Productionsites
- Tunisia
Working conditions & Livable wages
Filou & Friends has been working for years with their 3 producers, one for denim, one for light woven fabrics and a knitwear producer. At one of the producers, they are the sole customers of the small family business. This ensures that Filou & Friends has a direct influence on wages and working conditions.
The brand contributes their bit to various social initiatives. For instance, every year it sells heart pins during the Berre Fund’s week of cherishing. This fund is committed to supporting parents and families who have lost a child.
In 2023, Filou & Friends raised money for ‘The Warmest Week’ charity. To that end, it created Limited Edition jumpers & T‑shirts. Furthermore, the brand donates leftovers to events such as the family festival Wonder Weekend and the Knight Mouse Bivouac for their workshops. During the covid pandemic, the brand donated homemade mouth masks to various organisations.
Materials
- Organic Cotton
- Conventional Cotton
- Recycled Cotton
- Polyester
- Recycled polyester
- Polyacrylic
- Viscose
- Elastane
- Polyamide
- Wool
- Merino wool
- Acrylic
- Nylon
- Acetate
- lyocel-tencel
Filou & Friends has informed us that at least 60% of their collection is made of organic cotton. If you want to know more about organic cotton, read our blog here. Each fabric also has the OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certificate.
Furthermore, the brand states that they also use GOTS certified fabrics.
Packaging
In the supply chain: The clothes are packed in plastic bags that are sorted by shop employees and reused in subsequent deliveries.
Cardboard boxes in the supply chain are reused at least 3 – 4 times, according to the brand.
E‑commerce: The clothes are wrapped in printed tissue paper and shipped in an unprinted cardboard box. Customers also have the option of choosing a gift box with printing.
In retail, the brand works with reusable shopper bags certified by GRS.
Water consumption & chemicals
The brand does not mention specific details around water and chemicals, but does carry the OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certificate for all fabrics, which means that no harmful substances or chemicals can be found in the fabric.
Circular product design
According to the brand, 80 – 90% of its fabrics consist of no more than 2 materials, except for its party collection.
During product design, the brand already pays attention to a design that is as environmentally friendly as possible. From the design phase, the brand tries to apply zero-waste principles.
The brand believes in the optimal use of fabrics. By using a computer program, the best cut calculation is made to minimize material loss. With the cutting remnants, Filou & Friends create doll clothes, hair bands, scrunchies, and gift card bags, among other items, to complement the current collection.
When there are residual materials, they are utilised to make gadgets such as pen bags, tote bags, masks, and more.
Furthermore, the brand has two collections entirely dedicated to circularity.
In collaboration with HNST, the brand created a collection of unisex jeans trousers, shirts, jackets, salopettes, and hats. The collection was made from old denim and renewable materials that would be fully recyclable. The HNST denim fabric saves 95% and consumes 76% less CO₂ compared to the industry standard.
The collection’s labels are also made from recycled cotton and polyester.
A second collaboration with the sunglass brand Yuma Labs has resulted in a collection of sunglasses made from 100% recycled fishing nets from Taiwan. These sunglasses are extremely bendable with anti-scratch lenses to withstand all that rough play. When no longer needed, they can be taken to a Filou & Friends shop to be sold second-hand or returned to Yuma Labs for recycling into new sunglasses.
Circular business model
Filou & Friends offers tips on their website for repairing clothes to extend their lifespan. Should their tips be insufficient, customers are welcome to visit their shops for additional help.
In 2022, the brand launched Filou Forever, the second-hand shop for Filou & Friends. The brand believes that every child has the right to quality clothing and hopes to continue their mission in this way. Consumers can make an appointment when their garments meet certain conditions and bring in their clothes. After approval, consumers will receive a voucher with no expiry date. The clothes brought in are then available in the Forever Corners of Filou & Friends shops and online.
Distance & complexity of the supply chain
- Production locations: Tunisia, China (voor 1 jas)
- Fabrics: mainly Portugal and Europe
- Headquarters and design: Marke, Belgium
- Sales: Benelux, Germany, France, Greece, Italy, Austria, Portugal, Spain and Sweden
The supply chain lies mainly in Tunisia and Europe.
Transport
- Transport within the supply chain:
- Boat
- Truck
- Transport in e‑commerce: bpost
- Wool
- Merino Wool
Filou & Friends is working on a code of conduct, but already have a code of conduct from their suppliers and questionnaire.
Productdesign
Filou & Friends makes clothes for children from 12 months – 10 years. Furthermore, the brand also has a separate brand for babies called Filou Baby OX hugs & kisses.
Slow fashion processes
Filou & Friends shares a comprehensive washing guide to make clothes last as long as possible.
The brand participates in sell-out periods and also gives a discount during children’s birthdays
When fabrics are not used up, it is possible to buy leftover fabrics by the metre online.
Transparency at the product level
There is a list of materials on each product page.
Transparency at the process level
Filou & Friends has started with a Digital Product Passport. With the Filou x Giulia capsule collection from 2024, for the first time, every garment was tagged with a QR code to give a full insight into the entire supply chain of a garment, including the origin of raw materials, quality control, transport, and more.
With COSH! Filou & Friends was also open about their processes.
Conclusion
We here at COSH! sense the genuine ambition to move from a linear to circular business model. With their early implementation of the DPP, we hope consumers will become curious to know more about their garments. Fancy exploring yourself? Find a COSH! member shop near you on the map below.
