No Nasties

No Nasties is a sustainable eco-conscious fashion brand which since its inception in 2011 uses Global Organic Textile Standards-certified organic cotton for their collections. Their factories are FairTrade-certified- with a transparent supply chain- and their impact report has been ratified by Green Story. No Nasties promote their apparel and accessories as planet-positive and describes them as a labour of love. Their designs for the lightweight everyday-wear apparel are unconventional with edgy prints. And- every time a consumer purchases an item, the company plants trees. Isn't that what the world needs right now?

Since 2011 No Nasties, conceptualised by Apurva Kothari, has made 100 per cent organic, fair trade, vegan apparel and accessories. By doing this, the core team minimises the fashion brand's impact on the planet. The local supply chain also saves water, uses less energy and reduces CO2 emissions. Second, they measure the remaining carbon footprint of every product and compensate for this by investing in carbon offset projects for solar power, wind energy and reforestation. Lastly, the team offset 3x the footprint to make a positive impact. And, on top of that, we also plant three trees for every product you buy. 

How did New York-based software engineer Apurva Kothari conceptualise the brand? “It was 2007 when Shweta and I were at a cafe in New York when we saw an article online about farmer suicides in India, happening not too far away from where we grew up in Mumbai... Over 200,000 farmer suicides in 15 years, one every half hour. It was unimaginable. It was shocking. It was just not OK” Kothari tells fibre2fashion. "I started researching the space and started talking to farmer co-ops and folks on the ground... Slowly, step by step, we learnt more about the agrarian crisis and realised that a lot was being done on the ground already with the organic and Fair-trade movement but there was almost no awareness and no support for Indian farmers from our own Indian urban consumers... That's where the idea for No Nasties came from.”

Kothari moved from a corporate career into the domain of sustainable and ethical practices in 2011, the year No Nasties was founded. Kothari conceptualised the label as a social enterprise that would empower the farming community. "To further minimise footprint I am considering alternative materials such as recycled cotton, pre-coloured cotton and herbal natural dyeing. There are other technology innovations in fabrics as well… While new age materials like recycled plastic, cellulosic fibers are great they are not without their limitations whether it be the intensive chemical inputs in the recycling process or carbon emissions in globally sourcing fabrics. Their usage needs to be supplemented with numbers for a clearer assessment. A quantitative approach is better, if we are to disregard green washing" Kothari tells Voice of Fashion.

In this climate fight, the team believes that the first step is always to reduce CO2 emissions as much as possible and they are actively working on this by using 100 per cent organic cotton which saves 91 per cent water, 46 per cent emissions and 64 per cent energy compared to conventional cotton. All products are made in India from start to finish. It's all 100 per cent local. No leather, no wool, no fur, just one hundred per cent organic cotton. Chetna Organic Farmers Association, a co-operative that helps cotton farmers switch to organic methods and bag a fair price for their crop, is Kothari's ally.

The team has a zero-waste approach to fashion design: they use overstock fabrics from their factory to make clothes - over 50 per cent of the styles are from overstock - and use a lot of offcuts from their own patterns to make face masks and accessories. this reduces waste and carbon emissions! Besides, the compostable packaging is made from recycled, recyclable and compostable materials. A part of their factory is is fuelled by solar and wind energy as the team hopes to say goodbye to all fossil fuels in the near future.

Per Vogue: ‘There are several ways in which the brand achieves their carbon-negative goal: it starts with using organic cotton, an all-Indian supply chain, upcycling surplus, and choosing zero-plastic packaging. They also calculate the carbon footprint of each garment based on their supply chain, material composition and fabric consumption; and then offsetting it by investing in renewable energy projects via GreenStory.'

First, the team measures the carbon footprint of every No Nasties product across two stages: 1. Farm and Factory: From raw materials to manufacturing. 2. Transport: From farm to factory to warehouse to the consumer. We then compensate for the total footprint of the product through the use of solar power, wind energy, forest protection and replanting. That's not all. The brand has commissioned Green Story to perform a third-party Life Cycle Analysis factoring in the supply chain, material composition and fabric consumption for each product. The analysis breaks down their impact across key metrics associated with the stages of each product’s life. 

Per Mumbai Mirror: 'Their output is small. They manufacture out of Kolkata's Rajlakshmi Mills which adheres to environmental standards (water-based dyes are used for printing) and take on small orders. To work within a like-minded community No Nasties ships through Mirakle courier's low-income deaf staffers in Mumbai. The tees come in recycled tetra packs made by another NGO- RUR- and with each sale the firm contributes to Tsunamika- an organisation that brands aid to the tsunami affected areas of Tamil Nadu.'

The three-year roadmap? Using more herbal and natural dyes, making the apparel and accessories bio-compostable, making more zero-waste apparel and accessories and building a circular economy for the collections and its packaging. The road ahead also includes making apparel from recycled and regenerative cotton, pre-orders for reduced waste and more size inclusivity, switching to solar power for the office and store, investing in fossil fuel-free transportation, third-party verification of climate-positivity and increasing their offset and tree planting multiples. A lot of these initiatives are already in the pipeline!

“We don’t see global consumerism in its harmful form going away anytime soon, but being #planetpositive is the right intention, the right direction and the right action to take. Where every purchase we make on the planet has a positive impact for the planet. And if every company in the world were #planetpositive, we’d see unprecedented investment into climate solutions. Investments at a scale that could restore the climate. And that would be a bright sunny day for all of us, no? That’s the promise and the power of planet positive" explains founder Apurva Kothari on the official website.

No Nasties plants three trees for every product you buy from the sustainable fashion brand because it’s one of the best ways to create a more sustainable future. And they're on a mission to plant a million trees by 2030. Today they have crossed 150,000 trees and counting, thanks to the eco-conscious consumer. What's more consumers can also help restore coastal mangroves and protect shorelines from erosion with the fashion brand's twenty-five trees package. Here- the team plants mangroves in Madagascar and Mozambique with the help of Eden Reforestation and can also send consumers a certificate of proof of the tree planting. Step up and make a difference today!

Apurva Kothari envisioned No Nasties as a Fair Trade- certified sustainable fashion brand that designs and retails organic and vegan apparel and accessories for men, women and children. This fashion brand does not use genetically modified seeds, artificial colours and dyes or carcinogenic pesticides which makes the collections a cut above the rest. The eco-conscious brand's vision revolves around minimising their environmental impact and offering eco-progressive solutions to their consumers.

This suggests that the company is dedicated to constantly improving their products and finding innovative ways to reduce their environmental footprint. Overall, the brand vision is rooted in environmental responsibility and the continuous quest for eco-progressive solutions. Their commitment to leaving the smallest possible impact on the environment and offering healthier alternatives to their customers reflects their dedication to creating positive change and making sustainability accessible to all.

Indian sustainable label No Nasties retails luxury pret for men and women with a focus on both new collections made from 100 per cent organic cotton as well as re-loved apparel and accessories. The collections span dresses, shirts, tops, skirts and co-ord sets.