Committed to making better choices 

At Gen Woo, we are continually looking for ways to reduce our impact on the environment. We’re taking time to think about our processes, our production methods, and our product life cycles.  We’re seeking to economise on our use of natural resources, and we’re improving the social conditions of those who work in our supply chain.  

As a family-run business, we believe we all have a part to play in ensuring our children inherit a better, brighter world. We offer transparency, accountability, and a commitment to continuous improvement. Find out more about our current initiatives and accreditations below. 

  

Social responsibility at our family-owned factory

Gen Woo is part of a family-run business with a thirty-year history of making quality clothing. We produce our Gen Woo garments in our own accredited factory, and we promote a safe, inclusive and fair working environment for our workers. Operating our own factory allows us to continually monitor and make improvements in the conditions of those who work for us, such as providing nurseries, free hot meals, and supporting local communities with books and computers. 


We are certified by the Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI), which means our supply chain is regularly monitored to ensure our garments are made in an ethical and socially responsible manner. We are also accredited members of Initiative Clause Sociale (ICS), whose objective is to promote and support continual improvement of the working conditions in our factory. 

We have strong policies in place to manage social and environmental welfare and are subject to regular audits by industry body Sedex. These audits ensure we maintain good standards and provide us with our SMETA certification. 

 

Reducing our water and energy use

Reducing our water use and improving our energy efficiencies is very important to us and we have invested in new technology and machinery to help us do this. 

 

At our factory we are using our hot waste water to heat up our fresh cold water, allowing water to be more effectively recycled, greatly reducing our energy use, and our production of CO2. All our waste water is treated to environmental standards. 

 

We use solar heating panels to reduce our use of oil and we are gradually replacing all our fluorescent tubes with LED lighting. This will reduce our energy use by around 20-42% when complete. We’ve also upgraded our sewing machines to more efficient Servo motors. 

 

Better fabric choices

Sourcing and using as much sustainable fibre as possible is a mission close to founder Gen Woo’s heart. We use BCI, organic, and recycled cotton, recycled polyester, FSC viscose, Tencel, linen and bamboo across our assortment plan. Gen is continually exploring new and innovative materials, as well as continuing to use deadstock fabric.  Look out for Gen Woo’s upcycling initiatives too, coming soon. 


Our fabrics are made in our sustainable fabric mill using modern dye technologies that greatly reduce the use of energy, water and chemical requirements.  We only use BCI cotton, and we are certified by Cotton Made in Africa and the Organic Exchange Programme. Our fabrics are certified by the Oeko-tex Standard 100, meaning substances used in creating the fabrics are harmless to human health. 

 

Improved Packaging

We’re pleased to now be using recycled materials in our swing tickets and our bags and we’re working towards more sustainable choices in our other packaging. Watch this space.