// Our (humble) take
Our take on Maison Standards’s ethical and sustainable approach
// How we went about it
We look at a brand’s sustainable and ethical approach based on the information available. For this review we put ourselves in a customer’s shoes, relying on public information: what the brand publishes on its website and social media, and what third-party partners publish when the brand cites them.
We don’t claim to hold the truth.
// In short
🤝 On the social side, the brand shares its countries of manufacture but remains fairly opaque about the exact places where its products are made, and about its full production chain. Also, despite its certification efforts, the brand gives access neither to the names of its factories nor to their social audits.
⚖️ Maison Standards' sales practices do support an eco-responsible approach: in particular, the brand offers pre-orders and educational content for its customers.
01
Maison Standards’s environmental approach
Eco-friendly materials used
| Eco-friendly materials | Non eco-friendly materials |
| Organic cotton | Cashmere |
| Linen | Cotton |
| BCI cotton | |
| Lyocell | Leather |
| Elastane | |
| Wool | |
| Lycra | |
| Polyamide | |
| Polyester | |
| Silk | |
| Viscose |
Non-exhaustive list.
Percentage of eco-friendly materials
Information published by Maison Standards
The brand states its wish to commit to an eco-friendly approach and claims to use 80% eco-friendly materials in its collections.
Unfortunately, we did not reach the same proportions: it turns out that Maison Standards mostly uses materials that are not considered eco-friendly, such as conventional cotton, polyester or viscose.
The difference between the percentage stated by Maison Standards and our analysis may lie in how an eco-friendly material is defined. 2 very different distinctions: BCI cotton and viscose are not considered eco-friendly by WeDressFair, whereas they seem to be for Maison Standard.
Man-made materials such as viscose, Tencel (Lyocell), ECOVERO... are all produced from cellulose (wood pulp), but they all go through different transformation processes that make them more or less eco-friendly. Viscose uses chemical solvents that are neither recyclable nor biodegradable, and uses large quantities of water in its manufacture. ECOVERO uses chemical solvents that are recyclable and reused in a closed loop (little solvent loss), as well as a recycled and reused organic solvent. Lyocell (Tencel) uses only an organic, non-toxic solvent (NMMO), which is recyclable and reused in a closed loop. ECOVERO and Lyocell (Tencel) also have a certified cellulose source (FSC, PEFC) and a final fibre certified by the European EU Ecolabel.
So Maison Standards may be using viscose made with an eco-friendly process but not mentioning it on its website.
As for BCI cotton, since this certification does not ban the use of pesticides or insecticides, we do not consider it an organic cotton certification.
💬 Our opinion
🔴 The brand mostly uses non-sustainable materials. Eco-friendly materials such as linen and lyocell make up a very small share and are often blended with non-sustainable materials, which only very slightly reduces the environmental impact of production.
Also, the composition is not given for every product, especially shoes. In addition, the brand sometimes uses abbreviations such as "pes" (for polyester) or "ea" (for elastane) in its descriptions, or the term "coton organique", which remains vague about whether the cotton is actually organic. We feel this kind of description can mislead consumers.
Approach to environmental labels
Information published by Maison Standards
All Maison Standards items are OEKO-TEX certified, which means that no substance toxic to humans or the environment was used in making the products.
The brand also plans to obtain GOTS certification for an entire product line. All the brand's suppliers are GOTS certified.
REACH certification is also often highlighted.
💬 Our opinion
✅ The brand shows a wish to be certified by labels known for their rigour, notably OEKO-TEX and GOTS.
🔴 However, the brand's communication about its current certifications is somewhat confusing. On its website it states that "Maison Standards styles with GOTS certification can be recognised by [the GOTS pictogram in the descriptions]", yet no product currently published has one. Some product descriptions do, however, include the statement "This item was made in our GOTS-certified workshop". This statement does not guarantee that the finished product is actually GOTS certified, and may mislead consumers. Suppliers being GOTS certified does not mean the finished products are GOTS certified.
Also, be careful with the REACH argument: this certification is a legal requirement for selling products in Europe, and in no way an additional commitment by the brand.
Other eco-friendly initiatives
Information published by Maison Standards
From 13 March to 15 April 2020, in partnership with the charity Le Relais, Maison Standards organised a jeans collection drive.
💬 Our opinion
✅ This initiative lets the brand take part in the circular economy and extend the life of its clothes. The brand could perhaps make this kind of initiative permanent, or build the end-of-life question directly into the design of its clothes.
Support for environmental NGOs or charities
Information published by Maison Standards
No information has been published on this.
R&D efforts and laboratory testing
Information published by Maison Standards
The brand does not share information about R&D or tests it carries out itself, but aims to favour innovative, less polluting techniques. Since September 2009, the denim collection has been washed using eco-wash technology, which saves water.
💬 Our opinion
✅ Maison Standard seems keen to reduce its environmental impact by adopting less polluting techniques.
🔴 An impact assessment backing up this commitment with figures would be welcome.
03
Maison Standards’s commercial approach
Sales and marketing
Information published by Maison Standards
💬 Our opinion
✅ Maison Standard takes a different and rather interesting approach to selling. In particular, it has a "last chance" section where you would expect to see crossed-out prices, but that is not the case. The brand chooses to display only the discounted prices.
Maison Standards runs pre-sales and pre-orders, which reduces the number of products actually made and limits the risk of overstock.
Raising awareness and education about overconsumption
Information published by Maison Standards
Maison Standards raises its customers' awareness of fashion's environmental issues, on its website and on social media, notably through educational content.
💬 Our opinion
✅ Maison Standards seems keen to involve its customers in raising awareness. It could go even further, notably with a richer blog section about its choices throughout its value chain.
This article was written by: Anna Demont, Beryl Tirali and Marie Nguyen.
