We continue to invest in more sustainable technologies that reduce our footprint, and new materials that are certified with industry sustainability standards.

Liberty Fabrics recognises that the production of fabric has significant environmental and social impact on the world around us – the company takes its duty towards responsible production seriously, making every endeavour to continuously improve progress in this area, refining its method, working with new technologies and sustainable materials to reinforce its work in this field.

BCI (Better Cotton Initiative)
BCI exists to make global cotton production better for the people who produce it, better for the environment it grows in and better for the sector’s future. BCI aims to transform cotton production worldwide by developing Better Cotton as a sustainable mainstream commodity. Liberty Fabrics joined BCI in 2017 as a trader member, supporting its customers to meet their BCI commitments by facilitating BCI cotton orders through the supply chain

GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard)
The aim of the GOTS standard is to define world-wide recognized requirements that ensure the certified organic status of textiles, from the harvesting of the raw fibre, through environmentally and socially responsible manufacturing up to labelling in order to provide credible assurance to end consumers. Textile processors and manufacturers are thus enabled to export their organic fabrics and garments with one certification accepted in all major markets. Liberty Fabrics includes several GOTS certified woven and knit fabrics in their range, including an Organic option of our famous Tana Lawn.

GRS (Global Recycled Standard)
GRS certifies products obtained from recycled materials and manufacturing activities. GRS enhances products made with recycled materials, in compliance with environmental and social criteria extended to all stages of the production chain. Liberty Fabric recycled bases are made through sustainable production processes that divert waste materials, such as discarded plastic bottles, which would otherwise pollute the Earth.

FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council)
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC®) certification, referring to fabrics and goods derived from cellulose, ensures that products come from responsibly managed forests that provide environmental, social and economic benefits.

STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® - CLASS 1
STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® is one of the world's best-known labels for textiles tested to ensure no harmful substances, representing customer confidence and strong product safety. Find out here what STANDARD 100 means and why it is worth checking for this label when buying textiles.
Liberty Fabric holds this important certification for several finished cotton, silk, linen, polyester bases.

ORGANIC TANA LAWN™ COTTON
Including an organic option for our world-famous Tana Lawn™ cotton, Liberty Fabrics GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certified woven and knit bases adhere to strict environmental and social guidelines – from harvesting raw materials to responsible manufacturing. Our organic fibres are responsibly grown without the use of synthetic pesticides, insecticides, herbicides and GMOs, following the principles of organic agriculture to sustain the health of our ecosystems.

TENCEL™ and MicroModal®
Lenzing Lyocell and Modal fibers originate from the renewable raw material wood, derived from sustainably managed forests. These certified biobased fibers are manufactured using an environmentally responsible production process, which transforms wood pulp into cellulosic fibers with high resource efficiency and low environmental impact. These materials are produced through a sustainable and environmentally responsible production process using renewable energy and recovering of chemical substances. TENCEL™ Modal fibers are certified as compostable and biodegradable, and thus can fully revert to nature.

LENZING™ ECOVERO™
Derived from certified renewable wood sources using an eco-responsible production processes, the manufacturing of LENZING™ ECOVERO™ generates up to 50% lower emission and water impact compared to generic viscose.

BEMBERG™ Cupro by Asahi Kasei
Bemberg™ is the brand name of Cupro, regenerated cellulose fiber from cotton linter, a pre-consumer material which is removed from extracting cotton seed oil. Bemberg™ is a biodegradable and compostable fiber that breaks down naturally after disposal, returning to the soil.

ECONYL®
An innovative, regenerated and recycled Nylon 6 obtained from waste that would otherwise pollute the Earth, such as discarded fishing nets.
Produced from post-consumer and pre-consumer waste, ECONYL® nylon can be regenerated an infinite number of times through a proprietary closed loop process.

Liberty has been a pioneer of fabric innovation since we began printing our own designs well over a century ago. We work with a network of specialist printers , whilst alsohaving our own mill which prints the majority of our fabric, located near the banks of Lake Como – the centre of the European textile industry. Using both cutting-edge technology and traditional techniques, archival and studio-fresh designs are printed to stunning effect on bases such as linen, chambray and, of course, our signature Tana Lawn cotton.

Our specialists print millions of metres of fabric every year, using both rotary screen and digital printing technologies. Digital textile printing is widely considered to be more environmentally friendly than conventional printing; it uses less water compared to screen printing, which requires high quantities of water to wash the screens. It also results in less ink wastage as droplets of ink are printed precisely onto the fabric. It is estimated the digital textile printing uses 10% of the volume of ink used in screen printing.

A number of additional environmental initiatives have been adopted by the printing mill, including:

Water
To minimise the use of water in the printing process, the printing machines recover water used for washing fabrics, re-using it for the first wash of the colour pumps.

Energy
A heat exchanger has been installed to pre-warm water used in the washing process, minimising the energy used at this final stage. Across the site, LED lights are being installed on an ongoing basis

Chemical waste
Throughout the year, Liberty facilitates random tests to assess the presence of Restricted Substances from the RSL of REACH. In 2020, the printing mill used 522,122 kg of products in its printing process. Of these, 351,708 kg (67%) comprise of GOTS-approved chemical inputs. GOTS-approved inputs come with an assurance of being free from hazardous substances, meeting environmental criteria, as well as low toxicity and high biodegradability. Using these inputs helps to lower effluent load and keep wastewater cleaner.