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Sustainability
At Théla we want to do things the right way and take sustainability seriously. From the materials we use to our manufacturing and our circular practices, everything is designed to reduce our footprint and increase our impact. Here is how we do it.
Materials
Manufacturers
Circular Practices
Materials
Our main focus is diverting plastic waste from landfills and oceans. No surprise then that our signature fabrics are truly circular. But we don’t stop there, all our secondary materials are equally sustainable.
Circular Fabric made entirely from Repurposed Plastic
Our signature plastic woven fabrics are handcrafted by skilled artisans in India. Utilising generations of traditional techniques, they turn salvaged plastic bags and wrappers into yarn and then weave them into custom-sized sheets. Every sheet and every product carries the story of each particular piece of plastic and turns its short life into a long-lasting, beautiful future.
Organic & Fairtrade Cotton
Our linings, pockets and straps cannot be made out of upcycled plastic waste. And rather than going the cheap way, we are using exclusively locally sourced organic and fairtrade cotton. We work with some special people who know their job and carry all the certificates to prove it!
Recycled Materials
And what about the rest? Whenever we need to use some synthetic material, we go 100% recycled rather than virgin materials. Our zips for example are made by YKK from recycled PET. Some say we believe in reincarnation but it’s just common sense really. Extend and reuse as much as possible.
Manufacturers
We are passionate about what we do and so are our partners. We work with people and companies who know what they do and are as sensitive/particular about sustainability as we are. Read all about them here.
Ecokaari
A social enterprise in Pune training local women from disadvantaged backgrounds to weave on traditional looms with locally sourced plastic waste, thus creating livelihood opportunities extending the life of plastic.
Khamir
Dedicated to supporting traditional, family-run weaving skills and addressing the urban waste problem, Khamir’s plastic weaving initiative helps revive the local crafts, heritage and cultural ecology of Kutch.
Rajlakshmi
A certified organic, fair trade cotton mill in Kolkata that supports a socially just and transparent supply chain. They strive to minimise the environmental impact of their production while creating benefit for every person involved in the process.
Self Help Centre
We have been working with this fair trade NGO since 2019 and despite organisational issues due to Covid, we continue to independently work with and support their tailoring community, paying them fair living wages.
Circular Practices
Sustainability is discussed everywhere these days, but what about full circularity? We are ambitious in our targets and conscious of our limitations. Here’s everything we are doing to become fully circular, from beginning to end.
No New Plastic
Repurposed plastic for the handwoven fabrics. Recycled plastic for our zippers. Plastic-free packaging.
Vegan
No animal products like leather or wool. No alternatives like fake leather that are made of toxic, plastic-based materials.
Zero Waste
Fabrics woven into the exact size of the bag to eliminate plastic waste. Any waste generated during production is donated to recycling initiatives.
Fair
We support artisan communities and help revive traditional crafts. We support tailors from vulnerable social groups.
Low Production Footprint
The plastic waste is washed, dried and cut by hand. Our products are woven on traditional, manual looms.
Closing the Loop
We encourage our customers to return their Théla product at the end of its life so that we can responsibly recycle and/or dispose of its components.