Before diving into this article, try a quick test. Look back over your day, or simply glance around you: how many single-use plastic items surround you?
Since its invention in 1869, this material has found its way into every facet of our lives, deeply altering our society. Today, plastic management is one of the greatest challenges facing our generation. It is a particularly growing challenge in the fashion industry, where parting with such a convenient material proves difficult.
Because practical it certainly is: flexible, transparent, waterproof, resistant, lightweight, inexpensive... It is present throughout almost every stage of the production chain. Its use grew with globalisation and the rise of the internet, greatly accelerating the flow of goods across the globe. For example, it protects our shirts and clothing sent from our European workshops to your wardrobe.
So many qualities that appeal to industries worldwide (including us) and are hard to replace. Until now! Don't worry, this article isn't about praising plastic, but rather offering a more environmentally friendly alternative.
Our ambition behind creating Hast in 2012? To create the shirt we couldn't find in France. Simple, well-tailored shirts, crafted from high-end fabrics, with full transparency on our margins and prices.
Offering exceptional quality garments while preserving local craftsmanship: ethics have been at the heart of our journey from the start. We have chosen to work primarily with European partners—some of our fabrics come from Japan—always selecting specialists in each field. Today, we partner with workshops in Italy, Portugal, the Baltic States, Germany, France, and Romania. Each adheres to a strict code of conduct regarding employee working conditions. To learn more about our workshops, click here.
Over the past few years, through our growth and scientific advances, we have become increasingly aware of our environmental impact and our power to act. While we cannot change the world on our own, we can encourage thoughtful, more sustainable purchasing habits. If you wonder how we plan to do it, it's simple: informing you, sharing our knowledge, and engaging with you. We are stronger together.
Our choices are guided by a more human and pragmatic vision of fashion
Our choices are guided by a more human and pragmatic vision of fashion, and key stances have allowed us to assert our commitment to going beyond an excellent quality-price ratio. In particular, we have chosen to design timeless, durable collections that stand the test of time, avoiding the vicious cycle of endless promotions, all combined with a fair, fixed price. We no longer offer sales, preferring to introduce you to emerging brands that share our vision!
We then considered practical ways to eliminate waste. This led to our first upcycled boxer shorts, crafted from fabric remnants that were too small to produce new shirts. Today, circular fashion has become an ongoing focus.
With upcycling and recycling in mind, we started looking more closely at our packaging, which inevitably accounts for too much waste—especially since we cannot control the end-of-life of every parcel sent across France and beyond. What material should replace conventional plastic? How should we proceed?
We face several constraints: from a logistics standpoint, we need transparent or at least semi-transparent packaging. We currently offer over 200 shirt styles across around sixty different fabrics (poplin, Oxford, herringbone, twill, flannel, denim... the list goes on). To ensure you receive the right style, our logistics team checks every order before dispatch, and opening a cardboard box or kraft envelope to verify the product would be far too complex and time-consuming. An opaque material is therefore not a viable option.
Another constraint is water resistance. Our garments travel from various European countries, all the way to Burgundy. It is crucial to ensure they arrive in pristine condition and are stored properly. Our packaging must therefore be waterproof and protect against moisture and odours, while remaining durable and reusable. Fabric and cardboard packaging are unfortunately not viable.
After months of research, we are proud to introduce TIPA: a technology as innovative as it is eco-friendly, making us the first French clothing brand to use it!
What is TIPA? Biodegradable packaging, "home & industrial compostable", which takes only a few months to fully decompose. The material features multiple layers that act much like an orange peel: protecting our products and breaking down once composted.
We have finally found what we believe is the most viable and eco-friendly long-term solution. An innovative material that protects your clothes and disappears after use – or rather, breaks down into water, CO2 in the soil, and biomass, just like your organic waste.
This is not plastic? Technically it is, as the packaging is made of polymer chains. But we printed this phrase on our packaging to spark discussion, and to help you understand that this packaging does not behave like traditional plastic and can thus be repurposed into high-quality compost.
Will all packaging be compostable now? These new bags will gradually replace the plastic wrapping on our shirts first. From now on, every newly designed style will be packaged directly in our new TIPA bags. Due to production constraints, we cannot yet update packaging for our other products, but we are actively working on it – we are also considering kraft paper or fabric for select accessories.
What about collar clips, collar stiffeners, etc.? This is a challenge we are actively trying to solve – we have been testing for several months with (recyclable) metal, cardboard, and even wood! Every detail must meet several criteria, such as the ability to be transformed, reused, flexible or sturdy, without damaging the fabrics. We managed to find a solution for our first organic collection, Honest and sustainable trend, which we could perhaps apply to all our shirts in the future.
We do our best to sustainably change how we produce. We take the time to test every new adjustment to ensure it is viable in the long run and that we don't look back. Every step matters: your feedback and ideas help us move forward and improve. Want to discuss it? Email us at contact@hast.fr!
