Eco Friendly Embroidery
Embroidery is an incredible stitching process which replicates a design onto clothing using thread. We are masters of this process and have some of the most skilled digitisers and embroiders in the UK since the early days of the process way back in the 80s. The process has been around a long time and we constantly monitor the changes in the industry. We believe our digitisers, machines and embroidery technicians are the best in the UK. Every piece done in-house by our brilliant team.
See below for a little more information:
Digitising Your Logos
First, to make a logo or design work in embroidery, it has to be ‘digitised’. This means plotting how it will be embroidered stitch by stitch. Using techniques to maximise the efficiency of the logo for when it runs on a machine, but also achieving the highest quality possible. Whilst there are many companies that offer embroidery, not many digitise in-house anymore.
Our creative team is led by Nikki Jackson, who has been digitising for over 30 years, and is one of the best in the UK. She trains up our team so that they too can continue the quality and control Banana Moon has always had in making the highest quality embroidery designs you will find in the UK. We believe so much in our embroidery quality.
Recycled Threads
We have always invested in the highest quality embroidery threads to make sure our embroidery looks as amazing as possible.
We currently use POLYNEON threads by Madeira for our embroidery, which is certified to OEKO-TEX standards to not contain any harmful substances. OEKO-TEX is a stringent textile product testing body which certifies products that achieve the standard.
However, since 2021 we have been transitioning to recycled polyester threads called ‘POLYNEON GREEN’. This is a relatively new innovation in the industry and is made from 100% recycled post consumer PET bottles. This is a great use of single use plastic, and enables less waste sent to landfill and through this process creates an item which will last forever. This is a super exciting development in the world of embroidery.
Backing
What is backing? If you’ve ever had an embroidered item and noticed on the inside of the garment is a felt like material, often white in colour - this is backing. We use this special fabric on the inside of the clothing, as it keeps the garment stable when it is in the frame and being embroidered. The backing is essential in making sure you get a great quality design, without puckering of the fabric or ruining the garment.
The backing is like a thin, felt fabric sheet which is placed within the embroidery frame. Our backing is made from 100% viscose fibre content and is 70% biodegradable. It is also OEKO-TEX standard 100 so has been independently tested to ensure it doesn’t contain any harmful substances to humans or the environment.
Embroidery Waste
Embroidery thread comes wrapped around something called a bobbin. They are plastic inners basically and are of no other use once the thread is all gone. These unfortunately must go to landfill.
However at Banana Moon, we have been working on reducing our waste as much as possible. We explored potential collections but couldn't find the right service. So, we set up regular drop offs to a local social enterprise called 'Scrap - The centre of creative reuse'. This enables people to go and buy our old embroidery bobbins to use in their creative projects. Supporting anything that helps creativity and the environment is good by us! Read a bit more about how and why we do this here
Banana Moon are B Corp & ISO 14001 certified
Banana Moon guarantees that our production is
- By a supported and empowered team, treated with respect and kindness, built on an award winning company culture
- All in-house and regularly audited to ensure we hit standards in quality and sustainability
- Constantly attaining the highest standard in sustainability and net zero targets
- Serving the interests of not only our shareholders, but our team, our suppliers, the environment, our community and most importantly, our customers.
- Creating products which can be used as a force for good
