Drykorn: How sustainable are their styles?

PRODUCTION LOCATIONS

Drykorn doesn’t disclose their exact production locations on their website. They state that around 77% of their suppliers are located in Europe, around 3% in Africa, and around 20% in Asia.

WORKING CONDITIONS & LIVING WAGES

Drykorn states that their Supplier Code of Conduct sets out social and environmental requirements that all suppliers must meet. According to Drykorn, audits, regular visits to production facilities and on-site inspections are carried out to monitor compliance with these principles.

Drykorn states that 97% of their suppliers have been audited, and the remaining 3% are located in Ukraine, where audits have been withheld due to the war.

MATERIALS

Better Cotton
Organic cotton
Recycled cotton
Cotton
Viscose
Cupro
Lyocell
Hemp
Linen
Leather
Wool
Polyester
Polyamide
Elastane
Acrylic

Drykorn states that cotton is their largest fibre group, accounting for 40% of all fibres in 2024. Drykorn is a member of Better Cotton, and according to Drykorn, 89% of the cotton used in 2024 came from preferred sources (organic cotton, recycled cotton and Better Cotton). Read more about organic cotton here.

Synthetic fibres make up around one fifth of Drykorn’s total fibre volume.
Drykorn also uses recycled synthetic fibres for parts of their collection. The share is not disclosed.
Recycled synthetics release microplastics during washing.

PACKAGING

According to the company, packaging for shipments from Drykorn’s online store is plastic-free.
Since 2022, the brand has also been using reusable shipping boxes. According to the provider, these boxes are recyclable and partly made from recycled materials.

WATER USAGE & CHEMICALS

Drykorn states that their suppliers adhere to the requirements of their list of banned harmful substances.
According to Drykorn, most of their suppliers have signed up to the requirements of the ZDHC MRSL (Manufacturing Restricted Substances List), which prohibits the use of certain chemical substances in production.

Drykorn sources their leather from Leather Working Group (LWG) certified tanneries. The LWG audits tanneries on their environmental performance, including water consumption and chemical management. One of their leather suppliers uses vegetable tanning instead of chrome tanning, which is potentially harmful to health and the environment.

Drykorn recognises that synthetic fibres shed microfibres during washing, which end up as microplastics in water bodies. They therefore recommend using a laundry bag, such as a Guppyfriend, which helps to reduce the release of microfibres.

CIRCULAR PRODUCT DESIGN

Drykorn states that they favour monomaterials as these are easier to recycle.

If they do use fibre blends, they claim to offer blends that are suitable for fibre-to-fibre recycling.

They also state that they aim to support the recycling process by avoiding unnecessary trims like buttons, labels or ribbons.

CIRCULAR BUSINESS MODELS

Drykorn offers Circularity Guides on their website with tips on care, repair, resale and recycling:

If your favourite item is damaged, you can either send it back to Drykorn to be repaired, or make simple fixes yourself with some help from the tutorials available on Drykorn’s website.
Missing a button? Feel free to contact Drykorn for a replacement!
If your item cannot be repaired or resold, Drykorn recommends returning it to the company to be recycled. Drykorn has partnered with TURNS, who recycle their unwearable or faulty textiles and fabric samples into new yarn or industrial textiles. In 2023, they sent 537 kg of textile waste to TURNS, of which the majority came from textile swatches and samples.

DISTANCE & COMPLEXITY OF THE SUPPLY CHAIN

Europe (exact production locations are not disclosed)
Asia (exact production locations are not disclosed)
North Africa (Tunisia)
The HQ is based in Kitzingen, Germany.

TRANSPORTATION

According to Drykorn, they ship via DHL GoGreen
Domestic flights are completely avoided. Transport methods within the supply chain are not disclosed.

Wool
Leather
Sheepskin

Drykorn states that their leather and sheepskin are by-products of the food industry.

All tanneries from which they source their leather are audited and certified by the Leather Working Group and have at least a “Silver” rating. Please note that LWG certification covers the environmental performance of tanneries and does not assess animal welfare.

Drykorn also uses wool from sheep, alpaca and cashmere goats. They state that their preferred type of sheep’s wool is mulesing-free. Mulesing is a controversial and painful practice in which strips of skin are removed from around the sheep’s tail area to prevent flystrike, a parasitic infestation.

For the future, Drykorn plans to increase the use of non-mulesed wool and, in addition to their padding made from recycled PET bottles as an alternative to down feathers, incorporate more vegan alternatives to leather.
They have started to use kraft paper compound patches, known as “Jacron”, for some of their jeans.

PRODUCT DESIGN

The timeless, classic and versatile designs can help to promote longevity, as they are not oriented towards trends. Drykorn also provides detailed care instructions on their website to help you make the most of your purchases.

SLOW FASHION PROCESSES

As Drykorn does not produce made-to-order products, there is a sales section on their website.

TRANSPARENCY ON PRODUCT

The product pages on Drykorn’s website state what material the garments are made from. However, the production countries are not provided. As Drykorn does not provide specific details on their production partners, it is difficult to know where individual items were made.

TRANSPARENCY ON PROCESSES

Drykorn does not publish an annual report on the social or environmental aspects of their brand. Additionally, they have not disclosed their suppliers on their website. It is therefore difficult to determine the true sustainability of the brand, as factors such as the complexities of their supply chain cannot be measured.