1: Sustainable Natural Fibres
The cornerstone any textile business is the materials that it uses.
And at MIKA & MILO we believe in using sustainable natural materials which do not put any further strain on Mother Earth.
2: NO Planet B
As a former environmental journalist who focused on climate change in particular, this defining ethos was extremely important to our founder Aiko Stevenson.
After all, we are all part of the same whole when it comes to the planet, and each of us must play our part to protect this beautiful world that provides us all home.
3: Protecting Earth for Future Generations
Moreover, it is our moral duty to hand over a healthy world to our children and their children: all future generations on earth depend on it.
In the words of Martin Luther King: “We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.”
And, no where is this more poignant than when it comes to the beautiful planet which we all share.
4: Carbon Offsetting & Tree Planting
We all have a carbon footprint, and at MIKA & MILO we are determined to offset ours.
This year we have teamed by with the International Tree Foundation to plant lots and lots and lots and lots of trees.
The International Tree Foundation has been inspiring communities to plant trees and restore forests to benefit people and planet since it was founded over 100 hundred years ago.
Today, they plant trees across the globe with a particular focus on Africa and the UK. Last year alone:
It planted over 800,00 wonderful trees.
More than 40,000 young people learned about our environment and conservation through its efforts.
Nearly 400 crucial hectares of forest were conserved or restored.
Over 4,500 participants increased their household income through its projects.
12 of its projects increased vital biodiversity.
More than 2,000 hardworking smallholder farmers increased their yield with them.
And, 87 community organisations increased forestry and agroforestry capacity.
Our tall wooded friends are not only majestic, but they absorb the carbon dioxide which is responsible for warming up our planet.
Sadly, 10 of the hottest years have all taken place this century: climate change is clearly no longer some distant existential threat.
It's happening right here, right now.
One need only look to the wildfires which swept across the world last summer to see what a rapidly warming world looks like.
5: Buy Less, Choose Well & Pass It On
And, as we all still need to wear clothes, especially in the winter to keep us warm, at MIKA & MILO we believe in buying less, choosing well and then handing it all down.
We therefore strive to make beautiful sustainable pieces which last so that they can be passed down from sibling to sibling, cousin to cousin and ultimately, generation to generation.
If cared for properly, well made organic cotton and cashmere pieces are incredibly durable, making them the perfect hand-me-down fibres in this age of much needed environmental responsibility.
After all, what could possibly be nicer than for your own kids pass down their cashmere hand-me-downs to their own Little Ones?
Hopefully, we all have something which was treasured and shared with us when we were little.
And, it's such a lovely idea to do this for your own kids too!
6: Sustainable Cashmere
All our cashmere comes from the white-haired goats which live in sustainable farms up in the Inner Mongolian grasslands.
And, they are only sheared once a year in the spring when they no longer need their fine inner coat to keep them warm: temperatures soar over 30C in the summer.
And, we all shear our dog's coat during the heat and this same act of kindness applies to these animals too.
7: Soil Erosion & Desertification
Once left to roam wild across the entire grasslands, the cashmere goats were unable to simply eat the top of the grass which they survive on.
They pull out the roots of the grass, and this in turn left the soil prone to desertification as its the roots which hold the soil together.
As a result, huge sandstorms used to blow down as far south as Hong Kong.
But, one of our partners up in Inner Mongolia now works with the local herders to keep their goats in spacious outdoor farms.
They have also planted vast forests of trees to protect the soil and keep it all intact.
8: Yarn: Organic Cotton
For AW23, we are offering a lovely organic cotton/ cashmere blend.
The organic cotton is GOTS certified cotton, meaning that 95% of its cotton content is certified organic.
However, as we as a brand have not been GOTS certified yet, we are unable to put GOTS certified on our tags at present.
But, we are working on it and please rest assured that our yarn supplier is GOTS certified.
B: Dyes
All the dyes which our organic cotton/ cashmere and cashmere suppliers use have passed the strictest ethical and environmental standards so that they are safe for your Little Ones to wear it close to their skin.
Plus, but they will not pollute the water supply, making it a win for your child and win for the planet.
Also, the factory which we work with has passed the most stringent of environmental standards.
9: Packaging
A: Recycled Plastic Bags: Reused
In a bid to be lower our Plastic Footprint, all our products are packaged in recycled bags up at the factory.
We then reuse these same bags season after season.
B: Compostable Mailers
We then send out your items in compostable mailers.
These bags literally start to decompose as soon as you put them in the bin so you don't have to worry about them ending up in some poor whale’s stomach!
However, as they decompose very easily, they are not very good for long term storage.
And, that's why we can't use them up at the factory.
Upon receiving your parcel from us, please kindly remove your items from the compostable mailer shortly after receiving them.
10: Leading By Example
At MIKA & MILO, we believe that living by example is the best way to teach our kids about the importance of looking after the Mothership.
She is our collective home and we must all play our part to protect her.
After all, there is No Planet B and surely our children and the Earth which they will inherit deserve only the best.
Read Next:
