MADE TRANSPARENT

Nowadays, "Made in Italy" rarely means what we are made to believe, since production is now a global affair. Cotton, for instance, does not grow in Europe, and most metals are mined in other parts of the world, not to mention plastic derived from fossil fuels. At the same time globalization has made supply chains difficult to track.

The lack of transparency is an important part of why we humans have such a destructive impact on planet Earth – we believe understanding every part of our supply chains is the key to assuming responsibility. And it’s the key to changing things for the better.

We design and develop everything in Switzerland, and we have selected our manufacturing partners with great care. We choose to work with experts all over the world, to make bags from plants instead of plastic. In order to give customers the best possible basis for their purchasing decision, we designed a unique labelling system which we call "MadeTransparent" Because "Made in China" or "Made in Switzerland" wouldn’t do the reality justice, even if some of the manufacturing happens in these countries.

The idea is simple – we list exactly what our products are made from and where each material is sourced. We tell you everything we know – and also what we don’t – full transparency, zero greenwashing.

All our goods are designed with care at our studio in Zurich, Switzerland. While we worked with organic cotton in the past, our main material today is Bananatex®, made from organic, biodegradable and regenerative banana plant fibers. Our metal trims are designed to be recycled in existing systems and can easily be separated from the body.

Our manufacturing partners that take care of the assembly are currently based in Zurich, the Czech Republic and China. We regularly visit all our suppliers: in the Philippines where our banana fibre is sourced, in Taiwan where it is woven into Bananatex®, and in China where many of the bags are produced. Close collaboration is essential to achieve zero waste design and good working conditions. Check out the short documentary by Lauschsicht.

We don’t plan to stop here. Our goal is to apply the "Made Transparent" label on everything we produce. So when you visit one of our stores, keep your eyes peeled for the "Made Transparent" label on postcards, packaging and the QWSTION Paper. You‘ll find information on’ the kind of paper we’re using and where it was printed.

As long as transparency is not mandatory, we hope more brands will start sharing everything they know.