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[title]We’re living in a climate emergency, and while it’s easy to feel helpless about large-scale changes, one thing we do have control over is our purchases. Do you know where your bed and bath linens come from, and whether or not they’re made sustainably? If not, you’re in the majority: within the homewares sector, it’s difficult to find products that have been independently certified as organic, or brands that are fully transparent about their supply chain.
After experiencing this frustration firsthand while shopping for bed and bath linens, Marcus Nelson realised that he had very little trust or evidence that the brands he supported were making genuine sustainability commitments. He decided to take matters into his own hands and launch Loop Home, a Melbourne-based sustainable, transparent and affordable textiles brand.
“Most people want to contribute to a more sustainable future, but often they don’t know where to start or the barriers to entry are high,” says Nelson. “Not everyone can go out and purchase electric vehicles or solar panels, but textiles are such a core part of people’s lives and an area where I felt [it was] possible to create real change.”
The current range includes towel and bedding sets that are made from high-quality and Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certified cotton that has been sourced from Turkey. Cotton has gotten a bad rap for being an incredibly water-intensive crop and for contributing to soil degradation and erosion, but GOTS certification requires that crops are rotated and are fed by rainfall, reducing water usage and the risk of erosion.
“It felt right to hold ourselves to the same standard we expect of our supply chains."
Organic and sustainable products are often quite expensive, so if you're bracing yourself for a presumably hefty price tag, you can relax; the five-piece bath set is $219 and sheet sets start at $159. While more expensive than fast fashion brands, the prices are pretty competitive against other leaders in the Australian textile market. According to Nelson, the core mission for Loop Home is about making high-quality design-led pieces at a price point that’s accessible to the general public.
And when the time comes that your towels and sheets are in need of replacement, you can donate them back to Loop through the Re-Loop program, a closed-loop recycling solution for the brand. Donations will be laundered and recycled without harsh chemicals and then used to create new products, and participants will receive eight per cent of their original purchase price back as a credit to purchase new replacements.
“The eight per cent isn’t random – it signifies the letters from Loop rotated and an infinity loop for the process of upcycling for future products,” says Nelson.
Expanding the range is on the horizon, but it’s not high on the brand’s list of priorities at the moment. “As soon as you start trying to compete on higher volumes, you’re incentivised to pursue an aggressive marketing approach that isn’t consistent with a focus on sustainability,” says Nelson. “If you’re encouraging consumers to over-consume, is it in any way more sustainable?”
If you’re interested in bringing organic, sustainable and transparent textiles into your home, you can shop the range through the Loop Home website.
After more ways to make your home life more sustainable? Check out our round-up of eco-friendly Aussie beauty and personal care products.