In honour of Plastic-Free July, a perfect time to rethink our habits andmake more environmentally conscious decisions, we spoke with Seamless MemberKowtow about their commitment to plastic-free design.
Founded in 2006 by Gosia Piątek in Aotearoa / New Zealand,Kowtow’s journey towards becoming completely plastic-free, which is not just isolated to their collections, has been somewhat of a remarkable one. After making the decision in 2020 to return to a single natural fibre with a fully transparent supply chain, they launched their first 100%plastic-free collection in 2024, setting the blueprint for all future design
We chatted with their team about their journey toward plastic-free design, their tips for making conscious daily changes, and the key steps they've taken along the way.
Can you tell us about Kowtow’s journey towards becoming a plastic-free brand?
"Becoming a plastic-free brand really started from the inception ofKowtow. When Gosia Piątek founded the brand in 2006, she recognised the importance of a transparent supply chain and using natural materials. So, from the start we have made our clothes from certified Fair trade organic cotton.
Over the last nineteen years, we introduced fibres like recycled nylon, ZQ merino wool, and Lenzig tencel, which complicated our supply chain. In 2020, we decided to focus on a single natural fibre with full transparency. As part of our2022-2024 Sustainability Strategy, we removed all plastic trims and components, replacing them with natural materials like latex rubber, cotton wadding, and organic cotton thread
In February 2024, we launched our first 100% plastic-free collection, setting a new standard for Kowtow."
What everyday practices has Kowtow adopted to reduce plastic use?
"As we focused on developing our plastic free clothing this awareness spread into our workroom and the team have taken on many practices that not only reduce the use of plastic but also overall waste from going to landfill. We avoid ‘single-use anything’ and have a recycling station in the work room. We collect the usual suspects for recycling - cardboard, paper, plastics, cans and glass - down to staples and blister packs.
We collect food scraps for compost which gets picked up by a local urban farm. In our kitchen we choose to refill glass containers for pantry items whenever we can, we supply reusable containers for lunches and give every new team member a keep cup. We even moved away from using pens to pencils and haven’t looked back."
How does Kowtow ensure sustainability across its entire supply chain, and how do you ensure that your products remain plastic-free from start to finish?
Being Fair trade certified gives us confidence in our supply chain and this nineteen year relationship has built trust and collaboration. Our partners understand our plastic free vision and have been active in the development work. Plastic free options were not always available so we have created solutions together where there were none. We share this information on our website and hope it inspires other brands to join us.
Looking ahead, what’s next for Kowtow?
We are guided by the principles of circular design and see so much potential for innovation and creativity in product stewardship.
We love engaging our community in ways they can support Kowtow’s mission to return clothing to the earth without harm. We recently launched Relove, a resale platform for preloved Kowtow. The response has been amazing, and we see this growing soon across all our Aotearoa / NewZealand and Australian stores.
The most sustainable garment is one that has already been made! Our Regenerate program takes back any Kowtow clothing that has reached the end of its wearable life. It’s an innovative area where our team is at the grass roots level exploring options alongside scientists, farmers, and environmentalists.
Images supplied by Kowtow.
