Ethics And Sustainability

OUR COMMITMENT

Ripe is committed to learning and adapting our approach to a more sustainable and socially compliant future. Our efforts may not be perfect but we are taking small impactful steps to accelerate our journey towards being a more responsible brand.

 Here is what we’ve implemented so far:

  • All of our garments are now delivered to us in biodegradable plastic bags.
  • We have eliminated the use of individual plastic bags for development samples and plastic strapping around our shipping cartons.
  • We’ve actively increased sourcing of ethical yarns and now use GOTS certified organic cotton in our core collection of jersey knit styles and sustainably sourced certified Tencel® in our seasonal collections. We are committed to extending the use of sustainable fibres in future. 
  • Careful consideration is given to the quality of yarns, fabrics and functionality to ensure the longevity of our garments so they can be worn and loved for years to come.
  • We work with socially compliant factories, many of which are BSCI, SEDEX and Qualspec certified. 
  • Most of our denim styles are now OEKO-Tex 100 certified and use YKK zippers. 
  • We stock Hotmilk bras, which are made with OEKO-TEX 100 certified fabrics and trims.
  • 90% of our head office’s energy is now generated from onsite solar panels

 

 

OUR PEOPLE

We are committed to positively impacting the lives of our team. Ripe’s empowering and supportive culture has sustained many of its employees long term. Our longest serving team member has been with Ripe since the beginning 25 years ago, with many others not far behind.

As a brand that was founded by women and birthed in the years that our founders also raised young families, it is no surprise that part of Ripe’s DNA is to support working parents. From the head office to our retail stores, many of Ripe’s employees work part-time in order to balance work and family priorities.

We are proud to offer a flexible and supportive environment for mums to return to work, particularly in our retail stores. Most of our store team members are mums themselves which cultivates a unique experience for our customers. Our Ripe mums are there to support our customers through their journey, with their own personal experience of pregnancy, nursing and motherhood. 

 

 

OUR COMMUNITY

Amongst the immense joy that parenthood can bring, we have always been passionate in our support to raise awareness of some of the challenges and create positive change through community partnerships and initiatives.

PANDA - Perinatal Anxiety Depression Australia 

PANDA supports women, men and families across Australia affected by anxiety and depression during pregnancy and in the first year of parenthood. PANDA operates Australia’s only National Helpline for individuals and their families to recover from perinatal anxiety and depression, a serious illness that affects up to one in five expecting or new mums and one in ten expecting or new dads. 

We are proud and passionate about our long-term partnership with PANDA that began in 2003, and grateful for the care and service that PANDA offers to the Ripe community and beyond. 

Ripe is committed to supporting PANDA through annual financial donations and embraces the opportunity available in our retail stores to raise awareness of PANDA in the community. 

https://panda.org.au/

The Nappy Collective

In Australia, around 250,000 children experience nappy stress, which is when families do not have enough nappies to change their children as often as they need to. Some must make the difficult decision to cut back on other essentials in order to afford enough nappies. The Nappy Collective is on a mission to reduce this nappy stress from families, so that they do not have to make this difficult choice. 

The Nappy Collective is driven by volunteers all over Australia. Volunteers pick up donated nappies from the collection points and distribute them to The Nappy Collectives’ community partners, where they are given to families who need them most.

Ripe accepts donations of leftover nappies on behalf of The Nappy Collective at Ripe collection stores across Australia. Find out where your nearest Ripe collection store is here.

https://www.thenappycollective.com/ 

Salvos Stores

100% of the profits from Salvos Stores purchases and donations help fund The Salvation Army programs that transform lives for the better. The Salvation Army programs aim to end hunger, homelessness and build stronger families and communities.

Ripe makes regular donations of clothing to the Salvos Stores.

https://www.salvosstores.com.au/