recyclable after use. High quality organic cotton can be returned to the cycle without the need for mechanical or chemical recycling. A natural and chemical-free material such as organic cotton is biodegradable after use!

In addition, the hats, jackets and swimming costumes are made from recycled polyester. However, in the future, Dedicated wants to expand its circular range, as they use a small percentage of elastane and nylon in some of their garments, or blends of fabrics, which makes it difficult to recycle the garment afterwards.

They work directly with 6 garment suppliers from India and 2 garment suppliers from China. A lot of their suppliers carry out several production steps in-house, further simplifying their supply chain. 

When they identify a potential new supplier, they have an onboarding process to assess if the supplier can work with their production and sustainability requirements. If they start working with this supplier, they perform regular checks with the help of third-party audit reports and they keep visiting the factories yearly.

Then the shipment of their fully finished collections is then shipped to their warehouses in Sweden and Germany. They prioritize boat shipments. To favor the sea option, their design and production teams follow a strict yearly calendar, which matches their suppliers’ production lead times and the boat transportation time.

For their latest collection they have introduced a very small percentage of recycled wool because these allow them to offer more versatile garments.

Wool is biodegradable, extremely durable, has heat regulating properties, and rarely looks worse for wear. As a Scandinavian brand, it is also very much a part of their heritage. 

Additionally, as a clothing brand with sustainability at their core, reusing resources is a form of practicing what they preach. They obtain the wool from pre-consumer waste, such as factory scraps, which are sorted by color, shredded, mixed with recycled polyester, and spun into soft-yet-resilient yarn, ideal for outerwear. The textile waste used for recycled wool often consists of a mix of fibers, resulting in difficulties determining whether the recycled wool contains 100% wool, the reason it says ​“10% other materials” on their care label.

Taking proper care of your clothes is a simple trick to extend the life of your favorite garments. By caring for and following washing instructions, you can prevent your clothes from losing colour and shape, and by mending or re-stitching, you can reduce your clothing consumption. 

Dedicated offers a laundry guide and very detailed care instructions to advise you on how to care and wash your clothes to extend their life cycle, all to reduce the impact of clothing on the environment.

On Dedicated’s website, each supplier has an explanation of how the factory works, which certification standards it is accredited with, and when the factory was last visited. COSH! is thrilled to see how transparent Dedicated is about its suppliers. Each garment shows where exactly it was made.

In addition, on their website you can also find their sustainability report, where they are very transparent and provide a lot of information about their sustainability practices.