HEMP + SUSTAINABILITY INFO

Our tees are made in China, the leader in hemp cultivation and processing, and a place we settled on after much research and conversation with mills and manufacturers.

We deal with one vertically integrated company to produce Buddy. This means that they own and control the entire process from growing to sewing. All of their factories (weaving, cutting, sewing, dyeing & shipping) are powered predominantly by solar energy.  The organic fabric they produce for us (our Classic Hemp Tee is a blend of 55% Hemp & 45% Organic Cotton) is certified OCS and GOTS compliant. 

They are also a member of the Fair Wear Association, an independent non-profit organisation that works with factories to improve labour conditions for garment workers and conducts regular audits.  The company provides medical benefits, safety insurance, regular salary raises, vacation days, and community building.

We chose China as they had the facilities and manpower to produce the quality and quantity of garment we wanted, and all processes could be performed in one place, minimising emissions created by shipping stock or fabric around the world. 

Our final realised order is shipped by sea freight, the most carbon efficient form of transporting goods (at this point in time), from China to us in Auckland, New Zealand.  Instead of individually packing each tee in a plastic bag (as is industry standard), our tees are delivered naked, with one large plastic bag encasing each box internally, to protect the stock during transit.  We are working on sourcing bio-based alternatives for this. 

Our prints & embroidery are done locally in NZ, in limited runs, to ensure that we don't overproduce an embellished style that may not sell through.  It costs more, but this gives us the option to be flexible, and make only what we (and you!) need.  That way we only hold stock of our blank tees, the perfect blank canvas, which isn't bound to seasonal expiry. 

Our screenprinted styles are done using non-toxic, water-based inks.

Your orders are packed and shipped out from our office in Central Auckland in recyclable cardboard boxes and very occasionally in compostable (home & commercial) mailers if the order is too large to fit in a box.

We choose to use hemp for a number of environmental reasons including, but not limited to: its carbon sequestering talents, its lower use of water needed to grow, its need to be washed less due to its antimicrobial properties (it doesn't get smelly!), and its strength of fibre, meaning it will last far longer than other fabrics.

We're always working behind the scenes to reduce our environmental impact and come up with creative, effective long-term solutions to improve what we offer.   We sincerely want to be part of and contributing to positive change - it's the reason we're in the hemp game! 

If you have any further questions or suggestions regarding our products and manufacturing standards, please shoot us an email at hello@buddybuddy.co.nz. We'd be glad to discuss!  Talking hemp gets us jazzed :)