PRODUCTION LOCATIONS
- Portugal
- Spain
WORKING CONDITIONS & LIVING WAGES
When Lutz Schwenke, CEO of TWOTHIRDS, spent a year in Hawaii as a teenager, he began to see the ocean differently. It became a source of joy and motivation for him. Later, Lutz worked for the UN, which influenced his vision for the more sustainable brand he would eventually found.
Today, the TWOTHIRDS team comes from all over the world. They are a diverse team of creatives, designers and ocean lovers whose goal is to find a connection with the people who wear their clothes.
The company produces primarily in Portugal, as the northern region of the country has a traditional textile manufacturing industry known for its high quality and precision craftsmanship. Final manufacturing stages (cutting and sewing) also take place in Spain.
In addition, frequent visits to the facilities allow them to build long-lasting and trusting relationships. According to the company, they fully believe that security and fair payments create an environment of trust, which benefits all actors involved in the production of their garments.
In Portugal, the minimum wage rose 6% in 2025 compared to 2024, above the rate of inflation. In Spain and France, the minimum wage is at least as high as the living wage. All suppliers are required to abide by TWOTHIRDS’ strict Supplier Code of Conduct.
MATERIALS
- Organic cotton
- Tencel Lyocell
- Wool
- Linen
- Recycled nylon (e.g. ECONYL®, SEAQUAL®)
- Recycled polyester
- Recycled cotton
- Deadstock fabrics and yarns
TWOTHIRDS sources unwanted materials from elsewhere. These include leftovers from production processes, post-consumer waste, materials recovered from the environment – especially the ocean – and deadstock.
They also use recycled fabrics and blends, such as recycled nylon, recycled cotton and recycled polyester.
For swimwear, they use ECONYL® and SEAQUAL® fibres partly derived from ocean-impact plastic such as waste fishing nets. Their production emits around 60% less greenhouse gases compared to virgin synthetic fibres. Virgin synthetics account for less than 2% of TWOTHIRDS’ total material footprint.
PACKAGING
The brand says that all packaging is 100% plastic-free, using cardboard boxes and paper bags for individual garments. They emphasise that the cardboard they use can potentially be recycled up to 20 times or more, offering a lower-impact alternative compared to single-use plastics. The brand also states that they design the packaging to be reusable (for example, customers reuse the bags or boxes for gift-wrapping or crafts) as part of their effort to reduce waste and extend the life of packaging materials.
WATER USAGE & CHEMICALS
TWOTHIRDS believe that they can only be sustainable if they leave as little negative trace as possible. That is why they have set out to reduce their own carbon footprint as much as possible. To do this, they collaborate with research institutes, suppliers and other organisations to improve the sustainability of their products.
They also support suppliers with investments in renewable energy production.
TWOTHIRDS uses 100% green energy at their headquarters.
TWOTHIRDS uses materials such as organic cotton, linen and botanic fibres like TENCEL Lyocell, which have a smaller water footprint than regular cotton and whose manufacturing processes include water recycling and purification.
The brand states that in its partner facilities in Northern Portugal, the wet processes (such as dyeing and washing) are located in factories with on-site wastewater treatment plants, contributing to increased water quality in Northern Portugal.
The brand has partnered with ocean conservation organisations actively contributing to reef restoration, beach clean-ups, and marine animal care.
CIRCULAR PRODUCT DESIGN
TWOTHIRDS integrates recycled materials throughout their collections, contributing to a more circular approach to fashion.
Their garments are built to last, reducing the need for frequent replacement. Where possible, the brand also works with leftover fabrics from existing stock to give surplus materials a second life as new pieces.
CIRCULAR BUSINESS MODELS
TWOTHIRDS produces only what is ordered via pre-order. In the event that a garment does not sell as well as predicted, they transform the material into another garment or sell it via online sales or physical pop-up shops. They pride themselves on never sending finished products to landfill or incineration. As a result, they rarely produce surplus stock.
TWOTHIRDS’ philosophy of using what they have, before thinking about creating something new, is a key way to promote circularity and reduce the environmental impact of the fashion industry. The same applies to trimmings and all kinds of smaller items used in their clothing.
DISTANCE & COMPLEXITY OF THE SUPPLY CHAIN
- Portugal (production and fabric production)
- Spain (production)
- France (fabric production)
- Austria (fabric production)
- Italy (fabric production)
- HQ: Barcelona, Spain
Local production is a key aspect of TWOTHIRDS’ supply chain. They locate their final production in Portugal and Spain to make their pre-order system possible. In addition, some raw materials are also sourced in Europe, such as Shetland wool or linen. Fabrics are produced in Austria, France, Italy and Portugal.
Keeping local and centralised production allows them to make frequent visits to work closely with their suppliers over time and build strong relationships based on trust and transparency.
To give an idea of how localised their supply chain is: their main Portuguese provider produced 58.3% of TWOTHIRDS clothing in 2024, and their second biggest supplier produced a further 32.2%, both operating hyper-localised networks of interconnected textile companies, all within a 25km radius of each other.
TRANSPORTATION
There is no information available regarding the transportation methods used.
- Shetland Wool (mulesing-free)
- Merino Wool (mulesing-free)
Detailed information on animal welfare standards is not publicly available.
PRODUCT DESIGN
At TWOTHIRDS, they believe that the solution to more sustainable fashion is not just about using different fabrics, but also involves durability. That is why they create garments with timeless and quality designs. The company releases four collections annually.
TWOTHIRDS pays attention to detail. Embellishments, such as zippers and buttons, are one of the main causes of products being thrown away. That is why, in addition to using quality fabric, they also use high quality trimmings to make their products last longer.
SLOW FASHION PROCESSES
TWOTHIRDS is one of the pioneer brands in implementing the pre-order system. With this system, they can estimate how many pieces of a specific garment they are going to sell, and thus order exact quantities and avoid overproduction. According to the European Environment Agency, the industry average for unsold stock is 21%. TWOTHIRDS’ pre-order model brings their overproduction rate down to just 0 – 4%.
TRANSPARENCY ON PRODUCT
On their product pages, TWOTHIRDS provides a clear breakdown of material composition. Each product also states where it was designed and crafted. However, there is no product-level traceability that allows a customer to trace their specific purchase back to a named factory or exact production batch.
TRANSPARENCY ON PROCESSES
TWOTHIRDS publishes an annual Eco Report on their website, which serves as their main transparency tool covering environmental and social performance. On their website they share detailed information about their supply chain structure, including production countries, the hyper-localised network of suppliers in Northern Portugal, and the fact that wet process suppliers have on-site wastewater treatment plants. They state they can identify 100% of their Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers and 95% of their dye suppliers.
Traceability is provided at brand level rather than at individual product level: a customer can understand how and where TWOTHIRDS generally produces, but cannot trace a specific purchased item through the supply chain.
The brand is B Corp certified, which involves independent third-party assessment of their social and environmental practices.
Conclusion
Our planet is two-thirds ocean and that is exactly where TWOTHIRDS finds its purpose. Rooted in a deep love for the sea, they create fashion that is made to last, produced entirely in Europe, and designed to leave as little trace as possible. Discover the TWOTHIRDS collection on the COSH! map below.