Responsibility

No planet B

For over two decades, SISSEL EDELBO has been dedicated to being a responsible fashion brand, long before it became a trend. Our story is deeply intertwined with the colorful culture of India and a commitment to craftsmanship and recycling. We aim to reduce environmental impact by producing our styles using existing or surplus materials and organic cotton. This choice reflects our commitment to responsible production and contributes to reducing waste and CO2 emissions compared to conventional clothing production.

We operate under the vision that it is our planet and therefore our responsibility. A fundamental statement for SISSEL EDELBO is: There is no planet B. We only have one planet, and it's up to us to take care of it. As a brand, we always strive to find solutions that minimize waste and contribute to transforming the fashion industry step by step.

While it can be challenging to be 100% responsible as a production brand, we can always do more to improve our actions and consumption. Therefore, we always strive to raise the bar and make responsible decisions. At SISSEL EDELBO, we are proud to lead the way for those who want to break away from the fast fashion industry and take steps towards more conscious choices.

Our Approach

Our founder, Jeanne Sissel Thomsen, carefully selects each sari we use in our designs, and we believe in the value of slow fashion and textile recycling. By repurposing these traditional fabrics, we not only contribute to preserving the beautiful Indian cultural heritage but also reduce the need to produce new materials, thus minimizing the environmental impact. This approach is more than just a production process for us — it is part of our identity and our commitment to preserving the Indian cultural heritage. We make a conscious effort to choose materials carefully and take responsibility for our choices. Therefore, we prioritize using recycled and surplus resources such as denim, cotton, and other materials that would typically have been discarded. By repurposing these materials for new designs, we reduce waste and CO2 emissions, which are crucial to our vision of being an ethical and responsible brand.

Clothing production will always have an environmental impact — our goal is to minimize this by offering an alternative to the conventional approach. We aim to demonstrate that fashion and responsibility can go hand in hand, considering Mother Earth, by following key principles such as upcycling and waste minimization based on a "Zero Waste" principle. Our approach to Zero Waste is fundamental to our work. We strive to maximize the use of each sari and leftover material by designing creations that fully utilize every piece of fabric. This also includes using leftover materials for smaller pieces such as accessories and decorative items to ensure that nothing goes to waste. A central aspect of our Zero Waste approach is the upcycling of Indian saris. This involves transforming already-existing saris, handpicked in India, into beautiful and timeless designs.

For the next generation

Everything we do is driven by our desire to create a better, more responsible world for our children. With the launch of SISSEL MINI, our heartfelt creation dedicated to the next generation, we dream of building a safer, more responsible future for our little ones. Here, we blend playfulness and creativity with a focus on accountability through holistic and responsible production practices. Our designs are a heartfelt tribute to Mother Earth and our young ones, crafted with aesthetics in mind and a vision for a greener, brighter, and more peaceful future. SISSEL MINI not only reflects our passion for design and craftsmanship but also serves as our commitment to the next generation.

Packaging

We maintain a persistent focus on improving our environmental footprint and sustainable practices across our supply chain. It's a matter close to our hearts to reduce waste and challenge the culture of single-use items. One way we do this is by not having our goods delivered from India in plastic polybags like conventional brands do.

In our online store, we strive to develop our own sustainable shipping solutions. All our shipping bags are made from 100% recycled plastic. For our B2B retailers, we reuse all types of boxes from India for order shipments, not only reducing our resource consumption but also promoting reuse.

Certifications

We take pride in being certified as climate-neutral by DHL. As part of this certification, we contribute a percentage for each shipment with DHL to offset our CO2 emissions. This Climate Neutral Certificate is an important step in our pursuit of a more responsible future.