Mondetta Makes for a More Sustainable Wardrobe

With Operation Circularity, the Canadian leisure and sportswear company initiates a radical shift from virgin material to more sustainable and recycled materials in their products.

Canadian leisure and sportswear design and manufacturing company Mondetta recognizes the significant impact the apparel industry has on the environment and believes it’s their duty to be socially responsible and minimise their ecological footprint. They know the lighter footprint at the bottom of their leggings matters to their customers as well.

Operation Circularity — a project designed to shift the company away from using virgin material in favour of utilising more sustainable and recycled materials in their product and garment line — is proof of Mondetta’s commitment to the green economy. Indeed, it puts them at the forefront of the sustainable clothing movement, where it’s turning heads.

Launching an ambitious project like Operation Circularity required deep and multi-tiered research. The team reviewed multiple frameworks to work on the organisational recycled materials strategy and related policies. It was important to identify what needed to be restructured in different departments, including the design and supply chain departments, if the demands of Operation Circularity were to be met.

This meant meeting with their suppliers, based in different parts of the world, to communicate what Mondetta would require from them. All the key players needed to be introduced to the project objectives and methodologies in order to be looped into Operation Circularity.

It was important that the compliance procedures and requirements — including accreditation by the Responsible Down Standard (RDS), Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), and Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)/Organic Content Standard (OCS) — be part of Mondetta’s very fabric going forward.

Much of the outreach and capacity building required to get Operation Circularity rolling was accomplished through training workshops that were held for internal and external stakeholders.

With all the elements aligned in the right direction, Mondetta began purchasing and shifting towards recycled and sustainable materials, and their supply chain team has worked closely with all their suppliers in five countries in order to promote sustainable practices, including ethical and responsible manufacturing.

The fabrics, textiles, and materials Mondetta uses in their products have undergone stringent screenings and checks at every phase of production to ensure their sustainability claims are completely verifiable. For example, they established a chain of custody and transaction certificate processes to ensure the traceability and verification of recycled content in their products at every step of the production process, from raw material to yarn to the final product.

All certified recycled material entering Mondetta’s supply chain has a Transaction Certificate (TC) issued by the certifying body.

Achieving this was a challenge for Mondetta. Compliance and audit requirements were especially demanding and intense for the suppliers, including the certifications required for supplying materials. Multiple rounds of capacity-building meetings with suppliers were held and corrective action plans for the non-compliant suppliers are in place.

Because global standards keep updating, ongoing research is vital to keeping compliance procedures current. Regular communication with all stakeholders helps keep operations smooth. The Operation Circularity supply chain team is constantly working on data collection and alignment, policies, and action plans to engage suppliers based on their environmental and social footprint. Mondetta are experts at making sure things fit and wear well.

As a result of Operation Circularity, Mondetta shifted from using virgin materials to recycled fibres in each new collection launched in 2022. Of the total units produced in 2022, 82% used recycled materials. Currently, 100% of their fabric suppliers are bluesign/OEKO-TEX certified to eliminate harmful substances/chemicals from their supply chain.

By taking the environmental lead, Mondetta’s moving fashion forward, and around.