e5 mode, one of our country’s biggest fashion chains, is proud of its Belgian roots – and of its sustainability efforts. The latter tie in neatly with the label’s core values: honesty, respect and passion. e5 mode participated in a sustainability trajectory organised by Flanders DC, which led to the creation of a circular capsule collection. The brand wants to draw lessons from this project and implement learnings on a bigger scale, in order to become more sustainable as an organisation.

The collaboration between e5 mode and Oxfam Solidarity provides us with another beautiful example of the brand’s sustainability drive. The alliance goes back more than a decade and is still going strong, making it one of the longest-lasting partnerships that Oxfam has ever entered into with a private company. Together, they undertake actions like collecting used (and reusable!) clothes every six months to stack the shelves of Oxfam’s second-hand stores. The profit goes to Oxfam projects all over the world.

Moreover, e5 mode invests in ethical working conditions and the environment, for instance opting for green packaging materials and FSC certified paper. Sister company ECG, whose labels are sold in e5 mode stores, joined the Fair Wear Foundation in May 2018, dedicating itself to improving conditions in its clothing factories. After all, the FWF submits all its member companies to yearly Brand Performance Checks to see if, and how, they’ve improved labour conditions.

e5 mode’s sustainability pledge is not only backed by its sister company ECG; the chain asks every one of its suppliers to respect the rules of the International Labour Organisation. These rules make sure that no employees are exploited, that maximum working hours are respected and fair wages provided.

The icing on the cake? e5 mode wants to keep its fabrics healthy (harmful chemicals are strictly banned), it optimises its transportation planning to eliminate unnecessary kilometres and it recycles its waste. Fun fact: e5 mode has its own water treatment plant and makes sure to only have its cardboard and paper collected if there’s enough waste to fill up an entire truck.