By Malene Birger is always finding ways to improve both internally with our employees, and externally with partners and stakeholders.

We recognise that people and the environment are linked and a benefit to one is a benefit to both. That said, our policies and initiatives have been divided for ease of reference; there is occasional overlap between the documents.

In our initiatives focusing on people, we want to positively impact the people we work with and communities in which we operate. Our code of conduct protects workers’ health and ensures safety during production.

By Malene Birger is committed to creating a safe and inclusive atmosphere for everyone and ensuring that all people are treated equally irrespective of their race, age, gender, sex or sexual preference, gender reassignment, disability, religion, or beliefs. This stands for every part of our supply chain – from our head office in Copenhagen to our factory partners around the world.

By Malene Birger has an ongoing collaboration with Women for Women International; a portion of the sales from our International Women’s Day tote bag (2019) and our International Women’s Day tights, made in partnership with Swedish Stockings and artist Alexandra Karpilovski (2020), are used to support a number of women as they go through Women for Women International’s year-long training programme, teaching entrepreneurial skills and ensuring these women’s voices are heard at home and in their communities.

We strive not only to manage adverse impacts to the planet and animals, but to create positive ones. We are focused on reducing waste in all forms. We have a no-burn policy and donate all unused items to the NGO Human Bridge.

By Malene Birger supports the UN Global Compact’s principles for the environment. Since 2013, we have worked with our own Restricted Substances List (see more in our Chemical Restrictions section) to ensure the safest possible chemical management.

We also consider animals in our policies and believe that all living creatures should be treated with respect.

No animals should be harmed in order to make our products. We support the Five Freedoms recommendations on animal welfare set out by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).

Made With Care

Our sustainable capsule collection, Made With Care, offers eco-friendly clothes and accessories in modern, chic silhouettes. From recycled cotton, wool, and leather, to organic cotton and water-based prints, our Made With Care capsule utilizes luxe, responsibly-sourced materials for the best possible quality. The denim styles in this collection are Nordic Swan Ecolabel certified, Denmark’s most rigorous eco-label standard.

Reduce, reuse, recycle; we know that decreasing material waste is an important part of sustainability. That’s why we focus on circularity in as much of our work as possible.

We offer a rental platform, Rent the Look, for occasion and party-wear – both from our latest collections and archive. This allows people to enjoy our clothes while contributing to a more ethical consumer cycle.

Instead of burning any unsold inventory, we donate all items to Human Bridge, a Swedish NGO that helps those in material need.

We make an effort to use leftover material whenever possible, including in our Made With Care collection, which includes recycled wool and cotton. We also include our own leftover material, using it to produce unique, handmade Christmas ornaments with Danish social enterprise Huset Venture, and for our patchwork Signature Flower accessories: pieced together from unused material from other bags.