Our mission is to produce beautiful, quality headwear & accessories that are designed to last throughout the seasons, with the least amount of impact on our environment as possible. We love our planet & the creatures that occupy it, and every decision we make is aligned with our goal of ensuring you’re proud as punch wearing FORD MILLINERY.
100% CARBON NEUTRAL
In 2021, we became carbon neutral! (WOO!) We make continued efforts to reduce our carbon footprint, and we are offsetting any baddies we are not yet able to rid.
REMOVING PLASTIC FROM OUR OCEANS
For every FORD MILLINERY item you purchase, we remove 10 pieces of rubbish from the ocean on your behalf. Feels good!
OUR PACKAGING
We’ve redesigned our packaging to be better for the environment! Your goodies may be sent in:
- 100% recyclable hat dust-bags made from 100% recycled plastic bottles.
- 100% recyclable boxes containing at least 80% recycled materials.
- 100% recyclable stickers (including the varnish).
- 100% biodegradable postage satchels (put them in the compost, baby!).
- 100% compostable shipping labels.
- 100% recyclable swing tags made of FSC certified paper, with eco-friendly varnish.
- 100% recyclable marketing materials made of FSC certified paper & eco-friendly finish.
- Reusable draw-string bags that can double as produce bags.
As we transition to our more sustainable packaging, we will continue to utilise the last remaining pieces of our previous (less sustainable) packaging - rather than carelessly destroy them.
TRANSPARENCY
The fashion industry is the 2nd largest polluter in the world. We believe much of this to be a result of greed, laziness & a lack of transparency with you - the decision-maker. We want you to know exactly what you are supporting when you choose FORD MILLINERY and how your purchasing decisions affect our beautiful planet - and the amazing creatures that occupy it.
AUSTRALIAN MADE
We hand-craft most of our products in our Sydney-based studio, using materials that have been carefully sourced from all over the world. Whilst this is by far not the cheapest nor most convenient option, we value creating meaningful work for the amazing women at FORD MILLINERY, contributing to Australia’s economy, helping our planet and let’s not forget we simply love to hand-craft headwear! For the small percentage of goodies that we make outside of Australia, we choose our partners very carefully and ask questions around working conditions and impacts to our environment.
SLOW FASHION
We don’t subscribe to a “fast fashion” model, which preys on insecurities to promote overconsumption at the expense of people and planet. We promote personal style confidence and encourage individuals to find pieces they genuinely love, for the sake of the our planet (and your pocket!).
IMPERFECT
So far, there does not seem to be an eco-friendly alternative to absolutely everything that is required to run our business. But we do promise that with every decision we make - from designing headwear to choosing toilet paper - we strive to choose the most sustainable option available to us. Unearthing this good stuff takes us a great deal of time and money, so the changes may not be instant… But we are committed to constantly improving our operation for our planet.
HAPPY MEDIUM
Sometimes making a positive change in one area can negatively impact another. For example, our 100% Australian wool hats are made of natural fibres, but they are not vegan… Whilst a polyester alternative might appear vegan, the plastic fibres and chemicals involved in production would likely hit our seas and kill our marine life (eventually not vegan). We place emphasis on educating ourselves and choosing the option that we believe is the better overall.
MATERIALS
We favour materials that are natural, recycled, biodegradable, recyclable or ethically sourced. This is not always possible, but we make every effort possible to choose eco-friendly options.