Sustainability

Environmentally Conscious Design. Oak Refined
At OAK + FORT, we pride ourselves on thoughtful design and are taking the necessary steps to contribute to reducing our environmental footprint. We are aligned with our partners, working together to build a more environmentally conscious future, encouraging responsible consumption and better social practices, and making innovation the basis of our mission.
OAK Refined embodies a substantial step in reaching our goals of reducing the environmental impact of our products.

OAK Refined is a collection of apparel designed with sustainability at its core. The name “OAK Refined” puts meaning in the essence of our collection — to be more conscious, intentional, and removing the unnecessary throughout the process. This concept is carried throughout our collections season after season, from design to color palette, and from materiality to our processes and partners.
WORKING TOGETHER FOR A CLEANER, BETTER EARTH.
Products are developed in Spain with 100% of the in-house production infrastructure in Tangier, Morocco. The entire manufacturing process is held to the highest sustainable standards—knitting, dying, printing and sewing are the main steps that take place, and are backed up by local suppliers. Methods such as organically farmed materials, recycled content inputs and closed loop processes all contribute to the sustainability of the collections. Work and development are maintained in an ethical and responsible manner. Labor, economic, social, or industrial relationships are conducted with fair and respectful treatment.
Raw materials are the most significant contributor to carbon emissions, so the first step in our major initiative is to increase materials with best practices into OAK Refined collections. This criteria will continue evolving to reach our future goals.

In collaboration with The Loop TM, this initiative promotes recycling through an innovative process that recycles used garments and textile waste and turns them into new recycled fibers. This allows an extension of the lifecycle of materials, avoiding landfills and the extraction of new raw materials, which helps to reduce the environmental impact drastically. 

Refined Fabrics: All the fabrics used in our collections are carefully chosen and developed with our partner to have a positive impact on the environment. The materials used include Organic Cotton, TENCEL TM Lyocell, LENZING TM ECOVERO Viscose, Recycled Cotton, and Recycled Polyester. Farmers produce the fabrics in a way that is measurably better for the environment and farming communities thus reducing 20% of new material extraction from the planet.

Refined Process: These materials significantly lower the degree of greenhouse gas production and are harvested sustainably. They involve far less water consumption compared to traditional alternatives that saturate the market. The fabrics used in our collections are part of environmentally responsible processes that lower the harsh impacts on the earth.

Refined Awareness: Shining a light on these materials and processes is a core purpose for the collection. We are happy to provide our community with an ecologically aware capsule, designed within our minimalist and creative aesthetic we are known and loved for. We commit to learning and growing within our industry, taking responsible steps forward that we are proud of.

CERTIFICATIONS
OCS (Organic Content Standard) Certified: Ensures that all materials are from certified organic farms and all processes are audited and maintained from start to finish.

Lenzing Wood and Pulp Policy: TENCELTM Lyocell fibers are derived from sustainable wood sources and are harvested from certified and controlled sources.

EU Ecolabel Certified: Product meets high environmental standards throughout their life cycle: from raw material extraction, to production, distribution and disposal. This certification encourages the use of less waste and CO2 during the manufacturing process.

SUSTAINABILITY AT HEART — FROM START TO FINISH

Through these initiatives, we aim to play our part in taking care of the planet and its people together. Collectively, we aspire towards our sustainability goal of ensuring a better tomorrow through sustainable practices, an ethical supply chain, respect, diversity and inclusion.

As we continue to take steps towards environmentally conscious design, our teams are hard at work with new initiatives. We are actively collaborating with innovative supply chain partners, independent organizations and industry experts. We are committed to complying with regulatory requirements, including the report filing of the Canadian Supply Chain Act.
We will continue to update this page for your reference as we complete initiatives in this journey.