Sustainability & Ethical Practices

Impact of the Fast Fashion Industry

The fashion industry is one of the largest contributors to global pollution and waste. Fashion is produced rapidly to cater to microtrends, often using unethical labor practices (e.g., underpaying workers and providing unsafe working conditions) and low quality materials. Workers in these industries are frequently denied proper living wages and forced to work long hours in cramped, dangerous environments. The use of low quality materials shortens the lifespan of garments, leading to their disposal when they become “ruined.”

Today’s generation engages in a lot of impulse buying, often purchasing items without genuinely considering their value or necessity. People tend to buy clothing in bulk from fast fashion brands because of their low prices, however, often find much is rarely worn. The result being, these unworn clothes either siting in closets for years or ending up in landfills.

Mariposa's Practices

Our goal is to stand apart from the unethical and unsustainable practices often seen in the fashion industry by advocating for slow fashion. We are committed to producing all of our products ethically and strive to be as sustainable as possible with the materials we use. While we are transparent that not all of our materials are 100% eco-friendly—due to the challenges of sourcing sustainable options consistently—we make a conscious effort to repurpose materials, such as old clothing and tablecloths, whenever we can. To minimize waste, we create items made-to-order and in small batches. Recently, we’ve also begun making our own garment tags from recycled denim scraps, furthering our commitment to sustainability.

Packaging

At Mariposa, we prioritize sustainable packaging by using biodegradable poly mailers for shipped orders. For local meetups, we keep it simple by wrapping items in 100% cotton string or using recyclable paper bags.

Recognizing that packaging is often discarded immediately after opening, we minimize its use and avoid unnecessary additions like confetti or other frivolous materials to reduce waste. When Mariposa receives shipments, gifts, or other deliveries, we try to reuse packaging materials resulting in many orders being wrapped in a unique combination of tissue paper, twine, or stickers depending on what is available. This approach not only reduces waste but makes orders one-of-a-kind for our customers. Additionally, we incorporate craft supplies our team has collected over the years to further add to the customization of orders, while also giving these items a new purpose instead of allowing them to contribute to landfill waste.