#disruptthestandard with Maggie Sottero

Maggie Sottero Designs has launched its international, company-wide sustainability efforts this week, on August 1, 2023.

Making its stand, Maggie Sottero has announced the following in a bold and emotive statement, made this week:

Maggie stands for LOVE and love for ALL– including Mother Earth. Maggie is a third-generation family-owned company committed to creating a more sustainable future for the next generation and beyond. We are on a mission to learn best practices, reduce our environmental impact and restore vital ecosystems, from Maggie’s beloved birthplace, Australia, to the Great Salt Lake Region we call home. We’re reimagining everything we do with a regenerative, future-facing view. The Maggie family is committed to being the change, disrupting the standard, and creating the future to ensure our brides’ love stories – and our planet – endure.

"The viability of our future is predicated on us re-imagining all that we do. As a leader in bridal fashion, we have a responsibility to be the change agent for you, our brides, our family and community, and our planet. Systemic changes have and will continue to be made within Maggie, but we all must work together," says CEO and Creative Director Kelly Midgley.

Maggie Sottero is working as quickly as we can to reduce our environmental impact, taking ambitious action in three key areas: Waste Reduction, Resource Consumption, and Biodiversity Protection.

Waste Reduction

As a company, Maggie is recycling everything possible, as efficiently as possible, from bulk shipping waste to diverting stock from landfills. By the numbers...

• 2,000+ pounds of plastic shipping waste have been recycled with Rocky Mountain Recycling.

• 100% of excess stock is diverted from landfills and into textile recycling programs and donation efforts.

• 700+ gowns were donated to global charity organisations and design students, including Otis College of Art and Design in the United States and Liverpool School of Art and Design in the UK.

• 300+ discontinued gowns were donated to Brides Across America, a community organisation providing free dresses to qualified military, first responders, and healthcare workers.

Resource Consumption

Maggie is working to become a regenerative brand by supporting renewable power projects, reducing product impact, and investing in the circular supply chain.

Maggie is reimagining textile resource consumption, reducing fabric usage, and scaling up lower-impact materials in our collections.

Through our Blue Sky Visionary partnership with Rocky Mountain Power, Maggie is reducing its annual carbon footprint by an estimated 154,000 pounds of CO2/year.

Investing in the circular textile supply chain through our partnership with the Avena Group will recycle 2,630 pounds of excess gown stock into new fibres or products.

Moving forward, Maggie is transitioning to post-consumer recycled content shipping boxes in all our warehouses.

Biodiversity Protection

Maggie backs efforts to support healthy ecosystems globally and near our Scope 1 facilities. By partnering with One Tree Planted, per-gown donations are directed to regional projects worldwide in honour of every Maggie Sottero bride. We are working in collaboration with International Bird Rescue and Friends of Great Salt Lake on wildlife habitat conservation in Maggie's home state of Utah.

Maggie is offsetting 100% of business flights in a partnership with Cool Effect, supporting conservation and restoration projects to reduce carbon emissions.

Maggie supports company-wide volunteer efforts in communities and habitats near our Scope 1 facilities and location shoots.

“We are rising to meet this critical moment for people and the planet. We’re implementing systems change throughout our organisation, embedding sustainability as a core directive for every team. We are working as quickly as possible to reduce our environmental impact,” says Global Sustainability Director and Designer Patricia DeLaunay.

Learn more: www.maggiesottero.com

Follow: @maggiesotterodesigns

Spread the word by using the hashtag: #disruptthestandard