Save the Duck has a direct mission that you can probably guess from their company name. That’s right: save the duck. Their products are 100% animal free and cruelty free. Turning away from the typical down coat for winter wear, the Italian company provides sustainable and cozy alternatives to help you survive the winter. Their platform is devoted to not only keeping their customers safe from the cold, but to maintaining a respect for the environment and animals throughout every level of garment production. In 2019 Save The Duck was PETA’S ‘Company of the Year’ and were the first Italian fashion brand to obtain B Corp Certification, a certification reserved for the best performers in social and sustainability issues. From its origins until today, Save The Duck has always built bonds and collaborations with successful companies committed to making our planet a better place. In partnership with ACBC, Save The Duck just developed a new eco-friendly sneaker for everyday wear. Like their clothing, the sneakers encourage respect for the space around us and are a reminder of the intentional steps (both figurative and literal) that fashion brands and consumers can take to preserve our environment. We asked Save The Duck to give us an in-depth explanation of their unique approach to sustainable fashion and the technology they are using to create a more sustainable world. Please dive into our full exclusive interview below.

Where are you based?
We are in Milan, here is where our brand was created and launched back in 2012.

Can you talk about the brand history of Save The Duck? What inspired the launching of Save The Duck?
Save The Duck was launched in 2012 with the intent to represent a sustainable alternative to the outerwear competitor scenario, one that would not harm animals in the making of garments. Few brands at the time approached the issue of sustainability from such a wide-angle and starting from the respect for animals. We love animals and when it comes to outerwear ducks are one of the most endangered species for the sourcing of down. The whistling duck stands for the idea of “thanks for saving my life” and it reflects the animal cause.

Save The Duck has implemented innovative methods to design, produce and sell clothes within an environmental and ethical philosophy. Can you talk about the materials and tech used in your jackets that help you steer away from using animal products, and why it is important for you to be animal free?
Our collections are built with the aim of being sustainable and completely animal-free. We do so by using raw materials from certified supply chain such as Global Recycled Standard, Bluesign, Oeko – Tex to name a few, and by not using any material of animal origin such as wool, leather or motherpearl. We replaced goose down with a state of the art technology PLUMTECH® as it is warmer, more breathable, and lighter than down and we have a full collection of garments derived from the recycling of plastic bottles called RECYCLED. Our aim is to offer highly technological and modern outerwear created for those seeking a metropolitan style, but with a strong outdoor feel. The highlight of this season is Pro-Tech, a line made with fabrics in PFC-free Gore-Tex®, recycled PLUMTECH, all in full respect for the environment.

PLUMTECH is what you are using instead of down? Can you tell us a little bit about PLUMTECH? What is it made out of and is it as warm as down?
PLUMTECH is padding created to imitate the fluffiness of down while preserving the advantages of technological thermal lining. Compared to traditional polyester, it allows us to produce garments with limited encumbrance, lighter, and with a guarantee of total freedom of movement. It absorbs high levels of humidity and dries very quickly. It also disperses the excess heat generated during everyday workouts and city use. It can also trap an extremely large quantity of air (the best thermal insulation) in its structure, preserving the body’s natural temperature and guaranteeing optimal comfort.

You just came out with your first line of shoes, The ACBC Capsule Collection. 100% vegan shoes are not that easy to find! Can you tell us a little bit about your new collection and what made you decide to incorporate shoes into your brand?
Creating alternatives and enabling consumers to make more informed purchases made it possible to enter into a partnership with ACBC. For SS21 we developed the first sneaker model with uppers in eco-leather, with a 50% proportion of recycled material. As regards the soles, to date a rubber containing 10% recycled material has been used. For the future, we are working with ACBC on soles in which the amount of recycled material is close to 100%. Our planet deserves sustainable sneakers that we can use every day, and that encourage our respect for the space around us, that is why we have decided to go down this path.

