Important information about the cotton used in Metsola products
Preparing our new sustainability report, we
unexpectedly learned that some of the cotton we use only has the OEKO-TEX
certificate but not the GOTS certificate, which verifies the organic
cultivation of the material. We have always believed that all our cotton is
organic.
The product safety certificate OEKO-TEX guarantees that
our cotton does not contain harmful chemical residues from pesticides, heavy
metals, formaldehyde, or such. For our customers, there is no reason for safety
concerns.
The mistake applies to our printed cotton products.
We take this matter seriously and have immediately
started to fix the situation, including ensuring that all Metsola's future
cotton products will be made from organic and recycled materials.
We have thoroughly investigated the incident and will
learn from it. In future, we'll pay more and more attention to all our
production and supply chains.
We sincerely apologize for the mistake and are here
for you. Please feel free to contact us if any concerns arise!
Our customer service is available via email (info@metsola.fi) and by phone
(0453119727). On January 23rd, our phone service is exceptionally open from
9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Otherwise, we are available during our regular opening
hours on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, as well as on our collection release
days from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Our customer service is closed on public
holidays.
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
So far, it seems the situation is a combination of human errors. What we know for sure is that there is no intent involved. We
have thoroughly investigated the matter, but unfortunately, it may never be fully clarified.
No, there are not. The raw materials used in our fabrics have OEKO-TEX certifications, ensuring that the final products do not
contain harmful chemical residues from pesticides, heavy metals, formaldehyde,
or such.
Practically, this means that our products are safe to
use. In the final product, there is no difference between organic and so-called
regular cotton.
No. We use multiple fabric and yarn suppliers. The issue is related to only one of our suppliers, from whom we source materials
for part of our cotton products.
Only our printed cotton products have had inaccurate
material information on our online store.
From January 26th onwards, you'll
find updated information on each product page.
Organic cotton is grown through natural farming methods, aiming to reduce the environmental impact of the cultivation. In the
production process of organic cotton, harmful synthetic fertilizers and
pesticides are not used, and the cultivation strives to maintain biodiversity
and soil fertility.
GOTS, the Global Organic Textile Standard, is a
worldwide standard for social and environmental responsibility. It can only be
granted to organically grown fibers. GOTS focuses on post-farming stages from
fiber processing to final product manufacturing. The production process of GOTS certified products must meet the standard's sustainability requirements,
including the management of harmful chemicals and the realization of workers'
rights.
The yarns used in our fabrics have OEKO-TEX
certifications, ensuring the safety of our materials. The absence of GOTS
certification is related to the cultivation of the raw material, the production
of the fabric and garment or accessory, rather than the safety of the final
product.
Aiming to maintain biodiversity and soil fertility, organic cotton cultivation does not contain harmful synthetic fertilizers or
pesticides. The Global Organic Textile Standard GOTS is a certification
specifically for organically grown fibers, focusing on post-farming stages from
fiber processing to final product manufacturing.
The lack of GOTS certification does not necessarily mean that the raw material and product are not responsibly produced, but the
certification ensures environmental and social accountability. Sadly, we can't
precisely assess the sustainability issues resulting from the mistake.
Still, it's fortunate that we discovered the
information now and are able to change the situation. This has taught us a lot
- in future, we will analyze and monitor our processes even more closely. The
use of organic cotton is an important value for us.
We have always believed that we sourced organic cotton
from our fabric supplier. To our dismay, this has not been the case. We have
thoroughly investigated the matter, but unfortunately, we can't confirm the
duration of the error.
The change does not happen instantly and will be
implemented by late April 2024, because when we learned about the issue, we had already ordered a significant amount of the materials of our spring-summer
collection. We will provide more information on this during the spring.
Alongside organic cotton we will also use recycled
cotton materials in the future.
From January 26th onwards, you will find
accurate and up-to-date information on each product page on our online store.
Absolutely not. Organic cotton has been an important
choice for us, and we've honestly always believed that we have ordered organic cotton fabrics.
The issue does not affect the pricing of our products.
We will thoroughly review all our internal processes and supply chains, ensuring that all our materials meet our requirements in the
future. We will regularly update our sustainability report and communicate
openly about our social and environmental responsibility actions.