Tom's Trunks: Redefining Comfort with Sustainable Loungewear
Inspiration to write this report has come from a longstanding appreciation and affiliation with Tom’s Trunks after I purchased my first trunks way back in 2019. Although it was a fairly small brand back then, it has been brilliant to witness their enormous growth in recent years (and a very well-deserved growth that has been!). Whilst already understanding that the environment is at the forefront of their priorities, I saw this report as a wonderful opportunity to gain a deeper insight into Tom’s Trunks’ utmost commitment to sustainability. A huge thank you to Rosie Hollway (the ESG lead at Tom’s Trunks) for her receptiveness to my requests and for sending over lots of useful information, which has subsequently been featured in this report. All information included below has been taken directly from Toms Trunks’ website or reports, with full citations included in the bibliography.
Tom’s Trunks: Mission + Aims
Founded in 2014, Tom’s Trunks is on a mission to curate sustainable unisex loungewear that is responsibly sourced and produced, leaving no harmful impact on the environment. With the status quo of the fashion industry remaining both questionable and controversial, in regards to the ethical and environmental attitudes of brands, Tom and his team are on a mission to stand as a ‘beacon of change’. Inspired by the textures and colours of East Africa, specifically Kenyan Kikoy, Tom’s Trunks aims to combine relaxation with sustainability. From the production of their iconic trunks to the manufacturing of their linen shirts – they are fully committed to fostering positive environmental change within the fashion industry and are hoping to be accredited with a B Corp Certification, to evidence their honourable efforts. This report outlines Tom’s Trunks' extraordinary commitment to ESG, highlighting what they are doing and what they hope to do, concerning their products, people and wider society.
Green solutions: Sustainable Products and Sustainable Packaging
With the clear aim of their brand being to produce durable and comfortable loungewear in responsible ways – Tom and his team are dedicated to ensuring their products leave no damaging effects on the environment. All their products are biodegradable, made with natural fibres and are 100% cotton or linen, dyed using azo-free, natural dyes. This is stipulative of Toms Trunks’ effort to distinguish themselves from using any compounds which could have toxic effects on both humans and the environment. Likewise, all products are 100% single-use plastic free and come packaged in Lil packaging Kraft paper recyclable bags, an FSC-certified material made with wood from FSC-certified forests, thus meaning Lil packaging is the world’s first, and currently only, zero carbon packaging operation. This is reflective of the bold initiatives Tom and his team take to ensure that the production of their products, alongside the packaging they are delivered in, is environmentally friendly and plastic-free. Despite their commendable efforts already, Tom and his team want to go further. In May 2024, they are introducing a new range – made with ‘flax hemp’ – which is a fast growing and naturally pest resistant protein. This will serve as a more sustainable alternative to the cotton and linen used in production, thus showing that Tom and his team are constantly innovating, but doing so in environmentally friendly ways.
Closing the Loop: Embracing Circular Production
Circularity is of huge importance to Tom and his team and they strive to close the loop between the initial production of their product and the loved, worn version. All their products are designed for durability, and marketed as long-life items of loungewear - but the care and responsibility do not end with the customer’s purchase of a product. Tom’s Trunks offers advice on how to care for your product, detailing ways you can increase the product’s lifespan, alongside a free repairs service – to help eradicate the novelty of fast fashion, which saw 142 repairs done alone in 2023. Even after items have been worn, or become faulty after proper use – there is a dedicated ‘pre-loved’ section, whereby items can be sold on and given a new lease of life. Launched in 2022, the pre-loved collection has given life to nearly 800 items, preventing products from ending up in landfills and in 2024, Tom and the team hope to introduce ‘Ecodrop’, a peer-to-peer returns system. This innovative approach will allow the integration of customers wanting to return items, with those who would like to purchase pre-loved goods. Subsequently, this will allow the suspension of a middleman, encourage the promotion of circularity and support the movement of slow fashion.
Trash to Treasure: Effective Waste Management
According to the Global Fashion Agenda (2024), the fashion industry contributes to 4% of global carbon emissions, despite 80% of all clothing ending up in landfill or being incinerated. This shows the magnitude of the situation at hand – calling for significant changes to be made within the fashion sector. An area which is seeing increasing importance is the reduction of waste via the utilisation of spare materials or leftover products. Detailed in their 2023 sustainability report, Tom’s Trunks has introduced the use of topology optimisation – a mathematical method to optimise material within a given design space. This is reflective of their efforts to help cut waste patterns, as this method facilitates increased production of trousers, with decreased use of fabric. Alongside this, Tom and his team have shown a progressive effort to eliminate waste via redirection of spare materials into the production of new products. Using factory offcuts, 2022 saw Tom’s Trunks extend their product offerings to patchwork bucket hats, storm trousers and the ‘scrap scrunchie’. These products represent a dynamic and pioneering effort to establish a full circulation product cycle, alongside ensuring minimal waste through the invention of new ideas and initiatives.
