Our commitment

FIG is and has always been committed to minimizing our environmental footprint and engaging in socially responsible & environmentally sustainable business practices.

Preserving the environment is a fundamental value for us.

Less is more

Sustainability starts at the design and product development level. We believe that the problems caused by the fast fashion industry affect us all on a human, social and environmental level. As a brand, we believe in designing and manufacturing high quality, versatile and timeless apparel. Clean design lines, well thought-out features and quality fabrics are at the core of our design direction. We think less is more when it comes to your wardrobe.

Sustainable raw materials

We choose to work closely with selected fabric and fibre manufacturers that are committed to providing and developing sustainable fabric solutions. In 2016, we made the decision to only select and develop fabrics that reduce our carbon footprint and provide more sustainable alternatives to traditional textiles.

Our sourcing and R&D team has worked to transition away from regular polyester to recycled polyester made from post-consumer plastic bottles, a more sustainable alternative. Products made with Repreve® and our Möbius family of fabrics as well as Eco-therm insulation used in our outerwear styles are all created with recycled polyester from post-consumer plastic bottles. TENCEL™ Lyocell and TENCEL™ Modal from Lenzing are eco-friendly alternatives to regular lyocell, rayon and modal. Widely used throughout our collection, they are not only sustainable but ultra-soft, luxurious and moisture control natural based fibres we truly love.

Organic cotton is now a stable yarn in our collection, and we are working with our supply chain to ensure all of our cotton fibres are 100% organic cotton in the near future.

Finishing treatments

Durable water repellants (DWR’s) and stain-resistant treatments are traditionally achieved by applying C8 long chain PFC’s (perfluorocarbons) chemicals to the surface of fabrics. Recent studies have raised concerns regarding the long-term effects of these molecules on humans, wildlife and the environment. Although more studies need to be done to completely understand the impact of PFCs and completely green alternatives do not yet exist, we have made the choice to work with what we consider to be a more sustainable alternative.

In 2017, we transitioned to C6 short chain PFC’s durable water-repellant technology. C6 short chain molecules breakdown faster in the environment and are considered to be less harmful to humans and wildlife in the best possible alternative at this time.

We continue our efforts to discover future alternatives that will allow us to phase out the use of PFC based finishes, and hopefully provide more natural and environmentally neutral alternatives.

Made in Canada

Our desire to minimize our environmental footprint started with this simple idea back in 2005 when the brand was initially created – “Let’s create locally!”. While our collection has expanded, diversified and evolved, our commitment to support local sourcing and manufacturing has not. We are proud to support and work with Canadian vendors, textile mills and garment manufacturers whenever possible, some of which we have worked with from the very beginning and are considered to be part of the FIG Clothing family. Obviously, not all our products are made in Canada, as this is simply no longer possible given the structural, human and technological changes to the Canadian garment industry in recent history.

However, we have set a goal - 30% of our styles should be made in Canada every season. Made in Canada styles are identified with the maple leaf on our product description pages on our web site.

Second life

We are extremely proud of our Second Life program initiated in 2010. The objective of this program is to find viable solutions to limit textile waste and ensure the majority of our leftover fabrics and trims used in local manufacturing do not end up in landfills.

FIG has created partnerships with smaller, local, Montreal-based apparel brands and eco-designers who have access to our surplus fabric.

We encourage our product development team to design products that upcycle fabric scraps. FIG face masks are a recent example of Made in Canada products that upcycles left over fabric and fabric scraps.

We donate fabric to non-profit organizations such as Textil’Art - a community reinsertion organization that provides professional training to women - so they can gain the necessary skills and confidence to enter the workforce.

We also work with Certex, a non-profit organization devoted to recycling used garments and textiles via local and global partnerships.

We never trash unsold garments

You can be assured that unsold, slightly defective garments and samples are disposed of in accordance with our environmental and social values. We donate any unsold product to non-profit charitable organizations, such as le Chaînon.

Green mobility

We encourage employees to ditch the car and use greener alternative modes of transportation by giving them the cash equivalent of the STM (Montreal public transit) monthly pass. As a result, the majority of our employees choose to commute by foot, bike or use public transit for their daily work commute.