Knowledge Cotton Apparel

Production Locations

• India 
• China
• Portugal
• Turkey

Working Conditions & Living Wages

KowledgeCotton Apparel is GOTS-certified which means that its textiles contain at least 70 per cent certified organic natural fibres and that the entire supply chain, from processing to trading, meets strict environmental and social criteria, such as environmentally friendlier production and fair labour conditions.

Since 2013, the brand has partnered with Chetna Organic, a cooperative supporting smallholder farmers in central and eastern India. The brand states that they guarantee the purchase of a set amount of cotton each year, giving farmers a stable income regardless of harvest size. The brand claims that around 70% of its Indian cotton comes from Chetna families. There is no public information on living wages in the garment factories, so this remains unverified.

Some products are produced in facilities assessed under recognised labour standards, such as SA8000, the leading social certification standard covering fair working conditions, health and safety, and workers’ rights.

Materials

• GOTS-certified organic cotton
• Regenerative Organic Certified® cotton
• Responsible Wool Standard-certified (RWS) wool
• Organic linen
• Linen
• Lyocell (Ecovero)
• Merino wool
• Cashmere
• Lambswool
• GRS-certified polyester
• Recycled Polyester 
• OCS (Organic Content Standard) 
• Elastane
• Polyamide
• Metallic fibres

Do you know how sustainable organic cotton actually is?

Packaging

• The brand states that it replaces plastic poly bags with FSC®-certified paper bags from Vela™, produced by paper specialist Seaman Paper. This is part of its goal to eliminate all plastic from garments and packaging by 2030. 
• The brand does not disclose details about other packaging materials in its supply chain.

Water Usage & Chemicals

GOTS certification restricts the use of harmful chemicals in processing and dyeing. Organic cotton cultivation can save water compared to conventional cotton. 

The award-winning VENT CANVAS 200™ jacket uses a DWR treatment for water resistance. However the brand does not specify which chemistry this treatment uses.

Circular Product Design

The brand avoids mixing plant-based and synthetic materials, which makes garments easier to recycle. 

The Reborn™ range is made from recycled and reused materials, designed, according to the brand, to be ​“reborn in a circular system”. Note: Recycled blends can themselves be harder to recycle again. 

Circular Business Models

There is no evidence of a take-back service, repair service, rental or resale programme.

• India
• China
• Portugal
• Turkey
• KnowledgeCotton Apparel’s HQ is located in Aarhus, Denmark. 

Transportation

The brand does not disclose information about transportation in its supply chain or e‑commerce deliveries.

• Wool, certified under the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS)
• Cashmere
• Merinowool
• Lambswool

There is no published animal welfare policy covering other animal-derived materials. However, the RWS certification guarantees that the wool comes from farms that ensure animal welfare (in particular no mulesing) and manage their grazing land responsibly, with full traceability through every stage of the supply chain up to the finished product.

Despite the brand’s use of the Retraced transparency tool, the origin of the fibres and the location of the animal farms cannot be clearly identified, which limits the traceability claims from a consumer perspective.

Product Design

The brand designs timeless menswear and womenswear: knitwear, shirts, trousers, jackets and outerwear. The focus is on quality and durability.

Slow Fashion Processes

The brand communicates about ​“collection drops” but does not disclose how many collections it releases per year. 

It takes part in sales periods, including an Archive Sale and a 10% newsletter discount. 

There is no made-to-order production.

Transparency on Product

On the product pages, customers can find the exact material composition of each garment, along with care instructions that support product longevity. The pages also display product-specific certifications. In addition, a ​“Product Journey” section powered by the Retraced transparency tool is intended to make the supply chain of the individual garment traceable.

Transparency on Processes

While the company provides a degree of supply chain transparency through the Retraced tool, it does not appear to publish an annual sustainability report. However, the company itself is GOTS-certified and uses a wide range of certified fibres, which are subject to regular audits and independent controls, providing third-party verification of both environmental and social criteria along the supply chain.