Footprints in the Right Direction: Tackling Carbon Emissions
The concept of carbon footprints is an area of huge significance for firms, with importance being rooted in the quantity of emissions, alongside identification of where these emissions arise from. Tom’s Trunks is partnered with Greenly, a carbon accounting platform – allowing for targeted analysis of their operations, and knowledge facilitating where priorities should lie, to enable decreased carbon emissions. By utilising Greenly as a platform, Tom and the team can measure their carbon footprint and locate specific hotspots, thus revealing that emissions are high in their Scope 3 product manufacturing. Fear not- they are on a mission to reduce this, with carbon reduction strategies in place to increase the use of renewable solar energy, alongside the implementation of their ‘Tree Trunks’ scheme, to eradicate scope 1 & 2 emissions. Through independent planting, as well as supporting local tree planting schemes, Tom’s Trunks aims to offset over 4100kg of carbon dioxide emissions in 2024. By investing in platforms like Greenly, Tom and the team can educate themselves on where and how to improve their carbon footprint, and their passion for change means they are constantly on a mission to reduce their environmental impact and seek positive alternatives.
Putting People First: Ethical Practices in Tom’s Trunks
Alongside positive environmental change, Toms Trunks aims to inspire the ‘people’ side of their business, by maintaining ethical practises and contributing to charitable causes. Their commitment to durable clothing extends beyond the remits of the materials they use or the packaging it comes in – it is a concept rooted heavily in the people they work with. They believe that their mission to create a sustainable future can only be achieved by working with like-minded people and sharing the journey of empowerment. Therefore, they choose to partner with factories that share a common vision of transparency and have an environmental-friendly ethos. Fostering loyal relationships with their manufacturers and maintaining transparency over their business endeavours, allows Tom’s Trunks to maintain consistent standards across their global apparel supply chains in the likes of China, India, Kenya and the UK. However, this is very much a symbiotic relationship and whilst Tom and his team ensure workers get a fair remuneration, there are good working conditions and no gender pay gap - they encourage and expect their suppliers to maintain strong environmental standards too. This includes the avoidance of single-use plastic packaging and adopting innovative approaches towards creating electrical energy, alongside being accountable to a code of conduct and an annual audit. Therefore, it is important to assert there are mutual expectations and environmental standards set between Tom’s Trunks and their people, but they all share the common goal of empowering people and the planet to be the best version of themselves.
Empowering Change: Charity Champions
Giving is of huge importance to Tom’s Trunks and is a concept rooted strongly in their brand and ethos. They aim for 10% of annual profits to be invested in people and the planet, including £10,000 to Toms Trust – a charity caring for children with brain tumours and £1,086 to Young Minds – which helps fight the battle of improving young people’s mental health. This is stipulative of the wider social good Tom’s Trunks is trying to achieve – beyond the remits of their production and offerings, they are investing their profit in ways which aim to better the environment and society overall. In 2024, they are aiming to create a large fundraising campaign for ‘For Rangers’, which hopes to raise money for wildlife rangers across Africa. This will involve Tom and 3 friends undertaking the ‘For Rangers’ Desert Ultra in Kenya, a gruelling 250km ultra-marathon across the Namib Desert. With the race crossing over 5 wildlife conservancies, Tom’s Trunks aims to raise both money and awareness for the rangers who put their lives on the line every day, to help protect the existence of endangered wildlife. With 1000 rangers + having lost their lives since 2003, this effort from Tom and the team is hoping to offer some contribution to the regrettable and unfortunate situation at hand.
Charting the Path Forward: Reflections and Future Directions
After the wealth of information provided, hopefully, it is clear to see how committed and passionate Toms Trunks is about ESG and environmental longevity. With innovative ideas, creative solutions and a genuine passion for what they do; Tom and his team have nurtured themselves into more than just a brand – they are a movement. With a culture of care, for both people and the environment – they have curated products which are aligned with their ethos and represent a progressive change in the current fashion industry. Whilst their efforts extend beyond the remits of production and manufacturing, with careful thought and effort put into who they work with and their extended impact beyond their ‘trunks’, they are not stopping there. As a company, they recognise the multifaceted and complex nature of sustainability, subsequently understanding there is still so much more work to be done. Therefore, future directions will encompass the use of organic cotton, diversification of supply chains, reduction in air freight and production with more eco-friendly fabrics. So, if you’re looking for a proactive brand which prioritises the planet, then look no further… ‘Tom’s Trunks’ are your people and Tom’s iconic trunks are your loungewear!
Bibliography
Global Fashion Agenda (2024), Global Fashion Agenda. Available at: https://globalfashionagenda.org (Accessed: 15th April 2024)
Tom's Trunks (2023). Sustainability Impact Report pdf. Available at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lTjZb7bUn2IPQcfkUdHZim8aTO3JKt7C/view (Accessed 17th April 2024)
Tom's Trunks (2024). Tom’s Trunks Website. Available at: https://tomstrunks.com. (Accessed 16th April 2024)