A little more sustainable every day

Recently, Miranda Martinez, our Sustainability Officer, and Jetske Verbeek, our Sustainability Manager, were interviewed by ABN AMRO, a Dutch banking company that prides itself on being a driver of the sustainability transition. A beautiful opportunity to celebrate some sustainable milestones together. "More than half of the materials we used for our 2024 collections was recycled."

What is your view on sustainability and corporate responsibility?

Jetske: For us, corporate responsibility and sustainability go hand in hand. Female empowerment has always been at the core of our brand mission. One of the things to flow from this is the Bringing Females Forward (B.F.F.) project: a project focused on the personal and professional development of the women working in the factories that produce our collections in China and Thailand. We researched what these employees really want for themselves - think of empowering workshops and trainings. We then set up a program in tandem with professors and experts from the region. So far, we've received incredibly positive feedback from the factory employees.

What kind of people work in your factories?

Miranda: It used to be mostly younger women. Now, the ladies behind the machines are getting a bit older. Back in the day, it was quite common for factory employees to commute large distances, leaving their children with grandparents. At the moment, it's mostly local workers. Working in a factory is becoming less popular. One of my motivations to initiate a female empowerment project was to make factory work something to be proud of again. 

Since 2023, lingerie brand marlies|dekkers has been holding a B Corp certification, a recognized sustainability label. How did you make that happen?

Miranda: When we started on our sustainability journey, we realized that we were actually already doing many good things, such as working with recycled materials, but were not yet communicating that to consumers or stakeholders. Integrating sustainability into our communications is getting better every day. 

Did it come as a surprise when you became B Corp certified?

Miranda: Yes. After all, we are a small company. We hadn't yet standardized everything, so we actually thought it would be much more difficult. But we did really well right away. 

Jetske: The fact that we are not incredibly large also made it easier. The lines of communication are short; we can just drop in on each other to discuss things. In addition, everyone involved was extremely motivated to score the B corp certification. 

What challenges do you face as a lingerie brand in terms of sustainability?

Miranda: If you stick to the current standard components of a bra, it is actually impossible to make a purely sustainable version. It becomes a different type of product altogether: a bralette without support, or a flimsy cotton camisole. 

Jetske: It's very difficult. You also want your product to last as long as possible. Our customers are known to wear our bras for up to ten years. So, you want to avoid using recycled materials that shorten your product's lifespan. Because that, ultimately, is less sustainable. 

Miranda: Worldwide, there are only a few standalone B Corp lingerie brands. Fashion brands are much more advanced in that regard, especially in outerwear. We look to them for inspiration, rather than to other lingerie brands.

"Retail and sustainability are two words that don't go together. Buying new stuff is by definition not sustainable,” another brand told us recently. What is your stand on this? 

Miranda: I believe that sustainability should be incorporated with great integrity. Ideally, commitment to sustainability comes from an intrinsic motivation, not a commercial interest. Only then can you really build something beautiful. We have been committed to using more and more recycled materials. "More than half of the materials we used for our 2024 collections was recycled."

Since the relaunch of Marlies Dekkers in 2013, sustainability and social corporate responsibility have grown increasingly important in your company. How did you get employees on board?

Miranda: We started with a project group made up of delegates from each department, indirectly involving the entire company. The sustainability drive was widely supported by management. An absolute requirement for success. We also hired a consultant: Rainbow Collection. Within six sessions, Rainbow Collection got the entire company involved in our sustainability strategy. 

What was it like to work with a sustainability consultant? 

Miranda: We highly recommend it, especially when you own a small or medium sized enterprise like ours. Because we don't have a separate sustainability department, it's great to have someone think along with us. Granted, it helps when you feel a connection with each other, and we really clicked with this group of young, creative people. In the past, we've had to deal with ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) parties, who made us fill out endless forms. It can really take all the fun out of the process. Instead, we prefer to focus on personal success stories that make everyone incredibly proud. Once we interviewed the factory owners we work with - all women - for our magazine. Our own unique way to give sustainability a face.