Many brands approach sustainable material sourcing through the means of upcycling. How did you decide on your approach to fabrication and textile development?
Our product undergoes strict quality control to make sure it meets the highest criteria when it comes to sustainable, clean, and fair production processes. More specifically we could summarize key steps into the following:

Preserving animal welfare: this means keeping zero-impact on animals and striving to reduce the negative impact on the environment (use of raw materials from the certified supply chain - Global Recycled Standard, Bluesign, Oeko – Tex)
Guaranteeing the respect of human rights of all Workers through the supply chain and keep developing, maintaining, and updating our transparent and formal system of audits (partners of BSCI)
Reducing emissions of Green House Gases (GHG), water and energy consumption, and increasing the use of renewable energy. We will present in a few days our first sustainability report (2018), where we publicly give visibility of our consumptions and efforts
Guaranteeing the highest quality level of our products, through our QC team checks and the chemical tests carried out according to our RSL, to ensure our customers about the use of materials that are respectful of the environment

The word ‘sustainability’ has come to serve as a trendy umbrella term for a diverse range of issues and their resolutions: raw fabrication sourcing, local manufacturing, labour practices, recycling, energy efficiency, chemical pollution, etc. What are your thoughts on the current concept of sustainability? How would you define sustainability?Today sustainability is sometime seen as a trend and we don’t need that. New generations are born in exceptional cultural circumstances where the world is seeing drastic changes that can affect everyone’s lives. So we all must commit to a more bearable way of living, producing and consuming products with an ethical and sustainable background.

Congratulations on Save The Duck recently becoming the first fashion company in Italy to achieve B Corp certification. Can you tell us a little bit about what this means?
B Corps are a group of more than 2,000 companies that incorporate goals to create a more positive social and environmental impact on their business strategy while still trying to produce the maximum possible profit. They are companies that create profit while regenerating the system in which they operate, producing positive impacts on society, people, and nature. Being a B Corp allows us to clearly communicate to our customers how we operate and guarantee full transparency of the company's activities.

You, with the other B Corps, are working towards being Carbon Neutral by 2030. Can you tell us a little bit about this and what steps are being made to achieve this goal?
Yes, together with the other 500 B Corps from all over the world, we committed to achieve Carbon Neutrality by 2030. We quantified our CO2 emissions and we are now on the path of mitigation and compensation to take charge of our environmental impacts and reduce the climate impact of our activities. It is work in progress and it takes a lot of study, but we are making good progress.

Italy was hit particularly hard by COVID-19, and we are seeing a lot of fashion brands struggling at this time. How have you been affected by COVID-19?The market has experienced some difficulties and our retailers have felt the weight of a global financial crisis. But our brand has stood solid and supported our clients in a very difficult time. We hope this fall-winter season will represent a significant relaunch for our economy. We are positive, even at an extremely difficult time like the one we are experiencing, Save The Duck expects to close 2020 with a turnover of 35.5 million euros and an EBITDA of about 20%.

Do you think as we move out of these times the fashion world will charge? Do you think consumers will be more conscientious of sustainable fashion?
The world is changing, climate change is under everyone’s eyes. Every choice we make can have a dramatic impact on our ecosystem and people, especially youngsters are becoming incredibly aware of it and aspire to a sustainable and more fair way of living. We will always commit to that and work hard to meet consumers’ demands towards a more ethical product. To us, it is the only answer to the future. The overall global response to our message so far has been great, so has the increasing desire to take a small part into doing something for our planet.

How are you staying positive and creative during these times?
By doing the things we have always done. Researching and investing in new green technologies, engaging with local communities, universities to build up our sustainable community, donating to local and global organizations to make a positive impact on society. Our learning process never stops and so our desire to protect our planet.

What advice do you have for younger designers looking to create sustainable brands?
Do appropriate research, look out for alternatives when designing your product, be creative, and always work without compromise, there is always a more sustainable alternative.

What is your motto in life?
Life’s too short, enjoy it.

You can learn more about Save The Duck via their website:
https://www.savetheduck.it

Save The Duck Is Raising The Bar For Sustainable Fashion