Sustainability Manifesto

Finally, an outdoor company that doesn't gaslight

This is the place we talk about how awesome we are in terms of sustainability and how we are making everything we can to make us sustainable, so that you, as the customer, would be more willing to buy. Don't get me wrong, we are. But it isn't that simple.

At Simsek, sustainability is very important, and we start to care about it from Day 0. Not day 1, but day 0. Even before we were founded, I, as the founder, was thinking how I could start an outdoor brand that has the sustainability and earth-friendliness at its core, not as a plain marketing ploy.

Today, many brands claim they are sustainable and usually they depict a very bright picture of their efforts. They don't necessarily lie, though some outright do but not recognizing the reality is hurting us more than helping us, in my opinion.

Here are our efforts, albeit not perfect. We know it isn't perfect and we aren't planning to lie our way to earn your trust. On the contrary, we are not here to gaslight you, we are here to tell you exactly what we are doing and recognize that it isn't enough and pledge that we will do everything we can to do better. Be better. For a better future for all of us.

Sustainability at Simsek

Simsek is a premium outdoor clothing company and we stand behind that with every product we make. How do we make sure that "premium" doesn't come at a cost? Or we can minimize it from day 1?

It all starts with natural fibers. Whether it be cotton, linen, wool, cashmere, alpaca, bamboo or others, if it is natural, it is a good start. That doesn't mean we will use all these (in fact, we don't really recommend cotton for outdoors) but these are the naturally sustainable and renewable option. However, one of them really stand out, although they are great in their own right.

Wool is a miracle of God that is sent upon us. We believe this at our core. I mean, how could it not be, when it is:

Odor resistant (Anti-microbial)
1. Hence, wash less and in colder water
Thermoregulating
1. Less bulk, less layer-stuffing, less pieces to own for different scenarios
Wrinkle resistant
1. Less ironing necessary
Moisture wicking
1. So you stay dry
Insulates when wet
1. Getting caught in a rain isn't a problem
Durable
1. Last longer even when 100% wool
Fire-resistant
1. #1 choice for firefighters, safer for everybody
Stain resistant
1. Resist stains naturally, gets wiped clean easily for light soils
Biodegradable and renewable
1. Comes from nature, goes back to nature
Naturally elastic
1. Not a rigid fiber, so even 100% wool garments are comfortable
Hypoallergenic

This is a material that literally everyone should wear, because all these are natural qualities of wool, not man-added.

So we knew that we will be using wool a lot in our clothing. Wool, especially high-quality merino wool in carefully selected micron counts (as we do), is very soft to touch and not irritating or itchy.

This is the number one pledge from us to wool will be core at what we do here, although we aren't a wool-only clothing company.

We pledge to you and to ourselves that we will use wool whenever it makes sense and never use plastics unless they serve a function. That function will vary from product to product, but a few examples are to further increase the durability, water-resistance (think rain jackets), additional elasticity etc.

From a sustainability standpoint wool is great too. But what about our pledge? If we aren't an exclusively wool company, how can we claim to be environmentally friendly and sustainable?

There are many studies that come to this two conclusion that guide us. In clothing:

The best choice for environment comes down to how long you wear the item. It isn't just what it is made out of, not if recycled or not, and not even if you shop second-hand or not; but it is how long you can wear. Durability is key. So people can keep their clothes out of the landfill and wear them for longer.
Recycled plastics (polyester, nylon and more) shed more microplastics to earth when laundered, compared to new plastics. So just recycling plastics isn't as great of a solution as it is touted to be, because plastics will inevitably need to be washed, since they aren't odor resistant and get soiled easily.

These results guide us in several ways:

We are right to think about wool. For us, it is unnatural to think about a sustainable premium clothing company without using wool. It doesn't even make sense, when wool is this incredible God-sent material to humankind.
We use plastics only when it serves a purpose. Never ever to cut costs. And we aren't ashamed of it. We aren't trying to hide it. You will see wool blend pieces in our stores. We will make every effort to make the wool or other natural materials a priority, but if we can prolong the lifetime use of the product, make the product last longer to serve you for longer, we will take it. Our plastic usage will be strategic, maybe to add more elasticity, maybe for faster dry times and maybe for more durability to withstand harsh outdoor conditions.
We are constantly following studies and exploring new ways to make ourselves more sustainable. We believe these studies point to very important facts but more studies are needed to determine what is actually good for the environment, not boardroom shareholder who would like to make more money at all costs.

Sticking to wool only isn't realistic, and we think it is absurd and disingenuous

We know this is a controversial take and we strongly stand behind it. Let us explain.

In today's world, technology lets us shield ourselves from the elements better, wear more comfortable clothes, explore more and farther from home.

So innovation in clothing is not only a luxury, but a necessity.

We believe that "for the sake of sustainability" (or the facade of it) ignoring all this innovation and sticking only to wool when wool cannot provide everything is absurd.

There must be other ways to not sacrifice sustainability while also providing for human's need, like covering from rain, skiing in the mountains and more. And we exist to explore this.

Wool can do a lot alone but not all. It isn't waterproof and it won't ever be. And it doesn't have to be. We will use other materials, like nylon and polyesters to make this a reality. However, we will never sacrifice durability and functionality from our products, so that you can use them for years to come.

Also, when you look at some of these big brands who claim "sustainability", "wool-only" and "saying no to plastics", they are owned by the same multi-billion dollar corporations who also own polyester-only companies in their portfolio. So, yes, we do mean disingenuous.

Simsek Clothing Co.'s sustainability efforts

Our first ever collection started with 100% merino wool base layers. When we were small. Tight on budget. No one told us to. There is no rulebook to follow, except for the standards that we put in front of ourselves and enforced upon ourselves.

This is how we started, despite saying "no" to wool-only clothing and finding it disingenuous. Plastics didn't serve a function in this collection we omitted entirely because we could. Yes, it costed us more. Wool isn't cheap, at all, especially compared to plastics. But never regretted it and never will.

We are also exploring options for our (future) rain jackets, fleeces, ski shells and more to be the most sustainable versions possible.

We don't think we are perfect. In fact, we know we aren't. And we aren't here to gaslight you into thinking that we are the most sustainable of brands. We stand behind what we believe in. We aren't apologetic and we are working on ourselves.

If you find this hypocritical, it is fine. Maybe we are not the brand you are looking for.

We will not give up being realistic and serving real life conditions while not giving up our efforts to preserve this world in the best way we can, when it is our ultimate goal to get people outside.

Sustainability Extends Beyond Product At Simsek

Product is one part of our global footprint. Our packaging reflects our commitment as well. First ever Simsek order is packaged in a custom made, fully recycled, undyed kraft box for our ultimate commitment to sustainability.

We certainly aren't using plastic poly mailers that will certainly be thrown out to landfill after one time use. That would've been much cheaper for us to do, but we aren't choosing to do so.

As we said above, at the beginning, no one told us to do this. There is no playbook to follow. And custom made recycled packaging very expensive. Yet, us using it from day 1, shows our commitment to environment, even if that comes at our expense.

Finishing Remarks

Hopefully we were able to convey our story and our commitment to sustainability. We are not perfect. We certainly aim to get close to it. One realistic step at a time, we hope to get there. As we grow with your support, we will take further measures to fully control our supply chain and its environmental impact.

Thank you for being a part of our efforts. We couldn't (and won't be able to) do it without you.

Muhammed Enes Simsek on behalf of Simsek team
Founder & CEO