Sustainability

United

2022 and Beyond

From Our Founder

"Blue Illusion is committed to improving our sustainability practices across all platforms of the business. This year, in 2022, we continued taking vital steps towards reducing our carbon footprint, marking a renewed commitment to transforming our practices for the greater good. By working with Edge Environment— a specialist sustainability advisory company—we have calculated our current footprint and are now formulating powerful strategies to create meaningful change. We take sustainability seriously and look forward to bringing our community with us on this important journey." - Donna Guest, Creative Director

AN UPDATE FOR 2022

As a proud Australian business, Blue Illusion have been honoured to be Baptist World Alliance participants in past years.

This year, however, our team has made the decision not to partake, but instead to focus internally on truly meaningful ways we can support our workers, suppliers and our business from both an ethical and sustainable viewpoint.

At present, we have partnered with Edge Environment, a specialist sustainability advisory firm, to work through our carbon footprint at all levels of the business and from there are working to formulate a long-term strategy to improve our sustainability practices across the board for long lasting change. This is an ongoing project and investment in the future of the business and the planet that we know is vital.

As a result of our audit, we can confirm that we are currently meeting best practice guidelines when it comes to workers' rights. We continue to monitor and ensure that we partner with suppliers who respect their workers and ensure a safe and equitable environment.

In 2022 alone, as a part of our renewed sustainability commitment we have proudly partnered with Australian initiatives Upparel and Good Earth Cotton®. During the month of December, Blue Illusion will be planting over 30,000 trees in partnership with One Tree Planted. These new partnerships are just the beginning of our journey.

We continue our multiple charity partnerships and initiatives, investment in Better Cotton, and use of natural and ethical materials wherever possible, such as organic cotton, linen and ECO VERO, and in accessories, sustainable pearls, fair-trade Kantha collections and LWG leather. This focus has always been and continues to be a part of our brand DNA.

Working from our pillars of Lifestyle, Community and Fashion, we understand that what we do has an impact, and we take our responsibilities seriously. We believe in listening to our workers and are constantly evolving in line with ethical trade. We are devoted to the ongoing betterment of our business as we offer transparency and honesty in our processes.

At Blue Illusion we are continuously working toward a more sustainable future that minimises our footprint on the planet. We continue to be members of Aid For Trade, supporting the economic growth of communities in developing countries.

We continue to collaborate with World Finds on exclusive products, an initiative that empowers women and girls in India through fair trade while preserving traditional handcrafts. Using recycled materials, each of these beautiful pieces are artisan-crafted and supports women makers.

We continue to invest in Better Cotton, the largest sustainable cotton programme on the planet. Better Cotton works to ensure cotton communities thrive, while protecting and restoring the environment. Sourced via a system of Mass Balance, unlike Good Earth Cotton, Better Cotton is not traceable and can be mixed with other cotton along the way. Better Cotton focuses its efforts on supporting farmers through training, sustainability practices, ensuring soil health, reducing harmful chemicals, and most importantly ensuring the wellbeing of its workers.

This year, we were so proud to release our Good Earth Cotton® Bengajean®. Good Earth Cotton® puts an emphasis on regenerative farming practices, with a mission to leave a positive impression on the earth. We are proud to partner with Good Earth Cotton®️, the world’s most sustainable cotton program, which is both Australian owned and grown.

Most recently, we’ve partnered with One Tree Planted, a non-profit organisation to support forest regeneration. Learn More

Most recently, we’ve partnered with One Tree Planted, a non-profit organisation to support forest regeneration. Learn More

Blue Illusion was founded with a love of community at heart, and because of that we have partnered over the years with organisations like Dress for Success, Father Bob and most recently Upparel to ensure that our garments never end up in landfill, but instead can go to those who need them most. Responsible end of life for our garments is important to us.

Our ongoing partnerships and fundraising events with charities including Bali Life Foundation, IDI Baker, World Vision, The Smith Family, The Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research and Wellness Center and The Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund extends itself into a holistic view of sustainability through including social and economic dimensions.

Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute

Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre

Our Goals

Goal 2022

This year we are planting over 30,000 trees. We celebrate our new partnerships with incredible Australian initiatives like Upparel and the Australian grown, carbon-positive Good Earth Cotton®. We currently meet the best practice guidelines for worker’s rights and ensure our suppliers are regularly audited to ensure fair conditions for workers. We are proud to confirm we have eradicated the use of virgin plastics when it comes to garment production.

Goal 2023 and beyond

As we continue to work with a specialist sustainability advisory firm, 2023 will be a year of making meaningful change, such as improving circularity within our business and ensuring we meet gold standard practices when it comes to lowering our carbon footprint. Our next chapter is to tackle our non-apparel packaging and our online shipping packaging by March 2023.

Supporting Our Partners

Blue Illusion has longstanding relationships with our suppliers, and we pride ourselves on commitment to our collective future. This includes upholding sustainable practices and creating a foundation within which our community can flourish. At Blue Illusion we have committed to:

Supporting our suppliers now and into the future

Despite the current and ongoing challenges posed by COVID-19, our team maintains contact with our suppliers to ensure both the suppliers and workers are adequately supported during these challenging times.

Listening to the voices and experience of our workers

We conduct annual audits across all our factories in addition to visits from the production team. If factories are closed, then audits are conducted upon reopening as per our factory social compliance audit schedule. Third-party QC inspections were conducted during the period after the shutdown.

Supporting workers at risk

Through continued engagement with suppliers, we ensured the suppliers paid their workers as per their legal requirements. In areas of job losses, we fully assisted where possible, for example when a factory reached out to us regarding potential job losses and workers migration, we supported the workers by paying the factory before the goods were finished.