Company Ethics
The way we run Turtle Doves is really important to us. From being Made in Britain to paying the living wage there are lots of things we consider. Do have a read below to see how we try to make the business something we’re really proud to be part of. At Turtle Doves we believe in using the resources we have wisely, caring for the people around us and enjoying what we do. These are the things that mean a lot to us:
Waste is bad for the planet and bad for business
When we started Turtle Doves we recycled post-consumer waste jumpers which we bought from local charity shops. These were all garments which could not have been re-sold on the shop floor because of holes, marks & other wear & tear. As we grew we began to need more jumpers than we could get locally and started to buy from textile waste merchants. However, in the time we bought locally we spent over ten thousand pounds in charity shops. We still use post-consumer waste, and sometimes redundant fabric from the fashion industry too, and we always aim to use as much as we can of the material we buy. We don't throw away left-over fabric waste; we save the little pieces for smaller projects and what is left goes back to textile recyclers. When designing products it is always really important to us to use as much of the garment we're re-working as possible; this factor is what has driven our unique, ethical accessories & clothing ranges and will continue to be how we pursue our designs in the future. For us re-use is what it's all about and we like the new items we make to be useful and lovely too.
About Our Recycled Cashmere
Kate started Turtle Doves by re-using post-consumer waste textiles because of a firmly held belief that the best way to minimise the negative impact of human activity on the planet is to re-use items already in the system rather than buying new.
All the cashmere products we make are recycled from post-consumer waste. The second-hand cashmere we buy is washed, dried and hand graded. Only the perfect bits are re-used; using innovative and carefully constructed designs we manage to re-use at least 90% of each jumper.
We are proud to be a zero-waste business because even our own small pieces of cashmere waste go back into the textile industry to be re-worked into either recycled yarns or industrial textiles (for example underlay).
We create a high quality British product using re-worked cashmere knits. If you love cashmere but are keen not to add to the problems that mass-consumption can cause, then re-use is the best choice. It’s also worth mentioning that we pay the living wage as a minimum and employ flexibly to suit family situations. We have a low water use and carbon footprint and do not re-dye fabrics.
If you have a cashmere jumper which you no longer wear for whatever reason you can join our ‘Gloves for your jumper’ scheme and benefit from free gloves when you send in your jumper; read about that here.
We offer a ‘closed loop’ recycling system of our own. Any Turtle Doves product which has come to the end of its time can be returned to us and we will re-use what we can and safely recycle the rest.
We believe in hard work & taking opportunities
If you are going to do something, do it well. It is amazing how many times we have overcome what looked like insurmountable problems through not letting them beat us. Creative thinking and a never-say-die attitude have driven Turtle Doves to a point where we think we offer something unique to our customers and it had often been the problems we have faced that have led us to create the range of products we have. 'Necessity is the mother of invention' is another of our favourite sayings!
Interacting with our customers will always be a key part of Turtle Doves
We aim to give an excellent customer experience whether it’s at our markets, online or over the telephone. Treating our customers as individuals, we love listening to ideas, feedback & questions.
We like to hear what customers have to say too - here are some of the latest reviews they've given us:
Teamwork is effective and fun
No matter how Turtle Doves grows and changes we will always have an informal business culture that encourages people to get involved in areas that are outside their day job. We like to grow our workforce by sharing our skill base making sure that the team have the necessary training and machinery to make the most of their abilities.
We always aim to create ethical, innovative & practical products that are also beautiful... we want you to use our products, enjoy them and get real value from them too.
