Commitments

We are so proud to partner with the below organizations—each one pushes us closer towards achieving our sustainability goals.

Blue Business Council

The Blue Business Council is a network of companies working to protect the vital coasts, oceans, bays, rivers, and streams that power our economy. As members, we pledge to support policies and practices that protect and preserve our planet’s water resources.

Canopy

Canopy is an environmental organization that works with the forest industry’s biggest customers and their suppliers to develop business solutions that protect the world’s last frontier forests. We support ancient and endangered forests during fabric selection by committing to the CanopyStyle campaign. Learn More about our CanopyStyle policy and our Pack4Good commitment.

Earth Matter

Located on Governors Island just south of Manhattan, Earth Matter is a non-profit seeking to improve organic waste processing. Their team composts organic waste, turning food scraps into nutrient rich soil, and provides education and support to local communities. In 2019, we partnered with Earth Matter to compost the polybags used on all of our swimwear in an effort to divert solid waste from landfills. Our team also volunteers every summer with Earth Matter to build composts, farm the community garden and increase our knowledge around natural systems.

Ellen MacArthur Foundation

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation works with business, government and academia to build a framework for an economy that is restorative and regenerative by design. As members, we work with EMF to push forward the principals of the circular economy.

Fabscrap

Fabscrap is a nonprofit in New York working to help divert textile waste from landfills. The organization picks up fabric scraps directly from offices, including ours, so that they may be sorted and reused or recycled appropriately. Since 2017, we have sent 3552 pounds of textile waste to Fabscrap.

Fashion Positive

Fashion Positive is a nonprofit initiative that empowers brands and manufacturers to challenge the traditional fashion business model in order to consider more environmentally and socially responsible factors such as toxicity and waste reduction, use of renewable energy, water conservation, and social fairness. As a member of the Fashion Positive PLUS Member Collaborative, we are committed to accelerating the development of Cradle To Cradle Certified™ materials that are free of harmful substances and primed for the circular economy.

Global Fashion Agenda

The GFA is an organization committed to mobilizing the international fashion industry to transform the way it produces and consumes fashion. We are signatories of their 2020 Circular Fashion System Commitment to implement a garment collection and reuse/recycling program in order to move towards a closed-loop business model.

Nest

Nest is an artisan-focused nonprofit working to increase global workforce inclusivity, improve women’s wellbeing beyond factories, and preserve cultural traditions around the world. Serving on the Nest advisory board, Mara is personally committed to providing ongoing strategic council to both artisan and industry partners, as well as creating greater awareness of handwork’s crucial contribution to the fashion industry.

Organic Cotton Accelerator

The OCA is a multi-stakeholder initiative that identifies and funds new areas of development to increase organic cotton production. We joined the OCA Call for Collective Action and are committed to supporting this initiative to better ensure the continued growth, visibility, and sustainability of the organic cotton sector.

Queen of Raw

Queen of Raw is an online marketplace that brings innovative and sustainable textiles to the global sourcing supply chain by selling unused fabrics and buying high-end raw materials. We partner with the platform to resell leftover production and sample fabric yardage to help give it new life.

Responsible Packaging Movement

The Responsible Packaging Movement was launched in 2020 as a collective of brands working towards the reduction, and eventual elimination, of virgin plastic and non-FSC forest fibers within their packaging. Through this movement, brands can share best practices, learn what others have been successful with and work together to make industry-wide change.

Our goals include:
Eliminate the use of virgin plastic in our packaging by 2022.

Eliminate the use of any plastic packaging by 2023.

Prioritize paper packaging with high recycled content and remove any fiber sourced from ancient or endangered forests by 2025 within our primary, secondary and tertiary packaging.

Textile Exchange

Textile Exchange is a global non-profit working closely with members to drive industry change in preferred fibers, integrity and standards, and responsible supply chains. TE’s goal is to work with brands, suppliers, farmers and more to minimize the harmful impacts of the global textile industry while maximizing the positive effects. As members, we’re working to track and analyze our preferred fiber use, contributing to fiber-specific working groups and connecting with other brands and suppliers to move the industry forward.

The Renewal Workshop

The Renewal Workshop takes unwanted apparel and textiles and turns them into Renewed garments, upcycled materials, or recycling feedstock. To date, The Renewal Workshop has cumulatively diverted more than 78,000 total pounds of textile waste from landfills. Instead of discarding damaged Mara Hoffman garments, we send them to The Renewal Workshop to be inspected, cleaned, repaired and returned to us for resale. This partnership helps us increase the longevity of our garments. Since August 2018, we’ve sent 239 pounds of damaged Mara Hoffman garments to The Renewal Workshop for repair.